Constructive thoughts on the first match day experience

[Seagull on the wing]

Good opening attempt but like others found that no clock was a problem,had to keep looking at my watch trying to work out how much time left. I'm partially deaf but the PA nearly blew me out of my seat but maybe with a full crowd it will not seem too loud.Biggest complaint...still no Guinness or dark beer in the the bars,not everyone is a lager real ale drinker. Acoustics from the Northstand was brilliant,sparsely filled but the signing came over well.When these faults are ironed out it will be amazing.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

In the North Stand ... yes. But at the end of the concourse where the CLOSED refreshment kiosk was located.

I agree ... more are needed. I very nearly suggested this to Martin Perry on Wednesday evening, but the conversation was interrupted by a 1901-er who wanted to know about wifi in the West Stand.

Think it needs reiterating, though, Lord B. But I cannot remember there being space in the North concourse for another kiosk...

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Positives:

* Transport was good (although people arrived in plenty of time and many people were hanging around at the end, which may not happen over time and certainly not evening games.
* Seat comfy
* WSL View is awesome
* Food & Drink not excessivly expensive and deals work out even better
* The steak pie was very tasty and actually had a lot of meat in and a tasty pastry
* Smartcard worked a treat
* Concourse was superb (although I went in the North and East and these were a bit more rough around the edges than the WSL - East actually looked unfinished).
* Screens are very clear
* PA system was rocking...Unlike Withdean I could actually hear music!
* Programme was excellent. Massive - Bigger than the last Withdean one
* Its ours
* We won another trophy


Negatives

* Food service was very slow. (although I got served quick others in front seemed to be taking an age).
* No clock anywhere
* West stand a little quiet (hopefully beter when a game we care more about is on).
* Hard to find your heritige stone
* Under my seat was very dusty and could do with watering down


Overall a great day out yes a few expected niggles, but thats why we're having a ramp-up. Well done everyone involved!

So you decided to go in the end, then! What changed your mind?

 

[Sussex Nomad]

A lot of this will have already been reported, however...

Living in the smoke I came down from Victoria. Love the London-Brighton service, 52 minutes to the nearest second. Soon as I got off found the Falmer train and it left within a minute of me getting on it. So from Victoria to Falmer was less than an hours journey.

Weather was miserable so b-line for the club shop. And having got there around 1pm it meant no queue and was able to go straight to the ticket counter and get my paper ticket, all done in less than a minute. Very efficient. Ticket office 8/10 ... full marks not given due to the particular occasion.

Only wearing t-shirt and shorts decided to stay in the club shop til my mate got there. It was more like November so ended up buying one of them pullover type things with the zip which was on the stand marked 'Golf Accessories' or something like that, thought I was at the Amex?? Huge queue had built up by this time as it was 1.45pm and everyone was looking for cover from the weather. However the service was efficient for the size of queue. Clubshop 8/10.

Got bored of waiting for my mate so made my way to the West Stand Lower. Found it with no problem. Ticket turnstile was easy and good help from the staff. Turnstiles 9/10.

Saw a lot of old friends in the concourse so at least I wasn't alone. Took one look at the queue for the food/drink and thought 'sod that'. Because of this I decided to forego my post match pint and food even though I hadn't eaten all day. Decided I'd come back about 3.15pm and risk missing the first ever Amex goal. I'll come back to marking the refreshments booths.

Went and found my seat with help where needed, politely, from the stewards. In stadium steward help, 9/10.

The rain had stopped by now but being 5 rows up from the pitch, the area had obviously tasted the full force of the precipitation. I'm glad I'll be WSU this season. Great view if you like pitch side, I prefer looking down onto a pitch with a great view.

I felt that although the PA system was top notch it was also to loud. Again this would be my personal opinion, but for me, to loud. Had to shout to 'talk' to people. PA System 7/10.

My general thoughts of looking around the ground was one of far better in the flesh than pics. Solid looking construction, although I am still very disappointed with the unfinished bits in the East and South stands. Obviously I know the reasons for these but it still makes the ground look unfinished. The screens also look much bigger in the flesh than in images. They were quite impressive but possibly under used. I'm surprised how many people have commented on the clock bit, I thought it would be a minor issue, but it appears not and I would have liked some kind of time keeping too. Acoustics appear to be the best you'll get anywhere and will definitely be awesome come a full house. Pitch was, as you'd expect, tip top, although (and not being pitch techie minded) I was perplexed to see it wasn't flat, only to be told this is to help drainage... c'est la vie. The moat looks really good. The huge Amex banner on the East stand definitely improves the aesthetics. Overall inner stadium impression 6.5/10 ... the unfinished bits spoil it for me, and the corners will look so much better when filled in.

So, KO comes and goes, gets to about 3.15pm and off I trot to get me grub and beer. I would not do this for a league match and would not expect to have to go during a game to get my food. I was pretty confident the concourse would be empty at this point and was duly obliged. Having had a taster at the Emirates and their superb concourses I tried to make the comparison with this. Concourse is great, nice and wide, TV's all over the place, decent toilet facilities, but it lacked extra tables that the Emirates have. That may well be a consideration to add more facilities for people to eat and drink. So I went up to the counter and asked for the hot dog meal. I was the only one there so not a problem. However the supervisor was giving the server on the spot training and he didn't seem to be able to speak a word of English either. Regardless of me being there she continued whilst he tried to serve me, not once thinking to apologise for the inconvenience. And when she was done she wrote her name on a piece of paper and gave it to him so he'd remember who she was. Having seen the calamity of people waiting up to 40 mins pre KO, I could see why the food areas just weren't working. These servers must have been working there all of an hour with absolutely no training. Absolute shambles. The hot dog was not good either. Crunchy roll for a hot dog? No thanks. Presentation wasn't much better either. And when I asked where the ketchup was he had to ask someone because he didn't know. Concourse 7/10, can be improved. Food and drink experience 1/10, really, really, really need to up their game by about 90%.

Other quirks of the day, a steward trying to chase everyone off the concourse at 5.30pm until we had to tell him it was open until 6.30pm, he had no idea. Asking someone when I wondered round to the North stand concourse where the supporters bar was, only to be told 'over there somewhere but it isn't open today'.

I left the stadium around 6pm, most supporters had dispersed by then which was a bit more comfortable. And was back home in NW1 by 7.30pm, so a good travel home.

Overall I had a seriously enjoyable familiarisation day. There are obviously kinks in the chain at the moment hence the ramp ups. But I am shocked by the total lack of knowledge from the food and drink servers, it is a complete shambles. But that did not deter me from having a thoroughly bloody good day!

 

[sagaman]

Overall pretty good but need to sort out food and drink service

I was underwhelmed by the finish of the Granite Heritage Stones that fans had bought outside the main corporate entrance on the west side.

 

[osgood]

WSL has quite a lot all along the back wall.

i suppose that the east stand mustve been left on the back burner while all efforts went into the flagship west stand,
trust its all finished there now, and efforts can be made to get our shelving,around columns too please, soap dispensers in the toilets (no there wasnt! tut-tut), in time for the spurs game

and other promised things...Dark Star and Guinness and Betting Booth/shop

in time for the Donny game,

 

[The Merry Prankster]

I was underwhelmed by the finish of the Granite Heritage Stones that fans had bought outside the main corporate entrance on the west side.[/QUOTE]

They are pretty dreadful. Almost unreadable. The blue writing is a mistake.

 

[jevs]

Question for you. As it was pretty wet yesterday, was anyone sitting towards the front of the stands getting wet ? My seat is about 5 rows back from the front in the north and just wondered if i need to wear wet weather stuff if it's pissing down.

ta muchly

 

[Brovion]

Might as well add my thoughts:

We went by Mill Road Park and Ride. Having always walked to Withdean this is the first time I've used the P n R and I have to say it was brilliant. We got on a bus as soon as we parked, and coming back (having stayed for an after-match pint) we were also able to get straight on a bus. No crowding, no queuing, no waiting. One thing - we got there at 13:30 and it was already nearly full (we were in Zone D) and this was with a 7000 crowd! For the Donny game either get there VERY early or make other arrangements.

No one's fault I guess but the queues for the food and drink were horrendous, I think we queued for about 30/40 mins. For the Spurs game they need all the kiosks open and all the tills operational. The food is excellent and whilst not at rip-off level it's not cheap either - and I couldn't find the KFC!

Didn't bother with the shop as the queue looked even worse.

Anybody who bought a heritage stone - you've been fleeced. I knew where they were because I suddenly came across a load of people who looked as if they'd dropped their car keys, all scanning the floor. The stones look small, cheap and tacky, putting them on a wall would have been better; it might have given the effect of a badly-tiled bathroom but it would have been better than the pets' graveyard effect.

The stadium does look a bit unfinished but the acoustics are fantastic. We were in WSL, row D and I didn't notice any wet, but we didn't take our seats (due to the food queues) until just after kick-off.

If I'd been an STH I wouldn't have bothered with the ramp-ups, and those you who are saving yourself for Doncaster are in for a real treat; it will be AMAZING!


EDIT: Oh and the 'Legends' wall outside the west stand. No ones' going to agree but Leon Knight? WTF? And no Charles Webb which IS a disgrace - although I noticed a blank one at the beginning which may be for his banner.

 

[wehatepalace]

Only a couple of gripes
1. Not enough "table" space on the north stand concourse.
2. Would I be correct in saying just 1 gents toilet block for the whole of the north stand? And only 3 traps in there for 2000 fans !
3. After walking round to the west stand i noticed their TV didn't have a protective screen round them like ours in the north, do the club really believe that we would damage our own ground ?
4. Catering service an absolute embaressment ! You would have thought azzure would have trained their staff ahead of the opening game, they have a lot of work to do before the spurs game.
5. We need a clock.

Other than welcome home everybody !

 

[Bozza]

Let's make this the official feedback thread.

(There's no need to give any more feedback on the speed of catering, nor the availability of products at various times)

 

[Dorset Seagull]

Was in the WSU and had a great day. Was a bit surprised after all the talk of the concourses that it seemed to consist of just a few fast food counters and tv screens, however, the toilets were excellent. Wanted to try and get around other areas to see how different they were but could't seem to find a way round apart from down. Stewards seemed keen to usher us all out and nobody could tell me where the mosaic was.

Had a fantastic view from the Halfway line and the sound from what seemed like a dozen or so people chanting in the North stand was fantastic.......will be awesome when full.

I quite liked the heritage stones but blue writing is a problem.

Park and ride mill rd was very efficient and a pleasure to use.

The general views around the ground from your seat are fantastic and I think it will be quite awesome when full.

Think that having Leon Knight on the banners was also a mistake

 

[Working class pride]

Sussex by the Sea :-

1. Play it so it can be heard
2. Put a gag on the announcer when they play it so to shut him up
3. Turn Sussex by the sea off just before kick off and hear the crowd roar (keeping the said gag on the announcer)

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Think it needs reiterating, though, Lord B. But I cannot remember there being space in the North concourse for another kiosk...

There is another kiosk in the North concourse already, in the north east corner where the entrance is. It wasn't open yesterday.

 

[Vicar!]

Comment on the clock afterwards was that Gus dose not like them, it throws the players concentration.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Good opening attempt but like others found that no clock was a problem

Do you have a watch, or maybe a mobile phone, you could look at?

 

[borotrig]

from an eastbourne fans perspective, a very impressive ground on the whole, although in the away end the view behind the goal the rows A-H very restricted by the goal itself. both refreshment stands in the away concourse were open but very very slow moving, i guess that pick up as the staff get more used to till system. also, ran out of sugar at 3:15pm. very surprised to see padded seats for the away fans, (you don't want to make them too comfortable surely) . the tannoy system was very quiet in the south stand and had to strain to hear it. shocked not to see a clock, we expect no clock at our level as not many have one but would have thought you'd have one. only very trivial things mainly but on the whole a nice ground. welcome home.

 

[FOOTSKI]

Getting to the game from Polegate was very easy. The kiosk was rammed and to be honest i was going to get a pie and a drink but was put off ( i think this will change when it's all go, go, go)

The sound travels very well and the few people in the north stand were great.

Every thing was a bit overwhelming really, can't wait to see it full.

On a personal level i felt like one of those people on diy sos when it's reveal time. wow....ooh.....wow.....arr

 

[jezzer]

We need a clock whether gus doesnt want one or not, thats pathetic if true. Everyone in the ground wants to gauge how long weve got left, a quick glance at the clock at withers a couple of times in the 2nd half was all you needed and the same here, if the players are concentrating on the clock and not the game, kick `em up the arse!

 

[trueblue]

Everyone in the ground wants to gauge how long we've got left,... a quick glance at the clock at withers a couple of times in the 2nd half was all you needed and the same here, if the players are concentrating on the clock and not the game, kick `em up the arse!

This.