Stadium Expansion

As we're trying to broaden our income streams wouldn't it be a great idea to install a cinder track around the pitch! Then we could use it for other sports like, er I dunno, greyhound racing or something.

 

Wasn't it
Watford Observer Tells more
Always at the top. Sells more

Once a clever tv producer on The Big Match managed to frame it to show 'Watford Always at the Top'

 

I like the idea that Vicarage Road will continue to grow by shoe-horning bizarre little additions into the stadium, so that we play here forever. By 2087, most of the current stadium will have been totally replaced, except the Rookery which is merely the lower tier of a much larger stand.

 

I wish people would stop simply suggesting that safe standing should be put in.. like the club(s) can just magic some up!

No matter how much or how many want it to happen legislation needs to be changed. It can be of course but this isnt something that will happen overnight & that decision isnt solely in the hands of the clubs. The secretary of state needs to authorise it.

 

You lot are just being silly now. Dancing men scoreboard, Watford Observer sponsored clock, open dug-outs, cinder tracks. Puh-lease. What la-la land are you all living in?

 

Maybe the new corner seats could be a safe standing area instead?

 

Not sure if anyone has thought of this but how about a safe standing area? Maybe in the new corner section?

 

Back to the future land me thinks :mengoal:

 

It could work, also I'm not sure of this, but I believe a safe standing area would give us extra capacity, maybe 200 more, that in turn would possibly make it more suitable for the 1881, as someone else suggested.

Though personally I think a capacity of at least 1000 would be more suitable, than either the actual proposed 400 seats, or my estimated larger capacity of approx 600 if the area were made safe standing.

Safe Standing would of course need permission from the secretary of state, though it could be argued that a precedent has been set by Celtic having been given permission to create such an area. That in turn would depend on whether it was the Scottish Parliament that gave permission, or the Westminster Parliament?

 

You will have to find the keys first before you can move it!

 

It belongs to a man in Stanmore so we can't move it!

 

What does the bit in bold mean? You think they should be putting 1,000 extra seats in the North East corner?

 

Sir EJ put that electronic scoreboard in - very high tech at the time.

In all the years I've seen the dancing men when we scored, I've for the first time noticed they are holding what appears to be a football rattle in their left hand!

If we reintroduce a 'back to the future' standing section, the Hornet Shop should reintroduce football rattles. I can then replace the one I had stolen at Boundary Park when Oldham thugs beat me to a pulp about a century ago.. :dismay:

 

Safe standing doesn't increase the amount of people you can get through the turnstiles I don't think as there are still technically seats but with rails to stand up and lean against too.

 

Bring back the dancing men..

 

In Germany it appears that it does ... infact it almost doubles it.

[video=youtube;apX5V1IJCW4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apX5V1IJCW4[/video]

Unfortunately we'd have to reverse some of our legislation which won't be easy.

 

Liked in error!

 

I had to read this three times before I understood it.

 

Of course not, I know that would not fit in the NW corner; I'm just saying that a 1000 capacity area, where ever in the stadium it could be found?

Would be more suitable for the 1881 and a standing area; sorry if that was not clear.

 

Maybe I've misunderstood something so please enlighten me.

If they put seats in the away corner then half will have to be used to separate home/away fans, especially the lower you go as the width gets smaller. So what's the point?

 

I think that the incline of the SEJ is such that there'd be a wall between the two stands essentially. Maybe right at the bottom therell need to be something extra to separate the two stands, but assuming the buildig work connects to the SEJ in the way I think it will, there shouldn't be much of a problem with regards to segregation.

 

It's not really the 'Away' corner though, is it? It could be attached to either stand or be independent of them both. If designed right it could house home or away fans depending on specific needs on a match by match basis.

 

A bit like a Dairylea triangle which you could share with your mates.

Potential marketing opportunity there.

 

Use it for neutral fans with their half-half scarves.

 

...or, it could be the designated Away corner, freeing up the entire Vic for home fans.

 

Have we consulted Dortmund about this?

 

I might have missed it on the video (the sound was a bit poor for me) but how exactly is the capacity increased? You couldn't have a designated seat space anymore because capacity would remain the same. Presumably there is a standing capacity for the whole area, entry to it is strictly monitored (a separate turnstile would probably be best) and then supporters find their own space. Seems reasonable to me but, as has been said, the legislation here would have to change.

As for the Liverpool ladies and their 96 reasons. The relevant factors at Hillsborough were allowing supporters access to the two central pens when they were already full by opening the main gates and having no direction within the ground to the outer pens. Many 'supporters' probably didn't have tickets anyway. No escape at the front due to the fences. More scattered crush barriers than are now proposed. Not delaying the kick off. And pissed scousers. In addition, they seem to have almost totally forgotten the 39 Italian reasons from four years earlier, also down to their own 'supporters' behaviour. Probably too embarrassed really or maybe simply that, to them, it only really matters when you kill your own.

Anyway, the new rail seating/standing proposals, including a potential increase in capacity, are so radically different to what used to exist that they don't really bear any comparison at all.

 

Basically they only use the seating for Champions League games, for normal games the seats are locked in the upright position. Even with two people to every seat space there will never be a crush of people more than two deep, not the hundreds as was the case at Hillsborough. The number of people to each row is regulated.

 

When listening to a radio five article on the Celtic pilot scheme, they specifically said that the rail seating would not increase capacity, at all!

 

Must admit this was always my understanding, you still had a ticket with a seat number and that they wouldn't sell more tickets than there were seats.

 

You may well be right guys, I just thought there would be more room for people to stand, when the seat were not in use.

 

But we're talking about what happens in Germany and wishing that could be the case here.

 

A man with a clicker should eliminate this issue.

 

There is physically more room TVOR but it can't be filled.