Sir Elton John Stand

Press box, when TV companies come...

 

I've said it before. Watford has got tremendous potential. Our location and our transport links to a wealthy home counties region and London, creates a massive potential fanbase. 30,000 every game could easily be achieved, if not more. We will only be limited by our ambition and our success on the pitch.

 

We also have to compete with Arsenal and Spurs. For me it's actually easier to get to Arsenal than Watford, although Watford is closer to me.

 

Can you get a ticket for the Arsenal? Their match v Burnley (hardly a top draw) is sold out already. The first Premier League game with tickets still available is WBA on the 29th November. I tried to get tickets twice last season, and failed miserably.

But I appreciate we have competition, and anyone living to our East may well prefer Arsenal, Spurs, or West ham but that still leaves us the M1 corridor and the rail opportunities to Brmingham, the west M4 corridor and West London and even south around the M25.

Tremendous potential, in my view!

 

I agree with you, but a lot of my friends don't care that they can't get tickets!

 

Watfords catchment area is way over MKs and more populated, if you include a 20 mile radius its a million plus. To me, its an expensive way of building if you have to do it twice.

 

MK are not in the Prem. It would be full most games if they were.

 

Not the open bit; the 15 foot gap between the last row of seats and the roof running the whole length of the stand.

 

True, but within that 20 mile radius is the Emirates stadium and White Hart Lane. MK don't have that competition.

They wouldn't be rebuilding from scratch to extend. The stand has been designed with expansion in mind. I don't think we have the funds to build a bigger stand now anyway and if we ever expand it'll be because we're filling the ground and as a result should have the money to pay for an extension.

 

if you include a 20 mile radius it's about 20 million. But that catchment area is also shared by:

Arsenal*
Spurs*
Chelsea*
West Ham*
Charlton
Palace
Brentford
Fulham
QPR*
Orient
Wycombe
Stevenage
Luton
even Reading at the Western margins and MK to the North.

All of those asterisked are a bigger 'attraction' than Watford. Also, even in a say, 8 mile catchment, a lot of people are 'migrants' from inner London escaping to the suburbs and are first or second generation supporters of one of the big London clubs. Catchment arguments are spurious - ask an Orient or Brentford fan.

 

I'd imagine getting promoted and staying up would necessitate the expansion so we can allow more away fans.

 

They can have the ****ty bit of the Lower Rous at the Vic end below pitch level.

 

A lot achieved today. Most of the seats added, the back as good as done, the hand rails on the remaining aisles towards the Vic Rd end. I guess it does look likely that half of it could be open for Saturday.

 

A lot of really good discussion. I don't think its just about capacity, and I wholly agree, building a 30000+ seater stadium could be a white elephant without a decent strategy to get us up, and keep us up.

There are other issues beyond capacity to support the case for a new stadium: access to infra structure, facilities and options to squeeze out more £££ through match day retail.

Even when we have 21000 capacity, rows DD and below are a terrible view, I've given up trying to grab a quick pint at half-time (unless we're 2-0 up at the 40 min mark) and the hornets shop is Bedlam. I live in Bushey, it takes me 25 mins door to door on match day for a 3 mile journey. These factors are inter-related to attendance and its not the quality of football that attracts a decent crowd.

Decent transport, retail, comfort, view, ablutions etc all add to the match day experience - in many ways the Vic falls short of the mark. Think of Wembley on a capacity game and what makes it so good - the transport works and is easy, never more than a couple of minutes for a (overpriced) drink, loads of decent, modern bogs, decent foot outlets and, I'm told, the various executive packages are second to none.

I accept that we're a small club, and to draw a direct comparison to the national stadium is in someways absurd, but there is more to a stadium and match day experience than just the capacity and attendance.

 

Get yourself a bicycle.

 

And that is something the club has now been doing well for the past few years I reckon there are more kids supporting the horns these days than I have ever previously noted in the past. when they get to the age of independence then their mates will also want to come along regardless of who they support. I know lots of hornets that have been converted from another club.

 

Have you all seen the bus shelters that have turned up this morning?

I hope they are not what I think they are!



http://iris2.time-lapse-systems.com/viewer.php?img=2014-10-29_09-12-01.JPG&id=1824835&pass=watford-football-club-cam

 

Look like they've been pinched from Arriva's warehouse.

 

Crikey they are dugouts, fixing the position now. They look like smoking shelters more than anything!

 

It's not quick to get out of Watford, and I rarely get back to St Albans much before 6, but it takes me the same amount of time to fight my way to Wembley Park station. Wembley may have some good features - there are no escalators at the Vic, for example - but easy transport isn't one of them.

 

I don't think they look that bad.

I now have a ticket for the East Stand on Saturday. I'll take some pics. We have to be in and seated before 2.30 apparently. Why? Well it seems we have to walk across the front of the stand from the Rookery corner to access the seats which means walking in front of the players tunnel.

 

Why on earth are the dugouts not either side of the halfway line like a normal ground?

 

The old dugouts when we had the old east stand weren't side of the halfway line, and I don't think a lot of other club's are too.

 

It would be odd to have the dugouts where they are now, considering the fact we have a blank canvas. Previously our dugouts were not central because of the design of the old Main Stand.

I don't ind the look of them though - the dark, translucent design with the rolled roof is practical given the sun shines toward that side.

 

Err maybe because they've not been installed yet? It looks like they're just doing the concrete bases now - either side of the halfway line.

 

Why aren't the new dugouts either side of the tunnel?? Bizarre place to put them.

 

Rather they bring back the benches from the 80's, they look like little bomb shelters.

 

Football league regulations require that all new stand developments place them level equidistant to each other by the half way line. In the good old days, people like Brian Clough would position the home team dugout right on the half way line and the opposition once 15 metres further down. The modern world I am afraid

 

If we are a Premiership team when the Croxley Rail link is completed, then I think our fanbase could start to jump massively.

Any stop on the Metropolitan line this side of Wembley, an increasingly populated region, could be given postcode 'offers' to get them to attend a few of the lower key games.

Once they realise we are cheaper than the Premier League teams, easier to get a ticket for, and available to reach without changing trains/ a significant walk at the end, our growth potential is massive.

And that isn't even factoring in how it will be even easier for those arriving from north of Watford.

 

All these Johnny come-lately's ain't taking my seat, I'll tell you that for no cost

 

If I pay what will you tell me?

 

I guess it depends on the start point. With the 142 & Jubilee Line i can get to Wembley as quick as to the Vic