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SoL To Undergo Multi-Million-Pound Investment Programme

Smiter said:
People have busy lives marra, I struggle with the time before a game and don’t have it after so like to catch up with mates for a half time pint.

I think it’s reasonable to ask why we can’t have adequate space like most modern grounds.
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Thats the problem though, the SoL isn't modern anymore, its coming up to 30 years old now. As @Grumpy Old Man said, times have changed since it was designed.
 

WHD said:
One thing that was better in league 1 :lol:

I still usually need a slash at half time though which takes ages getting in and out.

That seems like a simple solution, but its crazy to have to even consider that when we have a purpose built stadium. I don't think the designers considered the amount of people who would congregate on the concourses at all. It seems like a major design fault to me.
Apart from Wembley I only went to one away match last season (Cardiff) and the space under the stands was noticeably more, no crushing or anything.
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Cardiff is brilliant under the stand loads of room.
 
Big Duke Six said:
Don’t understand the fuss. I go to watch the match, the 15 minute half time interval is irrelevant. I can buy alcohol and food before and after a game. It isn’t the law to have to go downstairs and eat and drink that shite.
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It isn't the law to actually go to the match at all, but I don't think it is unreasonable to expect to be comfortable, or at the very least just safe when attending the match, be it when you're watching the match in the stands or underneath before or half time.
 
WHD said:
It's probably been said, but there needs to be something done about the space on in the concourses in the lower bowl, it is ridiculous when the stadium is full. I can't understand how stadium designed to seat 48k people can have such little space under the stands. IMO, they could be easily extended by taking the top of the stand down vertically instead of following the angle of the stand and then going vertical halfway down.
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There's around 4 metres of extra concourse space they could have by doing that and surely it wouldn't be that difficult. They could make the bogs bigger and make the kiosks bigger too.
 
Nedved said:
I'll risk being accused of being a soft shite to say they're almost dangerously crowded at this point. Toilet queues spilling out, overlapping with bar queues and queues coming down or up from the stands, so blocking most of the space and hard to get through, at least from my west stand experience at the start of the season.

Hard to compare to East stand where we were since opening, especially given attendences haven't been as consistently high over the last few years, but I feel like it's worse now than last time we were in Prem maybe? Or that just recency bias?

It's not a nice experience and puts us off going for food or a pint at HT because of it.
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Totally agree mate. For context I've only been in my current seat in the east stand since the first season in league one, before that I was in the premier concourse until it closed and I had to relocate. I think it's only been as we've gone up the leagues and crowds have risen that I've started to notice how bad it is. The space in the premier concourse is much better.
I have sat all over the stadium before I got my current season ticket, but I can't really remember it being this bad. Maybe it in the times before they had the bars as @Grumpy Old Man stated.
HnTch said:
Cardiff is brilliant under the stand loads of room.
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Yes, it was noticeably bigger and roomier. And that was before this season with the current crowds at the SOL.

And I could see the pitch from under the stands while I finished my half time pint, which I think isn't supposed to happen.
 
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WHD said:
It's probably been said, but there needs to be something done about the space on in the concourses in the lower bowl, it is ridiculous when the stadium is full. I can't understand how stadium designed to seat 48k people can have such little space under the stands. IMO, they could be easily extended by taking the top of the stand down vertically instead of following the angle of the stand and then going vertical halfway down.
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In 1996 when it was built people were much less likely to have a pint at half time. We were used to maybe queuing for a bovril and a packet of nuts, cashing a bet in or just standing there reading the program and having a bit chat. We certainly weren’t stuffing ourselves with dirty fries and corn ribs 😂 so it’s maybe fair they didn’t foresee the absolute influx of melts that was incoming in the new millennium 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
dancingradio said:
Its even just the crush getting from the turnstile to the inner bowl. And what if you need a piss or god forbid a shite , its 2025 ffs you should be able to go when needed. Commercially they are losing loads from people who cant be arsed facing the minging crush to buy summat. Its just laziness they cant be arsed having a fenced area like most clubs. Too busy designing the next "merch drop"
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🤣

No way I’m not baking that!
 
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@dancingradio
 

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Honess10 said:
In 1996 when it was built people were much less likely to have a pint at half time. We were used to maybe queuing for a bovril and a packet of nuts, cashing a bet in or just standing there reading the program and having a bit chat. We certainly weren’t stuffing ourselves with dirty fries and corn ribs 😂 so it’s maybe fair they didn’t foresee the absolute influx of melts that was incoming in the new millennium 🤷🏻‍♂️
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I remember having a pint as soon as the stadium opened. They knew they were going to be selling beer and food. I'm surprised they didn't make the concourse areas bigger as it can't have been a surprise.
Blyth said:
View attachment 23915

@dancingradio
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Is that in the South Stand? Is there one in the old bookies in the north stand?

I haven't been in the lower bowl this season, have they got many self serve pint pouring machines? Have they been working ok?
 
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Grumpy Old Man said:
It stems from Bob's time at Roker Park. Back in the day, when licensing laws were much stricter, there was no alcohol sold in grounds, except in the then very small hospitality areas. So all you could get at Roker was tea, Bovril, and the Grade 3 burn influcting pies. Most people stayed on the terraces or in their seats. Bob didn't factor in the social changes coming down the line, and made the concourses generous by the standards of Roker, but inadequate when half the crowd fancies a half time pine.
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That would give anyone the needle.
 
Quite a few grounds open their big gates for pre match and half time to provide an exterior space attached to the concourse....inc a couple of pop up bars outside.. With a barrier/fence as the new exterior boundary. E.g. Derby last season for us. Also enabled smokers to have a legal smoke iirc.

Need manned obv with security, but would pay for itself i imagine with extra beer sales.
 
Grumpy Old Man said:
It stems from Bob's time at Roker Park. Back in the day, when licensing laws were much stricter, there was no alcohol sold in grounds, except in the then very small hospitality areas. So all you could get at Roker was tea, Bovril, and the Grade 3 burn influcting pies. Most people stayed on the terraces or in their seats. Bob didn't factor in the social changes coming down the line, and made the concourses generous by the standards of Roker, but inadequate when half the crowd fancies a half time pine.
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Yearning to be back at Roker Park?
 
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