| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road 16:47 - Aug 18 with 2722 views | BotesdaleBlue |
It will be very interesting to see the attendances this year as I believe we have added slightly to the total capacity following the various seat re-configurations this summer (a figure of up to 500 seems to have been oft quoted).
We only just breached 30,000 three times in 2024/25: (Liverpool; 30,014, Man Utd; 30.017 and Spurs; 30,003). We have in fact very rarely breached 30,000 at all, since the North and South stand redevelopments were completed around 2002. The capacity since then had long been quoted at 30.311.
The highest attendance since Portman Road became an all seater (in 1992/93) is from 2003/04, against Norwich when we had 30,152 which is 159 down on that oft quoted maximum capacity post 2002 (i.e 30,311). I presume segregation was the reason.
Last year for reference, we were quoting capacity as 30,056, In conclusion, if we get achieve an attendance above 30.152 for a match this season, it will set a new record for the all seater Portman Road (safe seating notwithstanding!).
If we can consolidate our tenure in the Premier League who know what the future may hold. That 38,010 attendance against Leeds on March 8th 1975 will surely be the target to beat.
Any thoughts? |  |
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| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:55 - Aug 18 with 2605 views | Vic |
Yep - who is the .152? |  |
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| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:56 - Aug 18 with 2598 views | xrayspecs |
While we have added seats through the installation of rail seats, we have also lost seats in recent seasons due to building work.
- Creating an access point to the pitch between Cobbold and Churchman's, saw seats removed in the Chruchman's lower tier
- The installation of the new press box lead to seats being removed from West stand upper
- I believe some of the RV seats at the back of both the Cobbold and West were removed.
I was told that the attendance includes press, so we typically only hit 30k if it is a big match and we have loads of domestic and international press in attendance. |  | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:57 - Aug 18 with 2572 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
The maximum capacity has changed a few times over the years, due to minor reconfigurations, so it's difficult to do direct comparisons.
Breaching the 30,000 mark is limited by the number of reserved 'VIP' seats - for press, media, other club officials, etc. These are often not all taken up, except for the biggest games, making it often impossible to go over 30,000.
I'm sure I read that there are 250 seats set aside for the journalists alone, and for most matches far fewer than that are taken up. | | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:00 - Aug 18 with 2523 views | Illinoisblue |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:57 - Aug 18 by SuffolkPunchFC |
The maximum capacity has changed a few times over the years, due to minor reconfigurations, so it's difficult to do direct comparisons.
Breaching the 30,000 mark is limited by the number of reserved 'VIP' seats - for press, media, other club officials, etc. These are often not all taken up, except for the biggest games, making it often impossible to go over 30,000.
I'm sure I read that there are 250 seats set aside for the journalists alone, and for most matches far fewer than that are taken up. |
The fact press box seats are included in the final official attendance is absurd, right? You or I can’t buy those seats. Does every club include press/media attendees in their crowd numbers? |  |
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| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:14 - Aug 18 with 2370 views | LA_Tractor_Boy |
Capacity according to the PL Handbook for 2026/27 is 30,294. | | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:16 - Aug 18 with 2338 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:00 - Aug 18 by Illinoisblue |
The fact press box seats are included in the final official attendance is absurd, right? You or I can’t buy those seats. Does every club include press/media attendees in their crowd numbers? |
Yes, it's absurd - I'm just explaining why when we don't get 30,000, it's doesn't mean the games weren't sold out for what seats were available to buy. | | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:21 - Aug 18 with 2283 views | Dennyx4 |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:16 - Aug 18 by SuffolkPunchFC |
Yes, it's absurd - I'm just explaining why when we don't get 30,000, it's doesn't mean the games weren't sold out for what seats were available to buy. |
As a side question, do the press have to pay to attend or are the seats free for press?
Genuine question, don’t know the answer. |  | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:38 - Aug 18 with 2120 views | WolfieAtTheBack |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:16 - Aug 18 by SuffolkPunchFC |
Yes, it's absurd - I'm just explaining why when we don't get 30,000, it's doesn't mean the games weren't sold out for what seats were available to buy. |
Same with smaller music venues, the capacity limit includes the bar staff, security, sound person and hangers on. |  | | |
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| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:42 - Aug 18 with 2095 views | Illinoisblue |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:16 - Aug 18 by SuffolkPunchFC |
Yes, it's absurd - I'm just explaining why when we don't get 30,000, it's doesn't mean the games weren't sold out for what seats were available to buy. |
Official PL and EFL policy should be that attendances have to be listed as total, then breakdown of home/away/media. | |
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| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 18:25 - Aug 18 with 1864 views | urbanpenguin |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:21 - Aug 18 by Dennyx4 |
As a side question, do the press have to pay to attend or are the seats free for press?
Genuine question, don’t know the answer. |
No. Don't pay. I'm a writer (culture, not sports) and one of the few perks is free entry to things. Downsides are precarity, garbage pay and ai.
That said, I should be going see the Everton away game in the press box, so I'll keep an eye on Gav/Phil to make sure they don't take too many half time pork pies. |  |
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| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 19:29 - Aug 18 with 1618 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 17:00 - Aug 18 by Illinoisblue |
The fact press box seats are included in the final official attendance is absurd, right? You or I can’t buy those seats. Does every club include press/media attendees in their crowd numbers? |
It’s nowhere near as absurd as recording attendances as tickets sold rather than the, er, people attending. Given most clubs in the top 2/3 leagues now scan every ticket there’s no reason why actual attendances couldn’t be reported. |  |
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| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 21:20 - Aug 18 with 1332 views | urbanpenguin |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 19:29 - Aug 18 by Swansea_Blue |
It’s nowhere near as absurd as recording attendances as tickets sold rather than the, er, people attending. Given most clubs in the top 2/3 leagues now scan every ticket there’s no reason why actual attendances couldn’t be reported. |
What's fun is that I understand it used to be the case that clubs would overannounced their game attendance as it looked cool and huge, and then taxes changed they then underannounced it as it impacted their vat.
Now it's a weird mix, as match attendences are such a small part of the equation but financially they need to squeeze every financial pimple, but also for soft power need to look at attended and big as possible.
Personally, I would love FPR to be a 42,000 seater stadium. But having interviewed the architect and team of Everton who deliberately designed their bowl stadium too small so that getting a ticket would be a feat and not a local xpectation of their community assets, I got a bit disgusted and hoped that Ipswich would play a different game. Deliver what is needed as it's needed and do not create a false economy for boosterism and stock value. Let people in who want to see the game for the right reasons. But I know this increasingly a challenge. | |
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| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 04:13 - Aug 19 with 1022 views | Olcol |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 21:20 - Aug 18 by urbanpenguin |
What's fun is that I understand it used to be the case that clubs would overannounced their game attendance as it looked cool and huge, and then taxes changed they then underannounced it as it impacted their vat.
Now it's a weird mix, as match attendences are such a small part of the equation but financially they need to squeeze every financial pimple, but also for soft power need to look at attended and big as possible.
Personally, I would love FPR to be a 42,000 seater stadium. But having interviewed the architect and team of Everton who deliberately designed their bowl stadium too small so that getting a ticket would be a feat and not a local xpectation of their community assets, I got a bit disgusted and hoped that Ipswich would play a different game. Deliver what is needed as it's needed and do not create a false economy for boosterism and stock value. Let people in who want to see the game for the right reasons. But I know this increasingly a challenge. |
Depending on what way our cub wishes to go with respect to Everton's angle it looks like capacity wise between 42k and 46k. I hope it's the latter. | | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 13:29 - Aug 19 with 687 views | hochiblue |
But I couldn’t breathe in the 38000, except when David Johnson ran clear and lobbed Gary Sprake. Massive intake of breath from the crowd, followed by groan as the ball bounced back off the bar! | | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 13:37 - Aug 19 with 650 views | Churchman |
Does anyone know how many seats are restricted view? Completely guessing but I suspect quite a few.
Add in those with a poor view and the press ones in this thread and you can really see the problem of an old stadium even if you ignore the desperate legroom in The Cobbold/Portman stand. |  | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 15:44 - Aug 19 with 500 views | LA_Tractor_Boy |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 13:37 - Aug 19 by Churchman |
Does anyone know how many seats are restricted view? Completely guessing but I suspect quite a few.
Add in those with a poor view and the press ones in this thread and you can really see the problem of an old stadium even if you ignore the desperate legroom in The Cobbold/Portman stand. |
Don't know numbers, but most seats in the back 6 rows of the West Stand and back 4 rows of the Cobbold Stand are RV.
I think the first 2 rows of SAR and first row of West Stand are RV since the new pitch went in.
Quite a few seats in the corners of SAR upper and SBR upper are also RV, as the view from these seats is blocked by the West Stand/Cobbold roofs.
One positive is there are fewer RV seats in the corners of SBR lower, now that safe standing has been installed. | | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:03 - Aug 19 with 433 views | BloomBlue |
As an FYI I'm still adamant there was more than 38,010 at that Leeds game, I'm convinced they let more in without counting.
Certainly in the late 50s / 60s as kids we often got in for free, as we knew of gaps in the boundary. Plus those on the turnstiles would often would just let kids in, a simple smile and away we would go. |  | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:17 - Aug 19 with 386 views | Churchman |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:03 - Aug 19 by BloomBlue |
As an FYI I'm still adamant there was more than 38,010 at that Leeds game, I'm convinced they let more in without counting.
Certainly in the late 50s / 60s as kids we often got in for free, as we knew of gaps in the boundary. Plus those on the turnstiles would often would just let kids in, a simple smile and away we would go. |
We got there early and got a decent spot standing in the new fully open (the end bits had only just been completed) Portman Stand.
It was as tight as a gnat’s chuff by kick off. Wedged. And the whole ground looked the same. | | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:43 - Aug 19 with 332 views | longtimefan |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:17 - Aug 19 by Churchman |
We got there early and got a decent spot standing in the new fully open (the end bits had only just been completed) Portman Stand.
It was as tight as a gnat’s chuff by kick off. Wedged. And the whole ground looked the same. |
Myself and mates used to get there before 12:30 to nab a place behind a barrier fairly central and towards the back of Churchmans. Remember being shocked at how long the queues were that day, even at that time. As you say, it was somewhat tight by kick-off time! | | | |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 16:44 - Aug 19 with 328 views | grow_our_own |
| Capacity and Attendances at Portman Road on 13:37 - Aug 19 by Churchman |
Does anyone know how many seats are restricted view? Completely guessing but I suspect quite a few.
Add in those with a poor view and the press ones in this thread and you can really see the problem of an old stadium even if you ignore the desperate legroom in The Cobbold/Portman stand. |
Four rows is ~1,000 seats. So If there are four at the back of the Cobbold, and six at back of the West, then that's 2,500 restricted view, just at the back of those two stands.
Demand for match tickets has to account for that. Many are deterred by RV. If we're filling 30k seats, the actual demand (for clear-view tickets) would likely be much higher. [Post edited 19 Aug 16:48]
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