More season tickets may be available next week

[Biscuit]

The "current administration", as you put it, doesn't make the decision. Planning applications are decided by the Planning Committee, which consists of 12 councillors - 5 Greens, 4 Conservatives, 3 Labour. The Greens hold the position of Chair, the Conservatives the Deputy Chair. Decisions of the Planning Committee cannot be overturned by the Administration.

His point was the Greens are in the driving seat on a decision about expansion... and that's still the case isn't it - they have 5 councillors?

 

[Pavilionaire]

22,500 is right at the bottom end of the scale for viability in the Prem. We'd be 19th with that, but add another, say, 5,000 and you're clear of the bottom 3 and into 12-15th spot attendance-wise.

Bolton seem to do alright on average gates of 23,000.

 

[Simster]

really? I always thought i was part of a 29,000 crowd against arsenal in '87

26,467

 

[Crouch End Seagull]

@Wanderer

Those stats are for homes and aways surely?

 

[westy]

22,500 is right at the bottom end of the scale for viability in the Prem. We'd be 19th with that, but add another, say, 5,000 and you're clear of the bottom 3 and into 12-15th spot attendance-wise.

Bolton seem to do alright on average gates of 23,000.

All true. The TV Cash is the biggy in the Prem anyway, 30,000 would be more than enough. Plenty of teams have survived for years on crowds of that or less.

Crowd revenue is more relevant in the championship if anything where we wont get the silly millions that Prem clubs get.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

The club could release more ST's in the section reserved for away fans in cup matches when the 15% allocation is taken. They would be sold on the understanding that the season ticket is for league games only and the club can use its discretion in cup matches when the away following is less than 10%.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

There's no harm in applying for the planning permission as early as possible (although stuff like demonstrating the existing capacity isn't enough and isn't the maximum that transport access can cope with, means it would likely need to wait at least half a season). You can then decide later if and when you want to take up that planning permission. We got approval seven years ago to take the Valley up from 27k to 41k (in four stages). Obviously we won't be proceeding with it any time soon, but it's useful that planning permission is there if and when by some fluke we actually need it...

you better go back to the 1930's then

 

[Horsham Gull]

The demand is there, and the away end is already too small - there are plenty of clubs at this level who could easily bring more than 2,300 down.

Get those corners filled in and give at least one of them over to the away fans I reckons. We can then allocate on a game-by-game basis. If the likes of Leeds or Pompey are in town, then give them another 500 seats in the south-east or south-west corner. If its a smaller club with poor away support like Palace then keep it at 2,300 and sell the southern away corner seats to home fans.

surely if anything we would give away fans the South east corner as the additional capacity for away fans for cup games is the far south blocks of the east stand if that makes sense!

 

[Billy the Fish]

Missed the boat it seems on this point as the thread's moved on, but given a choice I'd much rather we filled the 2nd tier on the East stand first. That means the East 1901 could move into the upper tier plus another 300 or so seats on the halfway line. More revenue for the club and I think it the lesser of two evils compared to having empty corners. Would help the atmosphere as well by filling the only gap for sound to escape from.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I think the club would like to put another 500 or so 1901ers into the 2nd tier of the East Stand if there is demand.

 

[severnside gull]

22,500 is right at the bottom end of the scale for viability in the Prem. We'd be 19th with that, but add another, say, 5,000 and you're clear of the bottom 3 and into 12-15th spot attendance-wise.

Bolton seem to do alright on average gates of 23,000.

I've met a few Bolton directors over the years and they are constantly fighting a battle to stay solvent and certainly wouldn't do so based on attendances. I suspect that there isn't a club in the premier league that could actually survive on gate money - it just spurs them on (no pun intended) to spend even more on transfer fees and wages. It's tv money and worldwide (rather than home) commercial sales that make the difference.

 

[fataddick]

Nope, it's not, planning permission is only valid for three years.

But can be renewed umpteen times. Usually a fairly simple process, unless the Planning Committee has changed and the new members decide to get arsey. I believe this happened at our first renewal, where the only change to the planning permission Greenwich made was they decided that we could still build nine flats on the site as per the original plan, but we now weren't allowed to sell them. WTF?

 

[drew]

With regard to away fans, I think some are missing the point concerning Cup allocation. As we increase the capacity upto 32,500 then the away allocation for cup matches will also increase upto 4,875. So with 2,500 in the South stand they need to segregate another 2,375 and that will be more than in both southstand corners!!!!

 

[gazingdown]

Fill in the corners asap if the demand is there, I assume it would be cheap to do too (especially the south corners)

ES upper would take more time/work/cost of course and should be done should we ever reach the PL (or before if demand is *really* there).

They can always cover/block the corners/ES upper if attendances drop.

Personally I think the club will apply after a few games once they can *prove* the facilities/transport can cope easily enough. Why not get the revenue from an extra 3000 or so, make hay while the sun shines etc. My hunch is, that when they were deciding on number of seats, they didn't know that we would have made the C-Ship and have all this extra demand, I think the corners would have been part of the original plan with just the ES upper waiting.

As for the 15k in a 30k stadium, well that will be the same with or without seats, lots of "blank" areas or unused seats, makes little difference (assuming the ES can be blocked off).

 

[Scoffers]

@Wanderer

Those stats are for homes and aways surely?

No, home only

 

[Scoffers]

Here were the average attendances for our best ever year (attendance wise) - even above Leeds & Soton

Division One 1979-1980

Club

1 Manchester United 51.608
2 Liverpool 44.586
3 Manchester City 35.272
4 Arsenal 33.596
5 Tottenham Hotpsur 32.018
6 Crystal Palace 29.794
7 Everton 28.711
8 Aston Villa 27.976
9 Nottingham Forest 26.360
10 Wolverhampton Wanderers 25.731
11 Brighton & Hove Albion 24.745
12 Leeds United 22.788
13 West Bromwich Albion 22.418
14 Ipswich Town 21.620
15 Southampton 21.335
16 Stoke City 20.176
17 Derby County 19.904
18 Coventry City 19.315
19 Bristol City 18.932
20 Middlesbrough 18.739
21 Norwich City 17.225
22 Bolton Wanderers 16.353

 

[Scoffers]

Get the stats from here EFS Attendances

 

[Crouch End Seagull]

@Wanderer
these figures
are different to these ones
Our average gate last season was 7.352 not 8,900.

Just saying.

 

[Seaford Seagull]

Any sign of these extra tickets then?

 

[bristolseagull]

East Upper should be done before the corners to stop the ground looking so 'one-sided.' With a two-tiered East the Amex will look a bit more sensible.

yeah 'cause it looms f***ing stupid at the moment doesnt it....