[Albion] The Ambition to being Top 10 club.

[kevo]

With the result that the people at the back of the ESL end up with a view something akin to this ?

You'd be popular.

They did it at Everton!

But yes, you're right - might impede the view at the back particulary from the exec boxes, so PB wouldn't be happy. Maybe you could add a few rows but that would be it.

 

[Stat Brother]

Talk of adding tens of thousands of seats is ridiculous and deflects from having serious conversations about adding maybe a couple of thousand, which I think would be a good idea.

Let’s just focus on making this a reality giving the North Stand an extra 800+ seats and giving it more of a presence inside the stadium.
View attachment 114337

A trusted architect on here, went to great lengths to draw up and spec plans to add another tier into that very same template.
I'll be jiggered if I can find it now, [MENTION=16159]Bold Seagull[/MENTION] might know where it is. (I think secretly he was rather jealous of the end result).

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

The original design had 22,000 seats, and DID allow for expansion, though. We achieved that specced-in expansion (ESU) within a year, and then went on to expand further still by filling in all the corners, building the South stand exec boxes, the Southern extension of the WSU, and the NW 'shelf'.

Ok. Expansion beyond the obvious putting seats on an existing tier and in the corners. The type of expansion that allows an extra tier should it be needed.

 

[Bold Seagull]

A trusted architect on here, went to great lengths to draw up and spec plans to add another tier into that very same template.
I'll be jiggered if I can find it now, [MENTION=16159]Bold Seagull[/MENTION] might know where it is. (I think secretly he was rather jealous of the end result).

[MENTION=33983]BeHereNow[/MENTION] Added the final drawing! [MENTION=21542]Marty___Mcfly[/MENTION] was responsible for the concept sketch, I just posted the existing drawing and suggested it...

 

[Stat Brother]

[MENTION=33983]BeHereNow[/MENTION]

Thanks, I thought you'd have it bookmarked.

 

[kevo]

It would be great to have a decent sized 'kop' behind that goal.

 

[Exile]

Ok. Expansion beyond the obvious putting seats on an existing tier and in the corners. The type of expansion that allows an extra tier should it be needed.

We did add an extra tier!

 

[Hugo Rune]

Talk of adding tens of thousands of seats is ridiculous and deflects from having serious conversations about adding maybe a couple of thousand, which I think would be a good idea.

Let’s just focus on making this a reality giving the North Stand an extra 800+ seats and giving it more of a presence inside the stadium.
View attachment 114337

This is where I’m at. I’m sure that they could do something with a North East corner 2nd tier too (matching the South East but with more seats instead of studios and corporate hospitality).

We’ve got plenty of time though, it would be nice to celebrate our 10th year in the Premier League with an extended North Stand in a 32k or 33k capacity stadium. We should be looking to get into the top 20 in this list, 16th or 17th place would be good:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_football_stadiums_in_England

 

[Nobby]

Yep. The club are always trying to maximise revenue streams, as PB is always at pains to point out. The massive sponsorship deal with Amex will certainly give a healthy boost to the bank balance, but it remains to be seen whether that will ever translate to us becoming a club that actually pays top 10 wages in the Premier League. Personally, I have my doubts of us ever being 'that type' of club.

In the Championship the year we were promoted we were 9th out of 24 in terms of wages paid, but I get the impression that was TB's "big tilt" at keeping the squad together and having another go at going up, after having gone so close before. If we'd failed again that following year, then I think we'd have lost our best players and a period of relative austerity would have ensued.

He pushed the boat out wages-wise in the league below to have a chance at getting the Premier League riches. Now we're in the Premier League, will he fund top 10 wages to finish 10th or better ? I don't think so, because the benefits of finishing 10th over (say) 15th aren't THAT big, in the great scheme of things. TB will just hope Potter and the coaching staff can extract top 10 finishes without a top 10 budget, through smart acquisitions and innovative coaching.

This

Wages paid (not transfer fees paid), correlate to League position achieved.

That’s just a fact - sometimes there may be a one off fluke like Leicester but generally you get what you pay for.

And Stadium expansion doesn’t necessarily mean Top 10 finish.
Sunderland Newcastle Villa Leeds Sheffield Wednesday Derby and Middlesbrough all have bigger capacity grounds than us and only two of those are in the Premier League let alone the Top 10. Chelsea would just make the Top 10 if ground size mattered.

Adding, say, £5k seats, would increase revenue by around £4m per year. Finishing a couple of places higher in the EPL gives us that revenue anyway.

So it’s wages paid that dictate League position, and currently TB will have to invest a much higher amount to achieve constantly higher placings.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

But why would you want a bigger stadium? Do want to watch football in a soulless library full of football tourists?
Might be worth it financially, but a big risk. But crap for supporters wanting a good atmosphere

This a million times over.

The best thing about The Amex is that it is filled with a high percentage of proper Albion fans. Perhaps 10,000 or so who are old enough and loyal enough to have supported the club during the gory years. And another 10,000+ who are the family and friends of the loyal/older hard core - many of whom are in the second or third generation and rapidly becoming nailed on loyal Albion fans themselves.

I love being at The Amex with these people. The last thing I want is more corporate boxes and day trippers.

 

[Hugo Rune]

I love being at The Amex with these people. The last thing I want is more corporate boxes and day trippers.

That’s the price you have to pay for Albion being a top six team in the world’s most popular league.

Would you prefer the 22k Stadium & Yoyoing between League 1 & the Championship? You’d probably have your exclusive 20k then.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

This

Wages paid (not transfer fees paid), correlate to League position achieved.

That’s just a fact - sometimes there may be a one off fluke like Leicester but generally you get what you pay for.

And Stadium expansion doesn’t necessarily mean Top 10 finish.
Sunderland Newcastle Villa Leeds Sheffield Wednesday Derby and Middlesbrough all have bigger capacity grounds than us and only two of those are in the Premier League let alone the Top 10. Chelsea would just make the Top 10 if ground size mattered.

Adding, say, £5k seats, would increase revenue by around £4m per year. Finishing a couple of places higher in the EPL gives us that revenue anyway.

So it’s wages paid that dictate League position, and currently TB will have to invest a much higher amount to achieve constantly higher placings.

Ever get the impression that Tony knows he can throw money at it and succeed, but that there is *no fun in that* ?

Perhaps, part of his game ( and fun ) is to see if he beat that correlation

 

[Stat Brother]

This a million times over.

The best thing about The Amex is that it is filled with a high percentage of proper Albion fans. Perhaps 10,000 or so who are old enough and loyal enough to have supported the club during the gory years. And another 10,000+ who are the family and friends of the loyal/older hard core - many of whom are in the second or third generation and rapidly becoming nailed on loyal Albion fans themselves.

I love being at The Amex with these people. The last thing I want is more corporate boxes and day trippers.

But we don't pay the bills.
How many of 'us' do you see walking around with 2 or 3 big bags full of Albion merch?

We're not buying the cartoon Peter Ward t-shirt (despite it being a step in the right direction) and 'they' certainly aren't.

There isn't a company in the world who'll turn their backs on a client base who spend £100 - £500 on shite, in favour of someone who might buy a pie, if it's a good one.

 

[b.w.2.]

Gotta say that, IMHO, significant stadium expansion, say 5k or more additional seats, IS a vital component of building a consistent top 10 club. Surely, this CAN be done, even if it is a major architectural and structural challenge. Cantilevers? Martin Perry has about a year to contribute...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Megazone]

This is where I’m at. I’m sure that they could do something with a North East corner 2nd tier too (matching the South East but with more seats instead of studios and corporate hospitality).

We’ve got plenty of time though, it would be nice to celebrate our 10th year in the Premier League with an extended North Stand in a 32k or 33k capacity stadium. We should be looking to get into the top 20 in this list, 16th or 17th place would be good:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_football_stadiums_in_England

Blackburn's, Derby's, Leicester's, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United have bigger grounds than ours!

 

[Palacefinder General]

As marvellous as our ground is you do find yourself looking with envy at the size of, say, Sheffield United’s ‘North Stand equivalent’ and the noise it generated today.

 

[the right footed denilson]

Why expand it? Wasn't there that study recently that said half of all Premier League clubs would make a profit without any gate receipts at all?
What's the point of going through all the drama again (not to mention cost)?
(People seem a bit obsessed with this s/t waiting list thing. We don't sell out many games!)

 

[el punal]

This a million times over.

The best thing about The Amex is that it is filled with a high percentage of proper Albion fans. Perhaps 10,000 or so who are old enough and loyal enough to have supported the club during the gory years. And another 10,000+ who are the family and friends of the loyal/older hard core - many of whom are in the second or third generation and rapidly becoming nailed on loyal Albion fans themselves.

I love being at The Amex with these people. The last thing I want is more corporate boxes and day trippers.

Your comments are borne out by the fact that the club have a large season ticket allocation to ground capacity (23,000 out 30,750) that’s 75%. Then you have to allocate 3,000 for away fans which then leaves 4,750 for non-season ticket Albion fans and day trippers, as you call them.

On the other hand Chelsea and Man Utd, for example, have a much lower season ticket allocation to ground capacity. It seems that their emphasis is based on what you resent - day trippers. It is reckoned more money is gained by these clubs by having football “tourists” paying more per game (than an ST holder) and unloading their wallets on club merchandise. Makes you think how lucky we are that the Albion have not gone down that route.

 

[Bold Seagull]

[MENTION=33983]BeHereNow[/MENTION] Added the final drawing! [MENTION=21542]Marty___Mcfly[/MENTION] was responsible for the concept sketch, I just posted the existing drawing and suggested it...

 

[Stat Brother]

The club needs to follow the middle plan, exactly.

They are very lucky to have such precise architects at their disposal, for free.