[Albion] New fan zone - "The Terrace"

[WATFORD zero]

Mitoma might be able to recruit some suitable personnel on his next trip home?

View attachment 196943

Exactly what we need.

(I get Mill Road P&R)

 

[oneillco]

My experience after the Chelsea match last Friday was fine to be honest. I stayed behind for a while, walked down to the station and straight onto the platform because the queue was gone, just as the 8-car 22:49 to Brighton was pulling in. With hindsight I probably could have left earlier and still avoided the queues. Westbound onwards travel from Brighton is often a massive pain as the timetable reduces to a paltry 2 trains per hour after 8pm, so I usually end up catching the bus. But on Friday the 23:10 was extended to 8 cars and I got on straight away. I don't know how long they've been extending westbound services after evening games, but it was very welcome. The train probably would have been full otherwise.

I know the queues at Falmer were shorter than usual because most Chelsea fans had left early and there were a few more no-shows than usual, but still, it was as good as I could reasonably expect for an evening match.

I think we could reasonably expect Southern to run 8 car trains instead of the 3 four car trains they ran in a row to Brighton. You say you caught an 8 car after the queues had gone... well that's typical!

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Mitoma might be able to recruit some suitable personnel on his next trip home?

View attachment 196943

Bit of gentle persuasion is all that is needed.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Or

 

[dazzer6666]

I think we could reasonably expect Southern to run 8 car trains instead of the 3 four car trains they ran in a row to Brighton. You say you caught an 8 car after the queues had gone... well that's typical!

Isn this a rolling stock availability issue on weekdays ?

 

[WATFORD zero]

Just bonus the stewards based on results - simple

 

[el punal]

Ever since thew Amex opened there have been lots of requests for better facilities outside the stadium. Toilets, food, cover from weather. As far as I can see this is exactly what the Terrace gives us, and as an added bonus it will help a little with somewhere to go should the queues be too long.
I really cant see a downside here-its a win-win yet the apparent tone of some posts is that because it doesn't solve the insolvable how to you transport 30 000 people with no waiting, no queues, no guaranteed dry weather and that the club will gain financially (eventually after the cost is recuperated) then this is somehow a bad thing solely there to line the clubs pockets and screw us fans over.

I think its an excellent addition to the facilities, and looks like it will benefit the fans, and the club.

Did anyone in those far off halcyon days of 2011 think that we would be getting regular attendances exceeding 31,000? When I went to reserve my seat as a season ticket holder back then I was told that the club had anticipated an average attendance of around 18,000 with an ST uptake of around 12,000. Just on those figures alone we’ve nearly doubled the numbers on both.

 

[Uter]

Did anyone in those far off halcyon days of 2011 think that we would be getting regular attendances exceeding 31,000? When I went to reserve my seat as a season ticket holder back then I was told that the club had anticipated an average attendance of around 18,000 with an ST uptake of around 12,000. Just on those figures alone we’ve nearly doubled the numbers on both.

I don't think I ever envisaged it. I think we'd only ever averaged over 20,000 five seasons in our entire history at that point, with an all time high league average of just over 25,000 in 1977/78.

 

[Weststander]

Maybe, on a Saturday. But the trains are not too bad for Saturday games at 12:30/15:00/17:30 kick off times; I'd suggest also there's generally less pressure/imperative for people to get away quickly from the ground on a Saturday.

20:00 week night kick off. Different story altogether. People want away promptly when the game finishes at 22:00 on a week night. The service is poor/inadequate. If the club believe an outside extension to Sodexo's inside service will alleviate the train and bus queue pressure in these circumstances, I believe they are mistaken.

Will the fanzone even stay open post match for these games? Transport issues for staff and associated costs for unsociable hours/Licence restrictions.

My key point really is not about the fanzone per se; rather that if the club are washing their hands off the transport issues, they should at least consider providing covered waiting areas for supporters in queues for transport away from the stadium.

Going by nsc anecdotal storiesover the years, quite a few supporters after games at any time stay for a drink or two, until the transport queues have disappeared. From memory @WATFORD zero mentioned this?

 

[Uter]

Isn this a rolling stock availability issue on weekdays ?

Yes. Southern retired the ancient class 313 fleet a couple of years ago and I don't believe they were fully replaced.

There is a cascade of 24 four car class 387 units from Great Northern to Southern in the offing, but this will mean 13 of Southern's 377 units will then transfer to Southeastern. 7 units will remain in depots as "maintenance holdings" whatever that means. Maybe @jackalbion can explain. So a net increase of 4 units (16 cars) if I am understanding the article correctly. Not massive, but a lot better than nothing. Could help ease things on matchdays, but maybe Southern have other plans for them.

Govia Thameslink Railway brings in extra trains in readiness for improved December timetable

An additional fleet of 30 modern trains will help Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) give its Great Northern and Thameslink passengers faster journeys from key...

www.mynewsdesk.com

 

[WATFORD zero]

Going by nsc anecdotal storiesover the years, quite a few supporters after games at any time stay for a drink or two, until the transport queues have disappeared. From memory @WATFORD zero mentioned this?

Friday night we had a couple of pints after the final whistle and then eventually, they put the highlights up in the concourse, so we had to have another. I was in the gents in the North Stand when one of the stewards came in and asked us to 'hurry up'. I asked if he had any suggestions as to how 'to hurry' what I was doing or whether he wanted to help but he didn't seem to want to engage

We then had to go out of the 'wrong' exit to the North, but by the time we had walked round and up, there was no queue for the P&R and we walked straight onto a nice warm bus. As I sat down my first thought was 'Can we play them every week ?'

 

[el punal]

Mitoma might be able to recruit some suitable personnel on his next trip home?

View attachment 196943

Chelsea fans at Falmer station around the 65th minute mark.

 

[chaileyjem]

The cynicism is only in the context of people claiming that the travel issues are going to be helped by this. * Which seems dubious at best at this point.

The club are claiming it will make a difference and estimated the likely impact - paying for or researching data to back that up - in their planning application and a new trainsport proposal - which Brighton Council presumably agreed with. They're now spending £7m partly on that basis. It won't take many people to shift their patterns for it to have an impact - we'll see. 500 people say out of a queue makes quite a difference to getting on that next train or park and ride. Seems a reasonable bet to me and many. Why do you insist its "dubious at best" ?

National Highways agreed " the addition of a Fan Zone during match days would encourage regular visitors to arrive/depart over a wider time period"

https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/documents/s197060/Report%20BH2023%2002872%20-%20Land%20Adjacent%20To%20American%20Express%20Stadium.pdf

 

[chaileyjem]

PS: Here are the minutes from the Planning meeting that approved it. It will always shut at 11pm apparently.

Brighton & Hove City Council - Agenda item - BH2023/02872 - Land Adjacent to American Express Stadium, Village Way, Brighton - Full Planning

Delivering 24 hour council services to residents, visitors and businesses in Brighton & Hove

democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

The club are claiming it will make a difference and estimated the likely impact - paying for or researching data to back that up - in their planning application and a new trainsport proposal - which Brighton Council presumably agreed with. They're now spending £7m partly on that basis. It won't take many people to shift their patterns for it to have an impact - we'll see. 500 people say out of a queue makes quite a difference to getting on that next train or park and ride. Seems a reasonable bet to me and many. Why do you insist its "dubious at best" ?

National Highways agreed " the addition of a Fan Zone during match days would encourage regular visitors to arrive/depart over a wider time period"

https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/documents/s197060/Report%20BH2023%2002872%20-%20Land%20Adjacent%20To%20American%20Express%20Stadium.pdf

Because it's well established that the challenge leaving the Amex is not on a Sunny Saturday, when thousands are still at the ground after 6 or even 7, having a few drinks with friends, but for the evening fixtures. The Amex is already brilliant for people not in a rush to go home on a Saturday and this will make it even better.

However, is the prospect of a massive new bar going to mean that on your average Tuesday night game which ends at close to 10pm, suddenly the people who would previously leave early to get in the train queue instead of staying behind in Dicks Bar or the concourses (or other lounges), are going to change their habits and stay behind instead?

Dubious indeed, to anyone with half a brain cell.

 

[chaileyjem]

Because it's well established that the challenge leaving the Amex is not on a Sunny Saturday, when thousands are still at the ground after 6 or even 7, having a few drinks with friends, but for the evening fixtures. The Amex is already brilliant for people not in a rush to go home on a Saturday and this will make it even better.

However, is the prospect of a massive new bar going to mean that on your average Tuesday night game which ends at close to 10pm, suddenly the people who would previously leave early to get in the train queue instead of staying behind in Dicks Bar or the concourses (or other lounges), are going to change their habits and stay behind instead?

Dubious indeed, to anyone with half a brain cell.

Well not everyone - but I haven’t checked my brain cells lately. But gotcha.

 

[Steve78]

I think it will be a great addition.

 

[Clive Walker]

Still hoping this will be named after Dick Knight

No chance. He’s not popular with the powers that be.

 

[Napper]

PS: Here are the minutes from the Planning meeting that approved it. It will always shut at 11pm apparently.

Brighton & Hove City Council - Agenda item - BH2023/02872 - Land Adjacent to American Express Stadium, Village Way, Brighton - Full Planning

Delivering 24 hour council services to residents, visitors and businesses in Brighton & Hove

democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk

interesting

- Councillor Nann was informed that ‘away’ games would be shown at the stadium.

Wonder if thats just the live tv games or all away games

 

[Stuart Munday]

I had a peek inside last night, a lot of progress has been made and it is looking good. I am not sure how the benches below will work there doesn’t seem that much space compared to the video and judging how long the queues were for the bar and fish and chips before I would have thought standing only would get more people in on matchday, it might look different when it is finished though.