Stadium Expansion

[Wonderwall]

Three is a website, Skyscrapercity.com that has hundreds pf photos of the expansion taking place and some great once that have been added of the whole complex. Go and take a look at these, some of them are brilliant.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthrea ... 81&page=32

[Wonderwall]

Before


After


Before


After


Before


After

[Goaters 103]

Do we know if they are doing the North Stand End next year for sure or not?

As I sit in tier 2 this would obviously leave me and the kids more exposed to the winter elements! Does anyone on here sit in Tier 2 of the South Stand, and if so is it any worse when it rains this season with the work going on??

[lets all have a disco]

Do we know if they are doing the North Stand End next year for sure or not?

As I sit in tier 2 this would obviously leave me and the kids more exposed to the winter elements! Does anyone on here sit in Tier 2 of the South Stand, and if so is it any worse when it rains this season with the work going on??

I stand in lower SS and havent seen one bit of difference to being exposed to the elements I get the feeling the owners will crack on with the North Stand after the South, why not?
Even if it is empty most of the time just cover over the seats with a huge banner until it can be filled IMHO its better to build it than think in three years fuck we should have built it.
im really looking forward to going into the standing ends at the minihad it will be where i first start taking my son to get his blue blood going.

[Goaters 103]

Do we know if they are doing the North Stand End next year for sure or not?

As I sit in tier 2 this would obviously leave me and the kids more exposed to the winter elements! Does anyone on here sit in Tier 2 of the South Stand, and if so is it any worse when it rains this season with the work going on??

I stand in lower SS and havent seen one bit of difference to being exposed to the elements I get the feeling the owners will crack on with the North Stand after the South, why not?
Even if it is empty most of the time just cover over the seats with a huge banner until it can be filled IMHO its better to build it than think in three years fuck we should have built it.
im really looking forward to going into the standing ends at the minihad it will be where i first start taking my soon to get his blue blood going.

Cheers Kiers - we are towards the back of tier 2 - row L - so my fear is/was that we'll get soaked though I agree there is no reason not to press ahead and do both now. Why not?

Enjoy taking your lad to the footy, and keep a prog or ticket from the game if you can for him, as I bet he'll appreciate it when hes older. My elder sons first game was Crewe in the Lge Cup at Maine Rd and we were a goal down after 20 seconds so he had a warts and all introduction to City!

[lets all have a disco]

Do we know if they are doing the North Stand End next year for sure or not?

As I sit in tier 2 this would obviously leave me and the kids more exposed to the winter elements! Does anyone on here sit in Tier 2 of the South Stand, and if so is it any worse when it rains this season with the work going on??

I stand in lower SS and havent seen one bit of difference to being exposed to the elements I get the feeling the owners will crack on with the North Stand after the South, why not?
Even if it is empty most of the time just cover over the seats with a huge banner until it can be filled IMHO its better to build it than think in three years fuck we should have built it.
im really looking forward to going into the standing ends at the minihad it will be where i first start taking my soon to get his blue blood going.

Cheers Kiers - we are towards the back of tier 2 - row L - so my fear is/was that we'll get soaked though I agree there is no reason not to press ahead and do both now. Why not?

Enjoy taking your lad to the footy, and keep a prog or ticket from the game if you can for him, as I bet he'll appreciate it when hes older. My elder sons first game was Crewe in the Lge Cup at Maine Rd and we were a goal down after 20 seconds - poss less - so he had a warts and all introduction to City!

I'm row M and we have a roof over our head i did buy a new waterproof though this season.

I will, he is only 2 so it will be next season i start taking him to EDS/ladies matches then graduate to Etihad in due course give the missus a break and me the opportunity for a few Sunday pints as if i take kid socks she will 100% drop us off.

[Ted Hughes]

Do we know if they are doing the North Stand End next year for sure or not?

As I sit in tier 2 this would obviously leave me and the kids more exposed to the winter elements! Does anyone on here sit in Tier 2 of the South Stand, and if so is it any worse when it rains this season with the work going on??

I stand in lower SS and havent seen one bit of difference to being exposed to the elements I get the feeling the owners will crack on with the North Stand after the South, why not?
Even if it is empty most of the time just cover over the seats with a huge banner until it can be filled IMHO its better to build it than think in three years fuck we should have built it.
im really looking forward to going into the standing ends at the minihad it will be where i first start taking my soon to get his blue blood going.

I think they have mentioned cracking on with it, as the first one is pretty much sold already. Just get Messi signed up & they can do the sides whilst they're at it.

I don't give a toss about empty seats personally. Barca average 70k & the Camp Nou holds 99. That's 29 thousand empty seats on a typical Saturday. What City could do, is try to make sure those who buy season tickets for the lower tiers actually use them. Seems to me there could be some kind of racket going on, possibly with touts owning some of the seats, like at the swamp. So when it's a less fashionable game, those seats don't get sold & fans can't buy them online.

Strange to have people buying up the seats sent back by away fans, yet there are gaps in the home section. Sort that, then sell tickets for the lower tiers first, then the upper. Then the ground looks full, even when it isn't, like the swamp & Emirates pretty much every week.

[lets all have a disco]

They could easily put something like this over the seats Personally like i said i dont care wether they are empty but the press will love it.

[Ted Hughes]

They could easily put something like this over the seats Personally like i said i dont care wether they are empty but the press will love it.

I don't think we will need it. I think people will be surprised at how many seats actually get sold.

What we don't want though, is say a 55k attendance with for example 3k of the empty seats happening in the lower tiers. If it's full downstairs, it's very difficult to see the back of the East Stand or the Colin Bell on TV. For lesser games, make sure the ticket office sell the downstairs first, then the ends, then the East upper & then the CB. There are regularly gaps in the crowd upstairs at the swamp, but you can't see it. My rag Uncle was a steward there.

[Goaters 103]

If they knock the seats out very cheap in the third tier - say £15-£20 a match - then they will sell out. However the problem is, you will have the third tiers full, and the bottom ones empty as fans will pay the cheaper clip.

My fear is that if my season ticket prices rise any further Ill be forced up to the third tier and the cheaper option. I don't particularly fancy climbing up there but the economics of it and paying for 2 kids as well, mean its very likely within the next couple of years.

[Ted Hughes]

If they knock the seats out very cheap in the third tier - say £15-£20 a match - then they will sell out. However the problem is, you will have the third tiers full, and the bottom ones empty as fans will pay the cheaper clip.

My fear is that if my season ticket prices rise any further Ill be forced up to the third tier and the cheaper option. I don't particularly fancy climbing up there but the economics of it and paying for 2 kids as well, mean its very likely within the next couple of years.

I am in level 1 of the East Stand, & I was in prety much the same position re the pitch, in the Kippax. I'm used to watching football from that position, & I don't want to change. If they push up the price of a season ticket much more, then rather than moving, I will just kick it into touch.

If they get it right, they can have my money evey year, plus many 1000s of new regulars I recon. It's upto City not to fuck it up.

[Wonderwall]

I don't think we will need it. I think people will be surprised at how many seats actually get sold.

What we don't want though, is say a 55k attendance with for example 3k of the empty seats happening in the lower tiers. If it's full downstairs, it's very difficult to see the back of the East Stand or the Colin Bell on TV. For lesser games, make sure the ticket office sell the downstairs first, then the ends, then the East upper & then the CB. There are regularly gaps in the crowd upstairs at the swamp, but you can't see it. My rag Uncle was a steward there.

you can already see evidence of that online Ted, they shut certain sections/blocks until they have sold a % of the ones they need to shift, they then open up the other blocks in a strategic way. However, it was very strange that against swansea the additional tickets that they sent back were sold out but there were empty seats everywhere else.

Oh and whoever started the chant to swansea that they couldn't sell their tickets, get a grip, I mean REALLY???

[Ted Hughes]

I don't think we will need it. I think people will be surprised at how many seats actually get sold.

What we don't want though, is say a 55k attendance with for example 3k of the empty seats happening in the lower tiers. If it's full downstairs, it's very difficult to see the back of the East Stand or the Colin Bell on TV. For lesser games, make sure the ticket office sell the downstairs first, then the ends, then the East upper & then the CB. There are regularly gaps in the crowd upstairs at the swamp, but you can't see it. My rag Uncle was a steward there.

you can already see evidence of that online Ted, they shut certain sections/blocks until they have sold a % of the ones they need to shift, they then open up the other blocks in a strategic way. However, it was very strange that against swansea the additional tickets that they sent back were sold out but there were empty seats everywhere else.

Oh and whoever started the chant to swansea that they couldn't sell their tickets, get a grip, I mean REALLY???

Yeah I've noticed they do it with cup games sometimes, & when you see the recording on tv, you can't tell how many are upstairs.

Rather than going for a huge increase in revenue from the expansion, short term, they should look to make the whole thing more affordable for everyone imo, & have a much bigger crowd paying cheaper prices, thus a small increase in revenue from the seats & a bigger increase from corporate. They will still get the money back long term, it will just take a bit longer, but the ground will be more of an attraction & the demand will go up & up.

[ross.mcfc]

People fret too much about filling it to the capacity when it is complete.

Look at the major stadiums around Europe. Very rarely is the Nou Camp, San Siro or closer to home Celtic Park fill to capacity for domestic games. In Barca's case you barely notice it due to the camera angles. A bit of forward planning is all that is needed to give off the sense of a full crowd. When the top tiers are shut for league cup games you barely notice. It's the seats behind the goals that draw attention to the poor crowd and that is something that I presume is easily enough to sort out.

We will fill 60 thousands for derby games against United, Liverpool and any major game that three points is a must. Same goes if we were to ever to bother showing up on the pitch for a CL campaign. That is all that matters. This of course will be aided by giving the away fans a lot more tickets which will add to the atmosphere. The outlay for the cost of the expansion (not that it is a major concern for our owners) will be met for selling out these big games as well as the regular music events we host.

[Wonderwall]

After next Wednesday (Leicester City at Home on 4th March) we only have 1 home game between then and April 19th (which is west Brom on 21st March). I suspect that's quite a long time for the construction engineers to have on the stadium, I would expect the original roof to be removed over the South stand and the new roof to be complete and therefore the stand being in full view. by the time we play West Ham on Sunday 19th.

However, I know ZERO about construction so it might look exactly the same, however, here's hoping.

[Wonderwall]

Also on the site link about the new stand construction there is an interesting topic on increasing our stadium to 80k and the original designers view

[Goaters 103]

Have heard on the grapevine that the North Stand extension wont be done immediately, and that they will wait until they see South Stand full on a regular basis before commencing with it. Personally Id have thought it best to get it done immediately? However work on the north side of the ground will knock out City Square, the Souvenir shop and access to the Tram as well so Im not sure if/when these can be relocated if need arises.

Anyone else heard this? It came via a Supporters Club meeting a short while ago.

[Ted Hughes]

Heard different stories re the North Stand. Dunno anymore.

Re the roof: I think they will need cranes on the pitch to get it out. Don't know how else they could do it ?

If that's the case then it's not going 'til after the season.

[Wonderwall]

Heard different stories re the North Stand. Dunno anymore.

Re the roof: I think they will need cranes on the pitch to get it out. Don't know how else they could do it ?

If that's the case then it's not going 'til after the season.

I was speaking to a senior city official (who I wont name) but if I did say the name you would all know the person, about the roof a while ago. They told me that the plan was to get it done as soon as possible and to get at least one League game with the new stand open before the end of the season. So I would think there must be a way Ted, but I agree with you that it seems more likely that cranes would be required on the pitch side unless they can extend the arms through the corners?

[john@staustell]

Whilst we may all be keen to see an immediate start on the north stand, I dont think they ever hinted it would be done straight after.

Probably the wise move is to see what happens next season, whether any other factors change, how much increased capacity affects demand (it always raises for some reason unless the team goes tits up)

As stated it affects the Square and all sorts so may also be part of a much grander scheme.

EDIT - I've always got at the back of my mind that it was stated after takeover we wanted to be the biggest in the world in every way. Now that wouldn't be possible without a grade 1 size stadium.

I wont get involved in the architectural possibilities as I've seen expert opinions that it IS possible at Etihad and expert opinions that it isn't. So, should I live long enough there are 2 possibilties:

1) After the north stand if done, a fourth level supported by a cantilver all the way around
2) A new stadium