Hello fellow not606ers, Just received an email that the club is thinking of increasing the capacity of Riverside stand for the total capacity to reach 30,000. http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/October/StadiumAnnouncement.aspx Personally, I think is a good idea and will provide additional income to the club. It also means that the club sees CC as our natural ground which is very possitive. My only reservation will be if season ticket prices or generally ticket prices increase to invest this expansion. I want to believe that the business case will be based on projected ticket sales and income from the additional capacity. Your thoughts?
It is excellent news - everyone loves Craven Cottage and it is a proper football ground. Extending up to 30,000 will give us extra income and generally help with the future development of the club. Very pleased with this news.
Yes we need bigger capacity to maintain PL and future pushes for europe. It's a difficult balance between our love for our spiritual home and constraints on development. I'd like to see a sympathetic development of the Johnny Haynes stand, but planning rules and the local authority make that very unlikely. If we can gradually get up to 33-35k capacity, I think that will be ok. Maintenance will always be more expensive in a ground like the cottage, but I guess we;ve accepted that. Hi Northolt, I hear your team are aiming to move for a bigger capacity. Chelsea are trying to buy back their stadium assets from the fans (at original price - ie as an interest free loan from their fans) - to develop S. Bridge.
Some time ago I read of plans to increase the capacity of the Jonny Haynes stand, The architectural plan was to build a Y steel structure extending the fork,over the pavement area. Does anyone know what happened to this plan.
After last week's spurious rumours of long-term ground-sharing, which we all ignored, this looks really encouraging news. Hope it gets through any local objections. Don't know about the Haynes stand, Val. As long as no one takes away my lovely wooden seats - All part of the Craven Cottage experience.
Interesting proposal Val - I guess the key would be the fork of the Y would have to be high enough to clear the listed red-brick frontage to the Stevenage Road. If this could be done, then I think this would be a good scheme - could add significant capacity.
Wonder if they would look into having safe standing/seating (ie German Style) in the lower Johnny Haynes Stand and New Lower section of the Riverside ?
I don't think that safe standing areas are allowed in the Premier league (or the Championship, for that matter). Different rules apply in Germany, so it's just not an option for us. But I agree that the added capacity (and apparent intention not to move) is an unreservedly good thing. If they can find a way to add capacity in the Haynes, then it's even better, but it's still good news if not.
We could ask again, it's not as if there has been loads of trouble at Craven Cottage over the years in the Premier. We have a neutral zone that works quite well. We have been given awards almost each year for being the best behaved supporters, maybe they could use us as an experiment to see if these areas can work. Obviously make them season ticket only. Might put 1-2,000 on the capacity. Not that I'd use them myself as the old bones are beginning to creak a bit
I think the Riverside expansion is something that will be relatively straight forward as it does not obstract any views or causes any disruptions or threatens listed buildings. Any development of JH will probably cause residents objection on the grounds of height and light obstraction.
It's good to hear there are moves to extend the capacity of the Ground. I always thought there were problems with extending the Riverside stand because it so was close to the river because of the water table that the foundations were to soft to carry a heavier stand.
A problem that's only been exacerbated by the appointment of far-from-slimline Martin Jol as manager. Maybe we should move the dugouts to in front of the Johnny Haynes stand?
As Tottenham and WesHam seem to be getting massive public handouts for new stadium plans, perhaps we should be asking Mayor Boris for a couple of hundred million to take the Cottage up to 40 000 ?
Would have been nice, back when London was planning for the Olympics, to have cozied up to the money people and created some kind of joint development project to expand The Cottage and host some of the events ... I realize they've spent a fortune on new Wembley, but I can't help imagining how nice it would have been to have a charming, escentric ground like the Cottage hosting some of the events. Obviously that boat's sailed ... would have been nice though, juxtaposing The Cottage verses all those glass, steel and concrete monstrosities that will host events.
