WMN interview with James Brent (23rd November)

[Adam R]

I imagine if we got to the 'promised land' the gate revenue would pale into insignificance when you see the TV revenue those top 20 teams can generate.

Based on the Swansea example above (not picking on anyone but they have done the start of the maths for me!). 5,000 seats per game (assuming they sold out) x £35 (£30 ticket + £5 spending) x 19 games = c.£3.3M Thats a drop in the ocean for most premier leage clubs (even little old Argyle if we got there).


Sorry to turn all "accounting" on your asses, but it would be interesting to see the how muich of the gate revenue is left after the match day costs have been subtracted. I imagine its tough to assign a true "cost per seat" to match days, but there must be stepped costs (policing/stewarding for example) that would also increase witth he attendance. Anyone done any analysis of this before?

Edited: Cardiff apparently pulled in £62m for getting relegated!

Swansea's initial proposals were to increase the capacity to 33000 from 20000 ish but I take your reasoning up to a point. What I would have to ask you is why are some of the top clubs in the Premiership such as Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool all looking to increase their capacities, if it doesn't make any difference?

I was expecting that question in response!! It appears that everyone seems to want a bigger stand, add QPR to that list too.

I concede that a 20k increase in capacity would have a material impact at some of the prices those teams are charging for the "matchday experience". Spurs average roughlty £55(?) a ticket so 20,000 x 19 x £65 (£10 for program/burger etc) = c£25m - that would go quite far!! Without being unambitious or defeatest. i dont think Argyle will see the need for an increase of that magnitude unless a miracle happens and then we get some extra luck!

Those teams you quote though, and this brings us back to the reactive or proactive debate, have had sell out crowds for a number of years with a fan base which warrants a larger capacity at this moment in time. They will not be building for a perceived increase in attendances dreckly. They know that the cost of expansion will quickly be repaid once the stand/stadium is reopened. We would be investing now for something that may happen in x number of years.

I also think there is an element of prestige - everyone trying to topple Man Utds attendances as well as larger physical attendances (bums on seats, not just seats) allow for greater negotiating power when it comes to sponsorship renewals.

 

[up the line]

I don't think we are disagreeing that much if I'm honest.

By the way West Brom is a proper ground, old school yet modernised, lovely ground.

Likewise Villa Park's old grandstand side and Hillsbrough's big old main stand. An argument for an augmented Mayflower?

 

[X Isle]

2004-05 3 x 20,000 plus crowds. Leeds 20555 on a Tuesday night and West Ham 20220 on a Saturday. In the Third Round of the FA Cup we had Everton who stood 4th in the Premier League, 5 points clear of Liverpool in 5th place. We could only attract 20112. Since then there has been just one 20000 plus crowd, in 2006-07 for the Watford 6th round FA Cup tie. The average crowds for the most recent championship seasons were 16419, 13776, 13011, 13000, 11533 and 10314. I know the capacity was cut to 18500 at some stage but even that looks plenty in this day and age. The two Manchester clubs and perhaps Spurs and Liverpool would attract large crowds for a home cup tie, but if you balance the extra receipts against building costs then it is a no brainer to go for something affordable that suits us every week and not just once in a while. The days of 20000+ week in week out are gone.

This is the inescapable truth of things, we're simply not as 'big' as some think we are, the appetite for football at the fantastic level of the championship dropped steadily away, FACT. Our support wants constant success, and constant success simply does not happen. When mid-table mediocrity looms, as it inevitably will for every club, we drop down to our core support, which isn't big enough to even justify what we've got now.

That was the case when the hissy-fits started up here over capacity, it's the case now, and barring a miracle it'll be the case forevermore. It's the reason I've been consistent throughout on it, we're not a big club without a passionate longstanding and loyal fanbase, and in the grand scheme of things we're not. Finish the damn stadium already, 17k-19k is more than adequate.

However, should the aforementioned miracle occur and we somehow fluke ourselves into the Premiership then, once FIRMLY established, simply build a new stadium elsewhere. It doesn't seem to have been such a heretical move for bigger clubs than us and moving out of Central Park would free us of planning and expansion constraints overnight. We can't even begin to think about that now as we're so far away from the EPL, but it's the only sensible option going forward if we get there. Home Park could go to the egg chasers.

 

[IJN]

I don't think we are disagreeing that much if I'm honest.

By the way West Brom is a proper ground, old school yet modernised, lovely ground.

Likewise Villa Park's old grandstand side and Hillsbrough's big old main stand. An argument for an augmented Mayflower?

Yep lovely ground and a mecca for meetings in the Midlands, apart from the atrocious traffic it's a perfect meeting place.

However, I spent quite a bit of time with one of the facilities management team up there a year ago, as I was at a two day event (in my industry) and they had a wonderful old stand and area to play with, we on the other hand haven't.

Nice idea in one way, but the starting point was different. Even the loft area of Villa Park has been transformed into bespoke meeting rooms that double up as corporate boxes on match days.

It should also be remembered that places like West Brom, Derby County and Villa Park and natural and historical meeting places, perhaps Bristol could be dubbed that, but any further down, means lots of people have to travel rather than just a few.

 

[Baby Face Johnson]

Out of interest, what capacity would everyone suggest building to if money was no object right at this moment in time?

 

[jerryatricjanner]

20,000 with room to expand IF ever needed.

 

[Adam R]

enough to meet demand on a regular basis... 10k??

Seriously though, i would much rather an atmosphere than a massive, but empty, stadium. The only way to answer that is for someone to quantify the untapped janner population who may be converted to core fans, under waht circumstances and how likely that combination is to come to fruition.

 

[Baby Face Johnson]

enough to meet demand on a regular basis... 10k??

Seriously though, i would much rather an atmosphere than a massive, but empty, stadium. The only way to answer that is for someone to quantify the untapped janner population who may be converted to core fans, under waht circumstances and how likely that combination is to come to fruition.

Only a bit of fun :lol:

 

[The Grumpy Loyal]

Out of interest, what capacity would everyone suggest building to if money was no object right at this moment in time?

As a starting point, all I'd ask for is to merely restore capacity to whatever it was before the seats were stripped from the Mayflower terrace - so somewhere in the region of 20,000. That would simply ensure our actual TRUE CAPACITY is not REDUCED from the point where they started stripping and closing parts of the ground. In real terms this means building a new stand circa 7,400.

Shouldn't really be a Pie-in-the-sky pipedream should it? Sadly, it is way above the reality that we'll be saddled with.

 

[IJN]

20,000 would be right in my mind as well.

 

[Baby Face Johnson]

This is a hypothetical money no object question. Are you all seriously only aspiring to a circa 20000 capacity stadium if, for example, an American Billionaire suddenly took a shine to us? :crazy:

* yes I realise the futility of such a question. It is a tricky one to answer, granted. I'm not sure myself.

 

[IJN]

Come of BFJ admit it, you've heard THE rumour as well haven't you?

 

[Baby Face Johnson]

I've said too much already :shh:

 

[John Eldridge]

Off track a bit but the tunnel area, dugouts and facade look like they all need a tidy up and some paint.
The Pompey pictures on GOS back this up. It's all looking a tad shabby :thumbdown:

 

[gaspargomez]

I would be quite happy with a 20k stadium which is designed to be easily extendable, should the need arise in times to come.

A boxed in 16.5k ground (of which a thousand seats may be lost to separate rival fans) is inadequate in my opinion.

I might agree with IJN for once.