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SOL expansion

Any increase in overall capacity would only ever be warranted if we became ensconced in the top half of the PL.
However, I can see that increased hospitality may be warranted before then, possibly by sacrificing some general seats - only the club will know if this is a goer once/if they do a feasibility study.

However, what is certainly needed now (and is long overdue) is an upgrade to the concourses which are extremely unwelcoming and inhospitable. Due to increased expectations over the last 30 years I would suggest that in relative terms the concourses in their current state are no better than the facilities at Roker Park.
 

Barista said:
However, what is certainly needed now (and is long overdue) is an upgrade to the concourses which are extremely unwelcoming and inhospitable. Due to increased expectations over the last 30 years I would suggest that in relative terms the concourses in their current state are no better than the facilities at Roker Park.
Click to expand...
Yet thousands queue for the entire half time period (and before) to buy pish beer and cold fries with congealed curry sauce on top.
These sales are probably at a maximum.
So what financial incentive is there for the club to do this?
 
Wearson said:
Yet thousands queue for the entire half time period (and before) to buy pish beer and cold fries with congealed curry sauce on top.
These sales are probably at a maximum.
So what financial incentive is there for the club to do this?
Click to expand...
Really ??? Maybe if there was more space and better choice may be the club could sell more ? If your financial model is based on 15mins at half time may be you've got it wrong - what about the hour leading up to kick off and the hour afterwards ?
 
Wearson said:
Yet thousands queue for the entire half time period (and before) to buy pish beer and cold fries with congealed curry sauce on top.
These sales are probably at a maximum.
So what financial incentive is there for the club to do this?
Click to expand...
Well I don’t bother at half time for exactly the reason of the long queues in an unwelcoming environment.
 
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Paul3845 said:
Really ??? Maybe if there was more space and better choice may be the club could sell more ? If your financial model is based on 15mins at half time may be you've got it wrong - what about the hour leading up to kick off and the hour afterwards ?
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To the best of my knowledge, the kiosks are not open after the final whistle anymore.

Sadly the payback period for upgrading the concourses would be way longer than new corporate areas, so I doubt it will happen anytime soon.

I agree it’s not great, but we need rising levels of quality, then you pay for the one that suits your taste. Lots of supporters just come for the match tho, and that’s fine.
 
Father Larry Duff said:
Needs expanding
Click to expand...
It won't be anytime soon that's for sure. They will push prices up and reduce high concession areas even more before it gets anywhere near that. The signs have been there in since this season's season ticket changes, that along with the Black Cats Bar, The Founders, Banks on the Wear etc all catering to the more affluent and corporate and looking at making more from that.

It all depends on just how much the club think they can milk the fans and next season's renewals will be a big indicator to them for sure. There's been a big rise but will it apply next season or is this just the club cashing in on the band wagoners wanting Premier League football.

Many of those will disappear if we're relegated and we'd be back to 40k average but then the renewal prices may be a decent increase so how many longer term ST holders would say that's too much? If we're not anywhere near safe come renewal what will they do? Who knows but for now the club know the stadium is big enough.
 
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Sporty said:
It won't be anytime soon that's for sure. They will push prices up and reduce high concession areas even more before it gets anywhere near that. The signs have been there in since this season's season ticket changes, that along with the Black Cats Bar, The Founders, Banks on the Wear etc all catering to the more affluent and corporate and looking at making more from that.

It all depends on just how much the club think they can milk the fans and next season's renewals will be a big indicator to them for sure. There's been a big rise but will it apply next season or is this just the club cashing in on the band wagoners wanting Premier League football?
Click to expand...

Aye i dont see KLD sanctioning an expansion at all tbh, like you say prices will rise and the fans will be milked. If they can keep raising the prices and guarentee 45kish every week theyll do that.
 
Let's be clear on this - due to our current capacity - we are probably only looking at an extra 4k to 6k average next season.

Capacity of 49k, less segregation, less away allocation doesn't leave a lot more tickets available to SAFC fans than last year.

Remember with 40k averages we had the 6th highest second tier attendance average on the entire European continent (UEFA = 55 nations). the 5 teams that beat our second tier average were all German - thats Germany the most populous country on the continent.

If we stay a PL club I wouldn't be surprised if within the next 5 to 10 years the board are talking about a stadium expansion. Football has never been as popular as it is now.
 
They need an expansion mainly for corporate offerings but if you are paying all that money to do the work you'd be mad to not do bigger concourses/more seats at the same time. Phil Smith seemed to suggest the club have a new 5 or 10 year plan to make us an established prem club and that point we would need much larger coroporate capacity as well as probably more normal seats.

Wouldn't surprise me if the club looks to expand the east stand next summer.
 
Mackem DJ said:
Which German clubs??
Click to expand...
Here you go -
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There were 6 - my mistake. So we were 7th - thats on the entire European continent. Unbelievable that. Makes a mockery on say X of fans, especially the mags taking the piss out of our attendances.

Look at some of the stadium capacities - Hertha Berlin!!!
halfpast3 said:
Schalke and Koln will be 2
Click to expand...
Correct.
 
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harryCLSsafc said:
Here you go -
You must be logged on to see external links


There were 6 - my mistake. So we were 7th - thats on the entire European continent. Unbelievable that. Makes a mockery on say X of fans, especially the mags taking the piss out of our attendances.

Look at some of the stadium capacities - Hertha Berlin!!!

Correct.
Click to expand...

Hertha play in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
 
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