New Stadium Details And Discussions

[Lilbaz]

Do we need to go bigger? We struggle filling WHL for the Europa group fixtures now, never mind a stadium over 60k.

That's where we are now. Where do we want to be in 5-10 years? Playing EL or CL?

 

[davidmatzdorf]

Do we need to go bigger? We struggle filling WHL for the Europa group fixtures now, never mind a stadium over 60k.

The ideal size for a stadium is not the size that you can fill for every match. The difference between the cost of building (say) 45k seats and (say) 60k seats is not that great - you still have to build the foundations and the roof, buy the land and construct the sewers for both sizes. So you broadly want to build it as big as you can.

The ideal size for a stadium is the size that you can almost-fill most of the time. We could easily fill a 60k stadium for important Prermiership or European matches and probably for nearly all the other Premiership matches as well. We'll make a hell of a lot more money that way, even if we play to a 2/3 full house for Europa League group matches.

Also, the size is not the only important factor. We desperately need the revenue from more and higher-quality corporate-type seats; boxes, etc. That's what primes the money-pump, not your seat and mine. We can't do that at all in the existing WHL, so we have to move.

 

[Lighty64]

I

No offence intended, Lighty64, but I think that taxi driver is misinformed.

If the police can dictate the size and capacity of buildings prior to their construction, I suggest that somebody should find a way to bring Stalin back to life so that they can do the job properly.

did say to him, had heard it was going to be bigger, and being in London why would they allow the scum 60.

When we 1st looked in to it, wasn't there mention of 58, but we got knocked down by some authority.

 

[barry]

It has everything to do with the relationship between MP's and the Police though. Never underestimate how petty things can get.
The police in Camden tried arresting a Fire Engine driver because he had a crash on the way to answering a call. The tit for tat was unbelievable. The Fire Brigade tried to get the Police stripped of the right to use sirens as they were not an emergency service. Also there was a stabbing/murder in Kentish Town. The police cordoned off the area and padlocked the rear entrance to the pub I was in, a fire man was drinking in there at the time. He made a call to the station and a fire engine turned up. A fire man walked into the pub with a pair of bolt cutters and cut off the padlock. The police and Fire crew faced off and for a moment it looked like it would come to blows.
This went on for months.

Classic

 

[davidmatzdorf]

If the police can dictate the size and capacity of buildings prior to their construction, I suggest that somebody should find a way to bring Stalin back to life so that they can do the job properly.

The police don't 'dictate' the size of a stadium, but they are formally consulted as part of the planning process (as are the fire brigade and I think ambulance services) for every development that is going to provide a facility that is going to be attended by large numbers of members of the public. The fire brigade advise (obviously) on fire safety and emergency evacuation. The police advise on security implications and public order issues. Their views are rarely, if ever ignored.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

I


did say to him, had heard it was going to be bigger, and being in London why would they allow the scum 60.

When we 1st looked in to it, wasn't there mention of 58, but we got knocked down by some authority.

The police are not advising on the absolute size of the stadium. They are advising on all aspects of the design that would affect their work in an emergency and in crowd control. That inevitably bears on the overall size, but if they can do their job in N17 with 70k people attending, then they'll not object to 70k.

The Emirates is in a different part of London, with much better transport links and (I think) easier emergency access and evacuation arrangements. If 60k was the maximum they could handle there, then they would have advised accordingly.

Anyway, my understanding is that the maximum size of the NDP stadium was not limited by the police or the fire brigade, it was limited by the transport studies: the club was adamant that they were not going to pay for a new tube station and the vast improvements in the local bus network over the past 10-15 years made it possible to get 56k people in and out without making major alterations to the tube or train access.

 

[Lighty64]

Thanks David as informative as ever, one day we will all know what's going to happen and when

 

[Hoopspur]

Complete pie in the sky from myself but I would hope that the stadium is planned to be 'future protected'. Blue tooth technology (plus) and all that of course, but there really needs to be some forward protection in terms of the inevitable advent of cutting edge technolgy. Stuff I can't comprehend yet like 3d holograms running around on the pitch for away matches...

 

[DiscoD1882]

Complete pie in the sky from myself but I would hope that the stadium is planned to be 'future protected'. Blue tooth technology (plus) and all that of course, but there really needs to be some forward protection in terms of the inevitable advent of cutting edge technolgy. Stuff I can't comprehend yet like 3d holograms running around on the pitch for away matches...

cock sucking virtual whore bag hollograms would be better....

 

[SandroClegane]

The ideal size for a stadium is not the size that you can fill for every match. The difference between the cost of building (say) 45k seats and (say) 60k seats is not that great - you still have to build the foundations and the roof, buy the land and construct the sewers for both sizes. So you broadly want to build it as big as you can.

The ideal size for a stadium is the size that you can almost-fill most of the time. We could easily fill a 60k stadium for important Prermiership or European matches and probably for nearly all the other Premiership matches as well. We'll make a hell of a lot more money that way, even if we play to a 2/3 full house for Europa League group matches.

Also, the size is not the only important factor. We desperately need the revenue from more and higher-quality corporate-type seats; boxes, etc. That's what primes the money-pump, not your seat and mine. We can't do that at all in the existing WHL, so we have to move.

I work in sales in football so I understand this. My point was more that if you build it too big there's not enough demand for tickets and people decide to wait until the game gets closer because they know they could always get a deal. I think we should be trying to stay around 52k, getting up into the 60's would be unnecessary IMO.

Obviously the corporate boxes are the main factor here.

 

[Lilbaz]

I work in sales in football so I understand this. My point was more that if you build it too big there's not enough demand for tickets and people decide to wait until the game gets closer because they know they could always get a deal. I think we should be trying to stay around 52k, getting up into the 60's would be unnecessary IMO.

Obviously the corporate boxes are the main factor here.

Demand will still outstrip supply for the bigger games. Also make season tickets a good deal. You get 5 games a season free or whatever.

You also don't count the fact that we can grow. Marketing, cheaper tickets (if we have good bars and restaurants in the ground we will make this back), discounts for families/students to bring in the next generation.

We are the most visited city on the planet. Do deals with foreign travel companies to sell tickets for us.

We have a million Spurs supporters in London. We just need to tempt 6% to come to games.

What happens if god forbid, we start winning trophies?

We will be increasing the corporate section by 6k. The away fans by probably 2k. As part of the agreement for the new stadium we also have to give (not sure on exact numbers) but possibly 1k for local residents. That means that we are increasing the capacity for normal fans by 11k with a 56k stadium.

You really think we can't sell an extra 11k tickets a game?

 

[dave5150]

What happens if god forbid, we start winning trophies?

Sorry but you lost me here.
More chance of bringing in crowds with a unicorn gymkhana halftime show...!

 

[chico]

If Pikeys and the Scum can have 60,000, and Wembley and Twickenham are much bigger , I'm not sure that bit about the Met dictating that we can only have 56,000 is true?
But agree with the post that we may struggle to fill 56k at the moment anyway. Who knows in the future.

 

[worcestersauce]

Not sure where this restriction from the police is from but I doubt they can stop us building a 60,000 or even 70,000 stadium but they may be able to object to us filling it to capacity, whether they could veto though I'm not sure.

 

[CoopsieDeadpool]

I honestly think that the 52k or 56k, whichever figure is being bandied about at whatever time, is down to nothing more than transport links & the capacity for the area to be able to handle the extra commuters on match days. It's no secret that WHL is bloody awful to get in/drive out of, so it's got to be obvious that these 52k &56k figures are being used so often for that very reason.

If I'm not wrong, the recent club statement stated something along the lines of "blah blah blah, constructing a stadium that is future proofed" ??. I take this "future proofed" as meaning "we'll build as big as we can (logistically) for now, but allow for future expansion when transport improvements/infrastructure (which I believe has been announced by London Transport?) is in place and able to handle the extra commuters on match days/nights"...

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Teddy Klinsmann]

@garyjacob: West Ham have the power to refuse to share the Olympic Stadium with Tottenham Hotspur more soon @TimesSport

@garyjacob: ... And West Ham intend to use the stadium veto... more soon @TimesSport

 

[Jimbo78]

Another club pushing ahead with their stadium plans ahead of us.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-29314614

Wish we could of done something like this with the existing site rather than a generic blue Emirates :-(

 

[Hoopspur]

@garyjacob: West Ham have the power to refuse to share the Olympic Stadium with Tottenham Hotspur more soon @TimesSport

@garyjacob: ... And West Ham intend to use the stadium veto... more soon @TimesSport

Gary Jacob was obviously at the same launch......

http://www.london24.com/sport/footb...as_west_ham_supremo_hints_at_snub_1_3781131#4

 

[Hoopspur]

In response to the post I've just made above. I read a few years ago that any club that managed to align, incorporate, be associated or even take 'ownership of London' somehow within the name would benefit massively from this. London is the only major city in the World where a or the principle football club is not named after it. This would be worth untold publicity for overseas visitors as a tourist or football attraction. This could potentially see a club in a prominant position within the capital in terms of transport benefit hugely. Where better than the Olympic stadium?

It is clear to me that West ham are attempting to do what I suggested.

Also ripe for a takeover imo.

 

[Jimbo78]

http://www.london24.com/sport/footb...tadium_takes_another_step_forward_1_3780918#3

Anyone else absolutely petrified another London club is going to overtake us?

Arsenal forging ahead was painful
Chelsea was unberable
Fucking West Ham?! This is surely some kind of sick joke.