Is Falmer now going to have a capacity of 30k?

[folkestonesgull]

the cost to the club could be very high to increase the capacity - for an extra 8,000 or so seats would this viably pay back the extra cost that may be required as part of any planning permission to fund public transport improvements such as rebuilding a station, funding further park and ride etc.

If we got to the championship I think 22500 is more than adequate for the club for the considerable future, the way the premiership is there is so much income from TV money that gate receipts are not the main source of income anyway and so it may not be in the clubs best interest to expand as soon as it (perhaps) got there if there was chance of relegation back to the championship...

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

22.5k in the long term would show a serious lack of ambition imho.

 

[burrish-gull]

I was told 'unofficially' it can be increased to 35,000 by the architect who designed the stadium (from KSS Design) at the official Falmer ceremony day, which I was lucky enough to attend in 2008. He told me planning would again need to be sought but the East, North and South Stands are designed to have the roofs raised to accommodate extra seating. The club simply could'nt or won't at the moment make this official for obvious reasons but the design allows for a substantial capacity increase in the future.

He also told me the stadium is going to be one THE best in the country when finished.

 

[Dave the OAP]

well, we increased the capacity at Withdean by putting in extra seats and stands and we have only passed the 7k mark a few times, so one could argue that it was an absolute waste of money.

Personally I would wait and see. On the black side, we could have a horrendous season next year and get relegated and the first season at Falmer will be in the 4th division.....in which case, 12k will seem like a very long shot! On the good side, we could get promoted and then be in the Championship filling the ground every week, then after a year or two, we may need extra seats.

 

[cuthbert]

I was told 'unofficially' it can be increased to 35,000 by the architect who designed the stadium (from KSS Design) at the official Falmer ceremony day, which I was lucky enough to attend in 2008. He told me planning would again need to be sought but the East, North and South Stands are designed to have the roofs raised to accommodate extra seating. The club simply could'nt or won't at the moment make this official for obvious reasons but the design allows for a substantial capacity increase in the future.

He also told me the stadium is going to be one THE best in the country when finished.

In the words of Mandy Rice-Davies "he would say that wouldn't he?"

 

[burrish-gull]

In the words of Mandy Rice-Davies "he would say that wouldn't he?"

Don't know the answer to that except he told me he is re designing White Hart Lane for KSS, so he might be busy

 

[Curious Orange]

Talk of increasing the capacity is a moot point, I can think of only one home match that I have attended since I started watching the Albion in '85 that was attended by more than twenty thousand people, and that was the cup match against Arsenal. The permitted capacity for Falmer will be fine.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Talk of increasing the capacity is a moot point, I can think of only one home match that I have attended since I started watching the Albion in '85 that was attended by more than twenty thousand people, and that was the cup match against Arsenal. The permitted capacity for Falmer will be fine.

Complete and utter bollox. You cannot compare attendances in 1985 to 2010. As said before Arsenal got 18,000 for some matches at Highbury in the 80s. Flamer's capacity will be woefully inadequate if we ever do fulfil our potential.

 

[Simster]

Complete and utter bollox. You cannot compare attendances in 1985 to 2010. As said before Arsenal got 18,000 for some matches at Highbury in the 80s. Flamer's capacity will be woefully inadequate if we ever do fulfil our potential.

Spot on. In one week in the 80s, Arsenal had 17,000 and then Spurs got 13,500 in midweek!

Our support is horribly fickle, but a bit of success and fans come pouring out of the woodwork. Never underestimate the number of fans of London clubs who follow BHA as a second club and would fork out for a season ticket if we are doing well.

 

[burrish-gull]

Spot on. In one week in the 80s, Arsenal had 17,000 and then Spurs got 13,500 in midweek!

Our support is horribly fickle, but a bit of success and fans come pouring out of the woodwork. Never underestimate the number of fans of London clubs who follow BHA as a second club and would fork out for a season ticket if we are doing well.

This is very true, I've got a Spurs supporting friend who wants a season ticket and I spoke to some youngsters in the local pub on sunday night (with Chelsea shirts on no less) that will definetly be going to the new ground as Brighton is their local club. There is an awful lot of support up here on the Sussex/Kent border that are ready to engage with the club once again, I think we will all be suprised the impact Falmer is going to have.

 

[BensGrandad]

Unless we get the anticpated promotion next season or the following we will have trouble selling out Falmer with its 22500 capacity after the first season. Having said that I think that we will get promotion and the crowds will increase as to what level I wouldnt like to hazard a guess.

 

[Curious Orange]

Complete and utter bollox. You cannot compare attendances in 1985 to 2010. As said before Arsenal got 18,000 for some matches at Highbury in the 80s. Flamer's capacity will be woefully inadequate if we ever do fulfil our potential.

I think you may have missed the point somewhat, I wasn't trying to suggest that 22.5k was too large, or even that we might not need to expand the capacity in the future - just that given our current league position and the average crowds we have gotten in my first 25 years of being a regular supporter (probably less than 10K per match - but on occasion getting as high as anything between 17k and 29k) I think that Falmer's capacity will be fine whilst we are rebuilding our fan base. How is that "complete and utter bollox"?

 

[BLOCK F]

My guess would be that should we be selling out week on week or get to the premiership one day then the corners will be filled in between the end of one season and the start of the next. I am guessing that the transport issue is more of an issue that the actual construction and installation of the seats themselves however.

Have to agree with this.I reckon transport issues may well be an issue from day one!

 

[sir albion]

My guess would be that should we be selling out week on week or get to the premiership one day then the corners will be filled in between the end of one season and the start of the next. I am guessing that the transport issue is more of an issue that the actual construction and installation of the seats themselves however.

If we get to the prem we will need 40,000 seats

 

[Everest]

If we get to the prem we will need 40,000 seats

I'll bring my own then

 

[Notters]

If we get to the prem we will need 40,000 seats

Loving this optimism!

 

[Smythe]

Just been to a 1901 club presentation and was really impressed by the whole thing!! Was told that the stadium has been designed so that the corners can be filled in and a second tier can be added to the east stand without having to move the roof, this would take it to around the 30K mark. Everything about the stadium down to the smallest detail is absolute quality!!!!

 

[Simster]

Just been to a 1901 club presentation and was really impressed by the whole thing!! Was told that the stadium has been designed so that the corners can be filled in and a second tier can be added to the east stand without having to move the roof, this would take it to around the 30K mark. Everything about the stadium down to the smallest detail is absolute quality!!!!

Other people I know who have been to the 1901 presentation tell me that capacity could go much higher than 30,000 (I think 36k was the figure) without major rebuilding of the stands.

Still, there would need to be a lot of infrastructural change surrounding the stadium before that could happen.

 

[Icy Gull]

The good thing about the expansion, as I was told by someone connected with the stadium, is that it can be done between the end of one season and the beginning of the next as the ground is being built with the expansion basics already laid . No pissing about closing bits of the ground for part of the season... allegedly.

 

[Marc]

blimey we've not even played ONE match and we're talking about expansion