joop
Striker
I think much of it came from Bob Murray months ago when he said he’d seen the expansion plans.
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SOL expansion
- Thread starter Father Larry Duff
- Start date
leerik_canamole
Striker
Disagree with the financial sense.
We've lost out on a number of concerts and events due to our lack of corporate and the only way to increase the corporate is to expand.
It costs peanuts in today's market for us to extend due to the way the ground is built. It would pay for itself.
Weststand
Central Defender
Sunderland is under the biggest internal extension in 100 years - infrastructure and housing with massive external and internal investment. The city is building for the future and so should the football club - the time is now really, Sunderland stock is growing
I'm a bit on the fence with this. We do need more corporate boxes etc and we do have 7,000 spare seats. We are competing for promotion, do we spend funds on ground expansion or elsewhere. The population of Sunderland has actually fallen between 2011 and 2021, but, our support ,to a large degree, comes from outside of those boundaries.
TV coverage is huge now, so will we attract more support the way we did previously, or will the comparative costs mean more will support from home?
TV coverage is huge now, so will we attract more support the way we did previously, or will the comparative costs mean more will support from home?
We don’t to be fair. Capacity is reduced these days isn’t it? Plus limits to away fans
Sea to Shining Sea
Striker
This is a bit of a moot point as it isn’t a case of one or the other given the financial rules. If the owners decided to finance stadium renovation, it doesn’t necessarily mean the money used for that would have been able to be used on player recruitment.
The stadium needs modernising.
One advantage for the fans of having a few spare seats is that the club is less likely to start hiking the ticket prices up. And therefore doesn't really make sense from the club perspective, corporate aside, to increase general capacity while there are gaps most games.
Yes of course but we still have thousands of spare seats and don't sell out, at the minute!
I think it does need a tidy up and more corporate. If that means expansion as well, I don't know?
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Sea to Shining Sea
Striker
It needs more than a tidy up. It needs bringing up to date with modern stadium standards. It’s still very much a 90s stadium. The tastes of the punters for football and particularly hospitality / concerts has changed. If the club want to maximise the stadium’s revenue potential it needs development not just a lick of paint.
With the development due to take place across all the Sheepfolds it will look a clip as well. It’s a city landmark and needs looking after
The Stadium does need upgrading. The concourses have always been too narrow. The opportunity that the new bridge and the sheepfolds development affords to the club is one not to be missed. The club needs to increase and improve hospitality to attract investment and more events at the SOL. The South Stand fully developed both inside and out would provide a wonderful vista to the approach from Keel Square.
League Wan
Winger
We don't need anymore seats at this point but it definitely needs expanding in other areas. As pointed out loads of times the concourses need to be bigger, move the kiosks outside for a start. The queues of people for food, drink and the bogs are ridiculous, that'll be the main reason you have to go down on 35 minutes to get back for the 2nd half.the toilets need a review, where we are you it women's toilets either side, then the blokes is half way up the east stand or around the south, more bogs and in order
We can increase the hospitiality without building more seats though. Personally I can't see a stage where we will need a second tier in the East stand, ever, so building it there just doesn't make sense. So you might aswell do hospitality improvements without doing a second tier.
Whether you could do other stuff with the space who knows though, move the media/tv across, double tier boxes, just have windows with a hotel, bars or what not overlooking the pitch? There's many things you could do which could offer value than an empty stand.
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ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK
Winger
This is rubbish! If it wasn't expanded then all the times we've got more than the 41k it would have meant fans not being able to go. We were sailing high at the time on the crest of a wave and demand was huge as it showed the potential of the fan base if we ever got to see decent top half football. I'm sure the hope was we'd be in the Premier League more often than not and certainly not end up in League One like we did.
Being limited by that 41K capacity would have meant fans missing out when demand exceeds it which it would have over the years. When demand exceeds supply then prices go up. That's why the SOL is great as it allows the club to offer such good concessions to the younger generation of fans as our U22/U18/U16 prices are affordable for most. This then gets many of them hooked to pay the higher full price at a later date regardless of the league we're in or how shit the football is.
I can't be arsed to post long examples of how much it is for a parent to take 1 or 2 U16 kids to a match. I've said it a few times in the past the likes of Boro and Sheff Wed HERE and here's a snippet of a post from February this year talking about last season's prices.
For an adult and 2 kids at SOL, it was £23 a game for us in all 4 stands (PC aside) for new applicants last season so possibly same for EB this season (2024/25). It's nearly half the price of Boro but it's not just Boro as Sheff Wed is £38 cheapest for East stand but then £45 for North & South and nearly £49 for West. Another 'greedy' club as Sheff Wed prices are very expensive!
There's not many clubs in the top 2 divisions that offers a good value than us for the U22s. More so due to the fact we offer concessions in most of the ground as many clubs limit their concession areas. This is also factor as to why we get the crowds we do. Some clubs limited by capacity just increase prices and the restrict the concession areas/prices/groups and they will be missing out on kids getting hooked at a young age. This may well cost them when times are shit as kids who would then be adults probably wouldn't spend £100s going to see a shit team as they won't have as an emotional connection with the club. It's easy to watch games on the TV these days so why bother going to the game to see the shite on the pitch? That's possibly why Boro and Sheff Wed don't even sell out now with lower capacities as they've probably not had as many kids from the last decade going to the games who are now willing to pay the adult prices and start going to games.
Even the mags are finding this out at a higher level as they have limited concessions/groups etc and some fans being moved just so the club can appease the more affluent fans instead. I'm sure their prices will have gone up in recent seasons and I wonder how many of those on the '10 year price freeze' that's still going will be able to afford the current prices?
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The club has once again frozen prices for all junior categories, while thousands of supporters will continue to pay prices set during the 2011/12 season as part of a long-term price freeze deal.
Look at the mags limited concession areas and the price of the blue section CAT 2 below. Not a cheap option for parents as no doubt the family section will only have limited spaces each season for new applicants.
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Greed in the game is sickening these days as it's no longer the peoples game like it used to be when most people who wanted to go to the game could. Thankfully most SAFC fans can go to the game if they wanted and that's thanks to the higher capacity SOL. Even if we got to the Premier League, there's no way we'd be up there challenging so is it worth it to start pricing out fans due to the 41K limit just to be one of the also rans?
All the comments about the empty seats looking shite is just waffle as would you really prefer a full stadium and fans missing out just so it looks good? Same with the atmosphere anarl, it's not as if it still doesn't sound class when it gets going and that's more to do with the footy on the pitch anarl, not because there's a few 1,000 empty seats up a height in the Premier Concourse. To being selling out every week means that fans are missing out as attendences have a high and a low as it's not always the same. The SOL allows for crowd fluctuation and there's always a few 1,000 between the highest and the lowest. In the seasons before relegation from the Premier League we were averaging 43k so that alone would have meant fans missing out in the games that got more than 41k, so this would have probably meant an increase in prices and possible limitations on concessions.
Anyway, waffle over as I think I made my point
RedandWhiteRebel
Midfield
Yes and he is not taking into account we would be in the premier league with bigger away followings if we managed to sort that situation out.
As it is we are averaging 40,000 in the championship with limited allocations for away supporters.
A well established top 4 team in the Premier League and 60,000 at Sunderland would be more than achievable.
The scenario is dreamland for now though isn't it and by the time it ever became even remotely realistic things could have changed again.
This is rubbish! If it wasn't expanded then all the times we've got more than the 41k it would have meant fans not being able to go. We were sailing high at the time on the crest of a wave and demand was huge as it showed the potential of the fan base if we ever got to see decent top half football. I'm sure the hope was we'd be in the Premier League more often than not and certainly not end up in League One like we did.
Being limited by that 41K capacity would have meant fans missing out when demand exceeds it which it would have over the years. When demand exceeds supply then prices go up. That's why the SOL is great as it allows the club to offer such good concessions to the younger generation of fans as our U22/U18/U16 prices are affordable for most. This then gets many of them hooked to pay the higher full price at a later date regardless of the league we're in or how shit the football is.
I can't be arsed to post long examples of how much it is for a parent to take 1 or 2 U16 kids to a match. I've said it a few times in the past the likes of Boro and Sheff Wed HERE and here's a snippet of a post from February this year talking about last season's prices.
For an adult and 2 kids at SOL, it was £23 a game for us in all 4 stands (PC aside) for new applicants last season so possibly same for EB this season (2024/25). It's nearly half the price of Boro but it's not just Boro as Sheff Wed is £38 cheapest for East stand but then £45 for North & South and nearly £49 for West. Another 'greedy' club as Sheff Wed prices are very expensive!
There's not many clubs in the top 2 divisions that offers a good value than us for the U22s. More so due to the fact we offer concessions in most of the ground as many clubs limit their concession areas. This is also factor as to why we get the crowds we do. Some clubs limited by capacity just increase prices and the restrict the concession areas/prices/groups and they will be missing out on kids getting hooked at a young age. This may well cost them when times are shit as kids who would then be adults probably wouldn't spend £100s going to see a shit team as they won't have as an emotional connection with the club. It's easy to watch games on the TV these days so why bother going to the game to see the shite on the pitch? That's possibly why Boro and Sheff Wed don't even sell out now with lower capacities as they've probably not had as many kids from the last decade going to the games who are now willing to pay the adult prices and start going to games.
Even the mags are finding this out at a higher level as they have limited concessions/groups etc and some fans being moved just so the club can appease the more affluent fans instead. I'm sure their prices will have gone up in recent seasons and I wonder how many of those on the '10 year price freeze' that's still going will be able to afford the current prices?
You must be logged on to see external links
The club has once again frozen prices for all junior categories, while thousands of supporters will continue to pay prices set during the 2011/12 season as part of a long-term price freeze deal.
Look at the mags limited concession areas and the price of the blue section CAT 2 below. Not a cheap option for parents as no doubt the family section will only have limited spaces each season for new applicants.
Logon or register to see this image
Logon or register to see this image
Greed in the game is sickening these days as it's no longer the peoples game like it used to be when most people who wanted to go to the game could. Thankfully most SAFC fans can go to the game if they wanted and that's thanks to the higher capacity SOL. Even if we got to the Premier League, there's no way we'd be up there challenging so is it worth it to start pricing out fans due to the 41K limit just to be one of the also rans?
All the comments about the empty seats looking shite is just waffle as would you really prefer a full stadium and fans missing out just so it looks good? Same with the atmosphere anarl, it's not as if it still doesn't sound class when it gets going and that's more to do with the footy on the pitch anarl, not because there's a few 1,000 empty seats up a height in the Premier Concourse. To being selling out every week means that fans are missing out as attendences have a high and a low as it's not always the same. The SOL allows for crowd fluctuation and there's always a few 1,000 between the highest and the lowest. In the seasons before relegation from the Premier League we were averaging 43k so that alone would have meant fans missing out in the games that got more than 41k, so this would have probably meant an increase in prices and possible limitations on concessions.
Anyway, waffle over as I think I made my point
Yes I would, I honestly couldn't give a toss about fairweather fans. To go to the game every week and everyone is buzzing because their part of an exclusive club who have tickets because their loyal to the club would be much better imo. I honestly couldn't care less about people getting free tickets or people who turn up because we're playing Newcastle. Screw them.
I'd argue you're not much of a fan anyway if you only turn up to big games and disappear when the clubs goes into bad times ie. League One.
Personally if I owned a club, I'd award those who were there through thick and thin with lower prices subsidised by higher prices by those who suddenly become the biggest fan ever when we actually play well. Screw them. Loyalty should be awarded more.
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Boris Bear
Striker
Sunderland is expanding mate…unlike Shields
No population has fallen, unless the last two census are wrong.
Boris Bear
Striker
That’ll be why we’re building 5000 homes at the minute
Have a look for yourself at ONS census numbers, down between 2011 and 2021. New houses going up everywhere. A lot of these will be to replace poorer housing elsewhere.That’ll be why we’re building 5000 homes at the minute
Boris Bear
Striker
Nope, new housing being built to cater for demand. People only leave an area if it doesn’t have the homes/employment/leisure they need.
That number will be reversed and then some…the 0.5% decrease you refer to will be at least an 8% increase (probably more). This is key because massively more of our supporters are from Sunderland than shields
