What is the optiumum size for an Albion stadium?

[Lammy]

I'd rather have a 30,000 capacity that we can fill for the big games and use to encourage youngsters and families to come to for the lesser games such as Palace...

 

[Hiney]

Myself, I would be inclined to favour a stadium of about 28,000 (with options to increase the size to 36,748. But then I am a romantic not a banker.

Wouldn't 36,747 be a better figure?

 

[Set of Tracksuits]

A larger stadium with lower prices is obviously preferable, purely from a fans point of view. But at the same time, the more people you can get in there, the more merchandising/food/drinks you will sell and the more fans you will be able to attract via word of mouth, so it makes sense financially as well (in my simple little world anyway).

 

[Uncle Buck]

Surely it would be suicide to start playing with the capacity at this stage of the inquiry. Best to get the 22,000 and then change it once you have build 22,000?

 

[Lammy]

Surely it would be suicide to start playing with the capacity at this stage of the inquiry. Best to get the 22,000 and then change it once you have build 22,000?

I'm not sure anyone is sugesting that we scrap our plans for Falmer and sit tight for a bigger site to become available for our 60,000 all-seater super stadium.

I guess we're talking about in an ideal world what would be the right sized stadium for the Albion. I think it should be 30,000 to accomodate premiership aspirations, big games, encourage the kids to come along (free season tickets for kids under 12?)

 

[perseus]

But it could be possible to design a stadium with room for 28,000 seats, but only actually instal 22,000 thereby complying with Prescott's agreement to the plan. This is hypothetical, because I expect the elevations and all the gubbins have already been discussed, and maybe the only way to increase the capacity of Falmer would be to have a standing area.

 

[Trufflehound]

About so big...

That's only about 3 inches across on my screen. Surely they'll need to build it a bit bigger than that.

 

[Easy 10]

All this talk of 30,000 seats is fanciful claptrap. 22,000 is more than adequate for our needs. The game has moved on since the heady days of the Goldstone when 25-30,000 packed in there. Even if we ever reached the Premiership, I don't think we'd average much more than 20,000, week in week out. We've got good potential, but lets be realistic.

Sure perhaps we could pull in 25,000 for the big games, but in these days of all-seater stadiums, with tickets purchased weeks in advance, I think its unrealistic to expect crowds of 25,000+. The old days of terracing, when you could just turn up on the day on a whim, pay a couple of buttons to get in, and stand with a group of mates are sadly long gone. Now it costs an arm and a leg to get in, you have to get your arse into gear to sort the tickets beforehand, and you have to sit in an allotted seat which may not even be in the same stand as the one your mates are in. Its not the same "social occasion" that is used to be.

Football has changed. Goldstone crowds in the past are an utter irrelevence as to the potential crowds at Falmer, but I think some people on this thread are vastly overestimating the kind of regular fanbase we can command. 22,000 WILL be enough for the vast majority of games, no question.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

But it could be possible to design a stadium with room for 28,000 seats, but only actually instal 22,000 thereby complying with Prescott's agreement to the plan. This is hypothetical, because I expect the elevations and all the gubbins have already been discussed, and maybe the only way to increase the capacity of Falmer would be to have a standing area.

I assume you will be sending this thread to your chums at Falmer so they can add it to the portfolio of arguements against Famler and for Pende then...you shit stirring twat

You guys do not realise what damage this sort of stuff Horton is posting is doing to our cause

 

[Easy 10]

You guys do not realise what damage this sort of stuff Horton is posting is doing to our cause

I wouldn't give so much credit to the vague, ill-informed musings of Perseus. Its just pissing in the wind, and if this is the kind of stuff the NIMBYS actually come to the Inquiry "armed" with (Pende and expansions to 28,000 seats ?!?), then frankly, we are already home and dry.

 

[Lammy]

It would be funny though wouldn't it if they said in the enquiry "But if you look at exibit C, a thread from NSC it is clear that the club intends to expand to 40,000 once they have their foot in the door".

In response to an earlier post Easy I think 30,000 would be filled week in week out IF we were in the Premiership. I also believe we could fill that for big games (i.e. play-offs, relegation/promotion battles, the odd cup game against BIG opposition).

I seriously think you UNDER estimate the potential support this club could comand given the right facilities and marketing. FFS if southamton can fill a 30,000 stadium we sure as hell can.

 

[Easy 10]

I seriously think you UNDER estimate the potential support this club could comand given the right facilities and marketing. FFS if southamton can fill a 30,000 stadium we sure as hell can.

Southampton have been an established Premiership club for many many years and have always had decent attendences. St Marys was the next step on, and they've built on an already large supporter base and now been able to add to it.

When we were last at this level playing at the Goldstone and pushing for the playoffs, we still didn't even manage to get 10,000 more than a couple of times. With Falmer, we can expect 15,000 at this level because of the superior facilities. But we would struggle to DOUBLE that overnight just cos we're in the Premiership. I would prefer a completely sold out 22,000 to a gappy 30,000 any day.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Hull is not much bigger then Brighton and they built a decent sized ground and managed to get 22,000 for a Tuesday night game against Oxford Utd.

It is all about how you sell the game to the casual fans.

We have missed out on a number of 'new generations' of Brighton fans because parents could not just take their kids along one week, or kids cant tag along with their mates or brothers etc.

That is how people get hooked.

Once we have a big ground and people can pay on the day and see a ground with decent facilities etc they will come back.

BUT this will take time and many of those supporters we have already lost with people taking their kids up to Stamford Bridge once a season instead.

If the ground was large enough to accomodate the regular support and an increase in their number, say to about 12,000-15,000 as well as having additional space for big games etc then the club could start enticing these kids back to Brighton.

When I played for Horsham Sparrows the club used to get 200 free tickets to a low profile Crystal Palace game every year. Even when they were in the Premiership. The club did not have to do this but knew they would not sell out for the likes of Coventry at home and that some of these kids would want to come back again as well as buying programmes and burgers etc.

That is the sort of thing the club need to do to reclaim the lost generations of Albion supporters.

I think 22,000 will be more then big enough to start with and agree with Uncle Buck that it is easier to add seats on when the ground is already there. 30,000-35,000 would be ideal and in 5-10 years if the club was still doing ok we could manage this.

 

[Lammy]

Southampton have been an established Premiership club for many many years and have always had decent attendences. St Marys was the next step on, and they've built on an already large supporter base and now been able to add to it.

When we were last at this level playing at the Goldstone and pushing for the playoffs, we still didn't even manage to get 10,000 more than a couple of times. With Falmer, we can expect 15,000 at this level because of the superior facilities. But we would struggle to DOUBLE that overnight just cos we're in the Premiership. I would prefer a completely sold out 22,000 to a gappy 30,000 any day.

How gappy would it be if kids got in for free for certain less glamourous games?

And we would fill 30,000 if we were in the Prem. I'm sorry but we just WOULD!

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Southampton used to get 15,000 at the Dell. So in effect they did double their attendance overnight.

 

[Brixtaan]

If i didn't think it would be 5 more years (on top of the 5 already)before we got a ground i wouldn't want Falmer.22,000 is not going to be enough.No3 on the South coast for ever more,with no argument for anything else unless we win the Prem or CL

 

[dougdeep]

Let's leave it up to Dick Knight. I'm sure he knows best.

 

[Jameson]

Let's leave it up to Dick Knight. I'm sure he knows best.

Does he?

30k would be the optimum size in my book. It's a community stadium don't forget so there are plenty of other uses.

Plus if we have 30k we could easily host England games (as have Southampton, Leicester etc... with similar size grounds).

 

[dougdeep]

Does he?

30k would be the optimum size in my book. It's a community stadium don't forget so there are plenty of other uses.

Plus if we have 30k we could easily host England games (as have Southampton, Leicester etc... with similar size grounds).

Shall we start the enquiry over again then?

 

[beorhthelm]

Try:-
30000 to Div 2 play-offs.
40000 to Old Div 2 play-offs.

If we get the team and ground, the fans will come.

Millwall fans can't/won't get their memberships so their client base is very limited. Watford have never enjoyed our fan base, Burnley are a yesterday club. Crewe, Gillingham and Rotherham are two-bit clubs.

Why not quote Leicester, Ipswich, Norwich, Saints, Palarse, etc. ?They are a similar sized club to us. Or how we used to be!

im trying to be a realist. Ok, maybe a bit pessemistic. We *used* to be similar in size to the likes of Leicester and Ipswich, but right now we're not. Much more like a yesturday club like Burnley. We might have taken 30K to the play offs, but bear in mind we didnt sell out our allocation so i feel that give an indication of current support base.

Hopefully im wrong and in 5 years we'll be selling out every game in a 22k Falmer. But if we're not, can we afford the extra cost of building 30K (Percy has conveiniently forgotten to mention that in his original post). Do you want the Falmer stands to look like the Madjeski?