| Bigger ground 21:04 - Oct 23 with 5409 views | RIPbobby |
I never thought I'd say this, but we need a bigger ground. Portman Road in its current state is way too small. We need to prepare for a serious assault on the prem next season if we are promoted this term. |  | | |  |
| Bigger ground on 21:08 - Oct 23 with 3899 views | GeoffSentence |
How is it way too small? We are packing it out with promotions but still haven't reached capacity. |  |
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| Bigger ground on 21:10 - Oct 23 with 3879 views | BlueBadger |
Have you forgotten what happens every time we do building work on PR? |  |
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| Bigger ground on 21:12 - Oct 23 with 3860 views | Illinoisblue |
And lo, Jesus did weep |  |
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| Bigger ground on 21:14 - Oct 23 with 3851 views | blueislander |
This was discussed at length on here last week, and the consensus was no, for various good reasons. |  | | |
| Bigger ground on 21:15 - Oct 23 with 3827 views | J2BLUE |
Not sure what planet you are on mate. |  |
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| Bigger ground on 21:21 - Oct 23 with 3777 views | DinDjarin |
If we get to the Premiership and stabilize for a couple of seasons then something might happen. 30k is plenty currently.
Although I know the goal is to get to the premiership the thought of being a slave to sky tv and rarely having a 3pm Saturday KO makes me grumpy just thinking about it. [Post edited 24 Oct 2022 18:21]
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| Bigger ground on 21:23 - Oct 23 with 3740 views | ArnoldMoorhen |
| Bigger ground on 21:10 - Oct 23 by BlueBadger |
Have you forgotten what happens every time we do building work on PR? |
Apologies- fat fingered up vote registered as a down vote on my phone. | | | |
| Bigger ground on 21:37 - Oct 23 with 3659 views | HighgateBlue |
| Bigger ground on 21:21 - Oct 23 by DinDjarin |
If we get to the Premiership and stabilize for a couple of seasons then something might happen. 30k is plenty currently.
Although I know the goal is to get to the premiership the thought of being a slave to sky tv and rarely having a 3pm Saturday KO makes me grumpy just thinking about it. [Post edited 24 Oct 2022 18:21]
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the reality seems to be more like 29k at the moment in terms of what's possible in /practice/, but I do agree. |  | | |
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| Bigger ground on 21:47 - Oct 23 with 3599 views | Stewart27 |
Christ man.
You sound like a Budgie Pompey fan hybrid.
Let’s just get out of division 3. | | | |
| Bigger ground on 22:10 - Oct 23 with 3504 views | Metal_Hacker |
No we don’t …..just yet
4-5 season in the Prem then consider expanding by another 5k would be plenty |  |
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| Bigger ground on 00:05 - Oct 24 with 3250 views | Churchman |
| Bigger ground on 21:37 - Oct 23 by HighgateBlue |
the reality seems to be more like 29k at the moment in terms of what's possible in /practice/, but I do agree. |
I think what we have is enough at present. If (or when maybe?) we start selling out without promotional packages in the depths of winter, they may decide to have a look at it. Meanwhile, a new pitch and additional screens are the priority.
The plan was always to tidy up what we have for the moment, which they’ve certainly made progress on. MA made it clear that anything more significant will have to be in conjunction with the Local Council requirements and local community needs. He’s said that they are aware the ground is piecemeal and even the entrance is the wrong side.
If I was to guess, I’d say they were no further than discussion and ideas phase, given they don’t really know what they’re going to do with the land bought behind Churchmans. We are of course stuck in dobbin league one too for the moment.
So what would I look at? Make better use of the area behind the Pioneer/Co-op West Stand including bridging exec boxes in the spaces. I’d replace the hospitality tent with a more permanent structure that could contain facilities for 7 day use.
Look long term at redeveloping or replacing the East Stand/Cobbold. At 50 years old it needs it, but the cost would be enormous for what benefit it might bring. Could it be gutted and reconfigured maybe? Architect and engineer, I am not. Remove the daft Wendy house in the corner, move the club shop and use those and the other North Stand corner for capacity. Introduce safe standing to the lower tier of North Stand if the rules allow. It’s a standing area anyway.
MA can send my consultation fee before Christmas. Cash not cheque. |  | | |
| Bigger ground on 00:33 - Oct 24 with 3195 views | MattinLondon |
In time the two older stands will probably be pulled down and replaced by modern stands. The owners might well be wealthy and might well be ambitious with great plans forthcoming but they aren’t foolish. If the club gets promoted then that might well escalate modernisation but the capacity won’t be hugely increased upon. |  | | |
| Bigger ground on 00:53 - Oct 24 with 3179 views | Bluespeed225 |
No need. We’d never get 35k even allowing for an away following going up to 5k, better to have people waiting for tickets. As someone wisely said, let’s just get out of the 3rd division first. Then there’s only the small matter of the Championship. Which I hadn’t looked at in a while, but notice some big names down the bottom there. | | | |
| Bigger ground on 01:10 - Oct 24 with 3168 views | bournemouthblue |
| Bigger ground on 00:53 - Oct 24 by Bluespeed225 |
No need. We’d never get 35k even allowing for an away following going up to 5k, better to have people waiting for tickets. As someone wisely said, let’s just get out of the 3rd division first. Then there’s only the small matter of the Championship. Which I hadn’t looked at in a while, but notice some big names down the bottom there. |
It looks a particularly weak crop this year, when you look at the sides up the top and the sheer amount of points being dropped all over the place
How on earth are the WBA bottom? |  |
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| Bigger ground on 03:38 - Oct 24 with 3113 views | Westcountryblue |
A new Cobbold stand that connects to SAR and SRB stand would take us towards the 33-34k.
With a growing fan base, an increase in casual supporters attracted to high profile Championship games, better supported Championship sides able to bring more away fans etc...33-34k would be the logical next step. | | | |
| Bigger ground on 07:00 - Oct 24 with 2936 views | Pendejo |
| Bigger ground on 01:10 - Oct 24 by bournemouthblue |
It looks a particularly weak crop this year, when you look at the sides up the top and the sheer amount of points being dropped all over the place
How on earth are the WBA bottom? |
Steve Bruce |  |
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| Bigger ground on 07:05 - Oct 24 with 2903 views | carlisleaway |
| Bigger ground on 03:38 - Oct 24 by Westcountryblue |
A new Cobbold stand that connects to SAR and SRB stand would take us towards the 33-34k.
With a growing fan base, an increase in casual supporters attracted to high profile Championship games, better supported Championship sides able to bring more away fans etc...33-34k would be the logical next step. |
I would rather the club have a waiting list for a few years, this is payback for those hardcore 15,000 fans who have continued following the club after watching 18 years of very mediocre ( rubbish ) football. Only build when we have 2/3 years of success. |  | | |
| Build it and they will come? on 07:08 - Oct 24 with 2892 views | Pendejo |
People said we couldn't get 28,000 in this division, ok it took a ticket promotion. Wonder what next home Saturday attendance will be?
Building the Pioneer took place 5 years too late.
We were over ambitious rebuilding both end stands.
Those projects had a negative impact.
To participate in Prem, we need minimum 35,000 capacity.... But we're still 2 steps from there, all about timing. | |
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| Bigger ground on 07:50 - Oct 24 with 2787 views | TractorWood |
There were a couple of hundred seats unsold in the away allocation so it still wasn't really a sell out.
Stadium expansion doesn't equals progression. We should have learnt this by now. |  |
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| Bigger ground on 08:04 - Oct 24 with 2739 views | Horsham |
| Bigger ground on 07:05 - Oct 24 by carlisleaway |
I would rather the club have a waiting list for a few years, this is payback for those hardcore 15,000 fans who have continued following the club after watching 18 years of very mediocre ( rubbish ) football. Only build when we have 2/3 years of success. |
Sorry what your advocating is keeping the supply short even when the demand is high. We know what tends to happen to prices in that situation but FWIW and it’s not much I’d have thought the payback on 2-3k extra ticket sales versus the cost of expansion will mean it won’t happen for a long time. |  | | |
| Bigger ground on 08:11 - Oct 24 with 2717 views | itfcsuth |
Steady.
15 games into this L1 season - we haven’t even got out of October yet.
Regardless, our capacity is perfect for both L1/Champ - only time I think we’d look at extension is if we solidify in the Prem over a number of years - we are a long long long way away from needing to worry about that. |  | | |
| Bigger ground on 08:23 - Oct 24 with 2672 views | PioneerBlue |
I’m not sure we can expand the crowd that much in the short term. I’ve been pleased by the uptick whilst in L1. It does follow that in a higher league there could be greater interest and more people in the ground. The cloob has done a very good ground work, tapping the local community with ticket promotions and making the place more interesting for families and younger children, that’s the future and where the current growth is.
If in the EPL Yes we could draw many additional local football watchers/ football tourists, but that’s a long way off as it stands.
I travel into Ipswich, it is becoming worse as time goes by, roads and parking and time to get away from PR already makes midweek difficult, Saturdays no such a prob.
My eyes have been opened to West Ham, now packing 60k but look at their travel connections. We’d need to tap the biggest audience near, what’s that Essex or Cambridge, out of town to make travel helpful near A12 or A14, that’s only an opinion without any background details. [Post edited 24 Oct 2022 10:59]
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| Bigger ground on 08:44 - Oct 24 with 2622 views | Churchman |
| Bigger ground on 07:05 - Oct 24 by carlisleaway |
I would rather the club have a waiting list for a few years, this is payback for those hardcore 15,000 fans who have continued following the club after watching 18 years of very mediocre ( rubbish ) football. Only build when we have 2/3 years of success. |
I understand what you say and I suspect that is what will happen. There is also the fact that the last to attempts to improve the ground didn’t help the club’s cause.
Any changes have to be costed and funded (something the last bonehead Chancellor might have considered) so there has to be a good business case and long term plan for anything major.
However, a factor in this is that the old Cobbold Stand really isn't fit enough for purpose now. It is tight on legroom, access and facilities aren’t great and there isn’t space to do anything much, bar the odd bar. Part of that is its tightness to Portman Rd.
Overall the fact is that the ground lack decent conferencing/hospitality/21c facilities which are big money spinners. There is also the ‘build it and they will come’ cliche which has some merit - see Brighton, Sunderland etc. it’s not just about deservedly rewarding the long suffering but providing facilities to attract new supporters, especially the yoof.
It’s an interesting opportunity for the owners and they must have had ideas around it when they bought the club. It’s what they do. It’s very exciting. As an ex-project person I like this stuff. Far better than the Evans period which amounted to a few boxes if smartprice seed, two tins of cheap paint for the turnstiles and training ground portacabin and a few ebay lightbulbs for the floodlights. | | | |
| Bigger ground on 09:10 - Oct 24 with 2545 views | AlanG296 |
| Bigger ground on 08:23 - Oct 24 by PioneerBlue |
I’m not sure we can expand the crowd that much in the short term. I’ve been pleased by the uptick whilst in L1. It does follow that in a higher league there could be greater interest and more people in the ground. The cloob has done a very good ground work, tapping the local community with ticket promotions and making the place more interesting for families and younger children, that’s the future and where the current growth is.
If in the EPL Yes we could draw many additional local football watchers/ football tourists, but that’s a long way off as it stands.
I travel into Ipswich, it is becoming worse as time goes by, roads and parking and time to get away from PR already makes midweek difficult, Saturdays no such a prob.
My eyes have been opened to West Ham, now packing 60k but look at their travel connections. We’d need to tap the biggest audience near, what’s that Essex or Cambridge, out of town to make travel helpful near A12 or A14, that’s only an opinion without any background details. [Post edited 24 Oct 2022 10:59]
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Agree with this, a cautious approach and wait to see whether the increased attendances are sustained as (hopefully) we move up the league. Other factors will come into it e.g. pricing - will they charge more for higher level football - will be a difficult decision for many, as much as they love the Town, there are more important bills to pay. Also travel is becoming more and more expensive and difficult. Coming from Mid-Essex the A12 is a pain they finish 1 set of long term roadworks then start another which will still be delaying us this time next year, and as you say parking in and getting out of Ipswich is getting worse. Tried the train on Friday which was ridiculously overcrowded both ways. Much as I'm loving the football, these non football factors do test the commitment. | | | |
| Bigger ground on 09:21 - Oct 24 with 2508 views | Asa |
The biggest consideration here is not whether we need the extra seats, how many people would be on a waiting list, what sort of crowds we would get, but whether it makes any financial sense.
Times have changed. Not a single Premier League club needs to worry about attendances and gate receipts because the money from being there for TV, sponsorship, marketing etc is so vast that gate receipts, and the real supporters of the clubs, are a secondary consideration.
If we increased to 40,000 and got a full house every week, we'd be looking at about an extra £5,000,000 per season in gate receipts. During that season we would be getting between £100,000,000 and £200,000,000 from just being in the Premier League.
Look at how long it has taken Leicester to look an upgrade. Liverpool, one of the biggest clubs in the world have only been at 45,000, then 50,000 until recently before upgrading.
We have a more than adequate set up until we reach the Premier League and sadly, if we do, an extra 5,000 - 10,000 locals that may want to watch games live will be irrelevant against the Premier League money and the several million international fans we will have jumping on the bandwagon.
The number of fans Norwich, Burnley, QPR, West Brom and Bournemouth now have in places like Africa, America and Asia is obscene.
In years gone by clubs had to maximise attendances and associated revenues and it was vital to grow the club. Nowadays, a Bournemouth can live off 10,000 in the top division because of the money that pours in elsewhere. | | | |
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