Planning to increase the capacity already?

[South Stand Bonfire]

Up to 10% for league games and 15% for FA cup isn't it?

No such rule. Some PL clubs give miserly away section. Albion's 2,550 is generous.

 

[Notters]

E

No such rule. Some PL clubs give miserly away section. Albion's 2,550 is generous.

Er, yes there is. They have to give 10% subject to segregation (i.e. Approximately); 15% in the cup.

 

[jackanada]

Spare capacity means they can give away spare tickets. I used to get the odd freebie at primary school (one for me, one for dad) - almost 30 years later I'm blowing more on the albion than ever before, seems like a proper way to build for the future to me.

 

[Chamberpot]

you didn't know this already? it's been talked about for a long time

I knew that we wanted to, but I thought only if we got into the premiership.

 

[Husty]

you funny

Go look at the thousands of gillingham seats left, or the spurs seats you can still buy, or the 7000 attendance for the first ever match, or the 2 days it took to sell just 1000 seats for the first ever league match...

There is hardly a high demand on tickets.

 

[ac gull]

think you will fimd that assuming we have 30k capacity - then the two "corners" at either end of the south / away stand will hold a total of around 1,000 extra away fans in total - this would take us up to about 3,500 away fans - over the 10% required - i.e one corner for home league games would be for home fans and just have 3,000 away fans re the 10% rule

then for cup games when 15% - 4,500 away fans is needed - away fans get existing south stand, both corners i.e the 3,500 and around 1,000 more at end of east stand ( current low level section ) - this section of east stand is where you can't buy season tickets and are being sold on game by game basis anyway - so all season ticket holders can always have their own seat for cup games if they want to

simples

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

It's a no brainer. Put the planning application in asap and then you normally have up to three years from the date of approval to start to implement it. The club could get the planning consent for say 30k but increase the capacity by phases if need be. eg corners first, East Stand last. At least it will give the club a bit more flexibility should demand continue to outstrip supply.

Go look at the thousands of gillingham seats left, or the spurs seats you can still buy, or the 7000 attendance for the first ever match, or the 2 days it took to sell just 1000 seats for the first ever league match...

There is hardly a high demand on tickets.

 

[Snorfy]

Go look at the thousands of gillingham seats left, or the spurs seats you can still buy, or the 7000 attendance for the first ever match, or the 2 days it took to sell just 1000 seats for the first ever league match...

There is hardly a high demand on tickets.

Why are you being so negative, there is no reason for it.

The quicker the stadium is finished the better, in particular the East Stand!

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Go look at the thousands of gillingham seats left, or the spurs seats you can still buy, or the 7000 attendance for the first ever match, or the 2 days it took to sell just 1000 seats for the first ever league match...

There is hardly a high demand on tickets.

You are not understanding the whole process, are you? Put planning permission in and then we can phase the expansion.

Do you and your wife plump for a one bedroom house when you have plans to have children? Do you build a hotel with a capacity for the winter season and not the summer season?

 

[gazingdown]

Go look at the thousands of gillingham seats left, or the spurs seats you can still buy, or the 7000 attendance for the first ever match, or the 2 days it took to sell just 1000 seats for the first ever league match...

There is hardly a high demand on tickets.

Firstly the Gillingham game is an early round cup tie, was never going to sell out anyway.

The first match was a very minor game and the capacity was reduced anyway.

The Donny game HAS sold out almost TWO weeks before the game. Yes it took the whole of two days (which isn't very long at all really), I would wager it would have been less if people could get through to the ticket line in less than hours! Many people won't even know tickets were available online, let alone use the service. If the phone service could cope with, say, 500 orders an hour, I bet they WOULD have sold out by Monday lunchtime!

There are MANY (myself included) who couldn't buy tickets for the Donny game. If the capacity was higher, we most likely WOULD be able to get tickets.

So, yes, the demand IS there. Of course, with 30k, we won't sell out every game (what club does!) but it does mean they can for larger attendances for the big games (of which there are quite a few, palace/leeds/hammers/etc.) plus the higher capacity will be essential if we're fortunate enough to get promoted.

For small games in the future, I guess many won't opt for corner tickets and they can always "close/cover" the ES upper and it will look/be no different than it is now so won't look "empty" at all.

 

[mune ni kamome]

I think this shows pure and simply where Tony Bloom and Gus know we are headed and soon. Upwards

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Hey You Get of my cloud there are no visitors allowed.

Go look at the thousands of gillingham seats left, or the spurs seats you can still buy, or the 7000 attendance for the first ever match, or the 2 days it took to sell just 1000 seats for the first ever league match...

There is hardly a high demand on tickets.

Come on fella, How many other teams have sold out there first game of the season, and how many other teams in the championship have sold the amount of season tickets we have. I would also add that we have probably sold more season tickets than a third of premiership teams. Cheer up please, we have our new stadium and things are oh so wonderful at the moment, why do so called supporters want to bring us down or give us a reality check................. Im on cloud 9 leave me there please... !

 

[The Grockle]

I'd warn against this, given the complete lack of demand I've seen so far for tickets, Donny hardly sold out fast did it?

Maybe put in the application, but don't act on it until we need it, i.e. get promotion.

I’m not sure if your fishing but the interest in tickets at the Amex has been phenomenal and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest we could have sold a fair few more season tickets had there been more seats available.

Personally I think it makes sense to at least put a second tier on the east stand and make this available for casual fans, if we have a slump in attendances we can simply close it off.

If we ever do make it to the premier league, which I believe we will in the next 10 years-we’ll be glad for the extra 8000 seats.

 

[Sheebo]

Selling out in two days when they were only on sale to fans with purchase history isn't a bad effort IMO.

Yeh - I didn't realise the purchase history thing - We could have sold this match out at 30k had they gone on general sale for sure. I wouldn't mind a regular 25k full stadium with a 30k capacity myslef - not that many empties - and I think the ones that would be more empty would be the corner seats. Go for it Tony!

 

[mikeyjh]

Wouldn't you think that a) You'd want to see how attendences look over a couple of seasons and b) Any planning decision would be looking carefully at how travel plans pan out over a season or so?

 

[Billy the Fish]

It's better to upgrade the infastructure as early as possible. We will not sellout a 30k stadium every game, that is a fact because we won't sell out our 22.5k stadium every game.

What it does do is allow more casual fans to get tickets for big games, and also it would dispel the myth that's it's impossible to get tickets.

 

[Arthritic Toe]

This situation reminds me a bit of our first season in the old First Division, back in 1980 or whenever it was. The word on the street ahead of that, was that if you didnt get a season ticket you would never get in to see the top games. It turned out that we had healthy crowds, but rarely, if ever sold out (I think the capacity was around 25,000 at that time). I'm not intending to be in any way negative, but I think there has been a similar furore this season, and we may see a substantial reduction in ST sales for next season, assuming we are still in the Championship. The planning application demonstrates the ambition though - it is focussed on the Premier league.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Another factor to think of is the cost, I would imagine that a deal has already been done with contractors to complete the stadium at a fixed or semi fixed rate. This would make far more sense than waiting 3-5 years and then the ecomony picks up and costs shoot through the roof again.

On a lighter note

There is also a chance Tony could go on a bad run at poker and need some of his stake money back !!

 

[Max Paper]

Go look at the thousands of gillingham seats left, or the spurs seats you can still buy, or the 7000 attendance for the first ever match, or the 2 days it took to sell just 1000 seats for the first ever league match...

There is hardly a high demand on tickets.

You really do talk bollocks

Gillingham in the Carling Cup - have you not noticed that this competition is viewed as, quite frankly, a waste of time? It was never gonna sell out, 22,000 or 30,000 it doesn't matter

The Spurs game - a 'FRIENDLY' match. The opening of the new stadium maybe, I'm not going, I'm saving it for Donny as are a LOT of others. If we were playing Spurs in the FA cup or in a league game, are you trying to tell me it wouldn't sell out?

Doncaster tickets - did they ever actually make it to 'general sale' or were they snapped up by people who had attended games in the past - as explained on the clubs website? Was Joe Bloggs ever actually able to buy one

 

[gazingdown]

Nope. I couldn't buy one. I've been registered for a fair while but the only tickets I bought were from here, not via the club.