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Post by slother on Jun 8, 2011 10:23:09 GMT
June 2009
20,500 season tickets sold (MAX)
Surveyors asked to look into feasibility of filling in one and possibly two of the Britannia's open corners. Club waiting until next summer before making a decision.
November 2009
Coates says a decision on expansion by over 3,000 will be made this season and is conditional on staying in the Prem.
February 2010
Stoke are still considering whether to expand the Britannia's 27500 capacity by 3,000, by filling in the scoreboard corner. Scholes: "One of the fantastic things we have here, and which does make a difference, is the fact we have 'sell-out' crowds for virtually every game.
"We have a fantastic atmosphere for every single game and that helps our players.
"The big risk when anyone expands their stadium is that they could lose that 'sell-out' factor, which would have an impact on the atmosphere. I would be loathe to give that up.
"So, before pushing the button on expansion, we would have to be pretty certain we would be able to fill the stadium on a regular basis."
May 2010
Coates says the club will wait at least another 12 months before deciding whether to spend up to £6m on expanding the stadium. Season ticket sales are 2,000 up on this stage last season.
Stoke are looking into the possibility of putting seats in one and possibly even two of the three open corners at the stadium, which cost £14.7m to build in 1997. But they won't be rushing to commit to a project which could cost £3m for each corner. Coates: "You probably wouldn't get any change out of £3m, so you don't do these things lightly.
"You would probably get 2,500 people in the corner, so it takes a while to get the money back. It is on the drawing board and is something we will consider.
"But we want to feel confident we can justify it in terms of getting the increased capacity, filling it... and it making economic sense."
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2011 10:25:09 GMT
I think it's right not to expand just yet.
We are investing 1 million on developments at the ground and changing rooms as it is this summer. I'd leave it another year and see where we are at.
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Post by u2oxeterstokie on Jun 8, 2011 10:27:45 GMT
It really needed another thread
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Post by sufolkstokie on Jun 8, 2011 10:39:50 GMT
Look - we are not expanding the stadium this year.
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Post by lew86 on Jun 8, 2011 10:44:34 GMT
I've been against expansion in the past but I believe we would fill the seats as well as gain more season ticket holders. But it's not my money to spend.
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Post by slother on Jun 8, 2011 10:45:14 GMT
Being an anal so-and-so I thought I'd start a new one with a proper title and, controversially, some facts.
We have also spent £5m on the training ground last year. 1,800 square metres over two floors with:
- cherry wood for the panelling, doors, desks and benches in the dressing rooms
- a stage for interviewees and seating for some 36 hacks, with a drop-down screen allows DVD presentations to be made to the players
- eight washing machines
- eight Academy dressing rooms of various sizes for various age groups
- a gym
- a four-bed treatment room and a six-foot deep hydrotherapy pool with windows halfway down so the physios can glimpse a close-up of the players’ legs.
- first-team dressing room with security-coded lockers for 30 players and the facility to pipe in their own music
- a new ice bath to replace the plastic wheelie bins
- the right-hand side of the building is devoted to the Academy in the shape of offices and a lecture room featuring an interactive white board and 18 computers
- a canteen – or refectory as they say in the Premier League – complete with seating for 60, three wide-screen TVs pinned to the walls and a circle of settees for after-dinner chit chat
- a self-service salad and fruit bar is accompanied by a drinks cabinet occupied by water, milk and beetroot juice
- a cluster of glass-walled offices for the manager, club secretary, coaches and scouting staff
- Pulis has two computers on his desk, not bad going for someone who struggles to find the “on” button, plus a coffee table and chairs for any player that may need reminding of his responsibilities
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Post by shoey100 on Jun 8, 2011 11:17:05 GMT
The whole of the interior of the main staff offices (in the area up the stairs above the club shop etc) has also all been refurbished to match the style of the training ground, even the toilets have had a going over. Then theres the current work on the club shop and the ticket office as well
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Post by Robo10 on Jun 8, 2011 11:24:37 GMT
I wish they would spend some money on the Boothen End concourse - make it a warmer, brighter place and improve those fucking awful toilets - are certainly not sufficient for busy match days!
Some heaters for the winter would be a nice touch!
I would rather that than filling the corners in, probably a bit selfish!
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Post by Binndy on Jun 8, 2011 11:25:46 GMT
Beetroot juice gross. Hope cucumber is off the menu. Little point in having extra seating until stoke city sell out weekly, with an idea of how many people have been unsucessful in purchasing seats.
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Post by redissue on Jun 8, 2011 11:30:08 GMT
you'd only sell out when us and Liverpool came to town, fruitless exercise
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Post by Inverness Stokie on Jun 8, 2011 11:45:44 GMT
I don't think we should expand the stadium just yet, we improved the training facilities last season, we're improving the ticket office, changing rooms and club shop this season which I think would take around 2 months to complete. It could happen next season though, it'd be a move in the right direction if we were able to do this and expand the stadium by about 5,000 seats.
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Post by bingbang on Jun 8, 2011 12:44:01 GMT
The problem with the corner by the boothen end is at the moment every home game it looks like steptoe and sons yard theres all sorts of shit just strewn around there, even a GARDEN SHED
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Post by lordb on Jun 8, 2011 15:57:04 GMT
must have imagined selling out v Wigan then
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Post by sportsman on Jun 8, 2011 16:12:54 GMT
That boothen corner you mentioned and the garden shed!! Whoever came up with what's going on in that corner of the ground, including the garden shed from B & Q needs naming and shaming for our benefit and sacking for the clubs benefit.
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Post by Irish Stokie on Jun 8, 2011 16:50:35 GMT
Any large section of empty seats destroys the atmosphere and as we don't sell out every game I would be very weary of expansion. Maybe in a year or two, if we can stay midtable in the Prem we could consider expansion but it would be a little premature now IMO.
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Post by lordb on Jun 8, 2011 17:13:07 GMT
1800 extra seats in the Seddon/South stand corner is all we are talking about
imho 1500+ of those would be sold for EVERY game in the prem
plenty of fans dont go because there is a perception that they cant get tickets (even when they can) or because they cant get two togther (most fans go with a pal dont they?)
factor in the oppurtinity to extend freebie or £1 tickets for kids & what have you & there would be no need for banks of empty seats
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Post by Stafford-Stokie on Jun 8, 2011 17:29:21 GMT
Got my seat so not arsed.  ;D |
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Post by smigchop on Jun 8, 2011 17:36:12 GMT
you'd only sell out when us and Liverpool came to town, fruitless exercise look mate, do us all a favour and fuck right off! Man united. Not better, just cunts! |
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Post by AlanHansen on Jun 8, 2011 18:34:14 GMT
We as home fans were at 98% of capacity last season, according to the official site: www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~2373528,00.html If now after selling 98% of our tickets, reaching the FA Cup final and going through to Europe isn't the time to expand the stadium, we never will do it. I'm sorry we're acting small time, just when we needed to "push on". |
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Post by fentonstokie1 on Jun 8, 2011 18:59:58 GMT
1800 extra seats in the Seddon/South stand corner is all we are talking about imho 1500+ of those would be sold for EVERY game in the prem plenty of fans dont go because there is a perception that they cant get tickets (even when they can) or because they cant get two togther (most fans go with a pal dont they?) factor in the oppurtinity to extend freebie or £1 tickets for kids & what have you & there would be no need for banks of empty seats I can't see us failing to sell the seats If the Boothen corner was filled in they would soon be snapped up and we would have an additional couple of thousand plus Boothenenders roaring the team on plus the bonus of that ridiculous cold swirling wind banished, we could then use the other end for non-season ticket and away fans. |
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Post by fentonstokie1 on Jun 8, 2011 19:09:39 GMT
We as home fans were at 98% of capacity last season, according to the official site: www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~2373528,00.html If now after selling 98% of our tickets, reaching the FA Cup final and going through to Europe isn't the time to expand the stadium, we never will do it. I'm sorry we're acting small time, just when we needed to "push on". We need a larger capacity to stand a chance of increasing our fanbase, at the moment you see lots of kids with Stoke shirts,they are our next generation of fans and we should be offering them deals to attract them which isn't possible with the stadium as it is. There is a population of approaching 450,000 in the Potteries conurbation so it is plain bollocks to say that we don't have potential to fill a bigger stadium. |
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Post by march4 on Jun 8, 2011 19:12:28 GMT
It is now costing £1M this summer to bring the ground up to the requirements of the Europa competition.
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Post by Vadiation_Ribe on Jun 8, 2011 19:25:49 GMT
The training facilities are there to impress potential signings as well as for the obvious.
I don't think we should expand the stadium. If we sold all our tickets for every game then yes, but we don't.
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Post by mickstupp on Jun 8, 2011 19:43:36 GMT
We as home fans were at 98% of capacity last season, according to the official site: www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~2373528,00.html If now after selling 98% of our tickets, reaching the FA Cup final and going through to Europe isn't the time to expand the stadium, we never will do it. I'm sorry we're acting small time, just when we needed to "push on". That 98% included away support, if you take that out and just include home support we are running at 99.5%. Other clubs have expanded with far less reason to do so, the most recent examples being Wolves, who barely sold out last season, and WBA, who are revamping the Hawthornes up to 30,000 despite average gates of under 25,000 in 2010/11. |
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Post by slother on Jun 8, 2011 19:53:41 GMT
Growing fanbase, growing reputation, cheap construction rates atm(?), ready cash...
I don't really see the case for timidity - bring in the cranes!
I would fill the scoreboard corner with a conventional stand, take our capacity over 30,000 and then sit tight until we've clocked up some serious mileage in the Prem.
At that point, redevelop the entire West side + corners with corporate shmooze suites, media centre, new changing rooms, club shop, hotel, mini mart, 9 hole golf course, international airport.
A caveat to all this is I fucking love the way the club is being run, it should be a source of eternal pride to us fans that we are going about things so sensibly and I have 100% faith that St Coates should do whatever he likes.
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Post by potterglen on Jun 8, 2011 20:15:01 GMT
Fill in both corners, one with seats and the other with adverts.
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Post by sportsman on Jun 8, 2011 20:17:55 GMT
Noticed a photo of the changing rooms at the Brit when we won promotion to the prem. Whoever gave the go ahead for the garden shed in the boothen corner also did work in the changing rooms as there is a garden fence running around the top for some reason!!
So we have the best top quality changing rooms at the training ground and a bloody garden fence running around ones at the Brit. There are a lot of good things down the Brit and still improving, but we have a hell of a lot of cathing up to do re. ground and matchday experience.
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Post by Pugsley on Jun 8, 2011 20:25:10 GMT
Why did we build a 28.5K all seater stadium when we were averaging 12-13K in the Championship?
Once again the small minded nature that blights this city kicks in. Similar size clubs (Wolves, WBA) are expanding - why aren't Stoke City? 3 million to fill in a corner whether we fill the seats or not is chicken feed. It would improve the stadium no end.
The stadium was built on shoestring budget and it shows - now is the ideal opportunity to start to make right the wrongs.
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Post by seddonstandviewer on Jun 8, 2011 20:30:00 GMT
There is a very clear divide between on the pitch and off it.
On the pitch we are progressing and we have a manager that wants to push on every single season and strives to improve.
Off it?
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Post by Pugsley on Jun 8, 2011 20:34:42 GMT
Off it?
Tony Scholes and his pygmies. See stadium expansion and kit debacle.
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;D
