Currently got Season Tickets in West Paddock, but am thinking of changing to Loftus Road or SA Road. LR end has advantage of the Blue & White club which I have always found quite handy. What are the facilities like in SA Road stand these days for Gold Seats? Have they been improved since return to PL?
In a word rubbish, I'm in gold now because platinum bar has gone(used by press i think). This means at half time everyone is crammed in downstairs so getting to the bogs or the bar is a battle. I tend to stay at my seat at half time if I can because of this.
Thought as much. One of the advantages of staying in the West Paddock is you are in and out of ground in a flash and queues for the toilets are minimal. Disadvantages are atmosphere not the best and no shelter from the rain. Plus poor perspective of the game from being pitch side, especially when play is up LR end.
For those old enough, cast your mind back to crowds of around 35000 at LR in the 1970's. Now that really did put pressure on the facilities.
Maybe its a case of rose tinted glasses but I don't recall the problems back then being any worse than now. Since those days the club have been cramming in concessions and other buildings that make movement and comfort much worse. While I don't often visit other parts of the ground I'm pretty sure that we in the west side of the Ellerslie have the worst of things with such niceities as the police surveillance centre, the ludicrously positioned snack bar and the 'club shop' (a rabbit hutch but cunningly placed to take up as much beer swilling space as possible) all jammed into what is a tiny area in the first place. Having said that we do have by far the best views in the ground although they are doing their best to make even more restricted view seats with the introduction of the TV interview center and extended camera gantry. I've had a season ticket in the Ellerslie for 40+ years but I will be first in line for a seat in the new stadium.
Spot on Aaaagh. Actually quite surprised that we get our fire/safety sign off. Sat in the Upper Loft a few times this year and the exit arrangements are cramped to put it politely - even more so than Ellerslie. Any hint of panic and it's a death trap. Perhaps Nines can enlighten us. Perhaps its because I was physically smaller ( though I was 6ft at 15, just half mycurrent circumference) but like you I don't remember this degree of discomfort in the 70s when we had a lot more people in the ground
Yes, good points Aaaaaah and SB. I remember being sardined into the loft and carried whichever way the crowd wanted to go (down the terraces fast each time we scored with the weight of a thousand jubilant fans on your back). But it's true, I don't remember long queues for the toilets. Mind you, those were the day when I could drink 5 pints before bedtime, and not need a pee until morning. So maybe I didn't need to queue that often. Or may be it is, as Aaaaah says, just rose tinted spectacles.
It's been nine years since I last worked at HQ, but from what I can recall, every stand has a maximum time of eight minutes to achieve 100% evacuation. That time is based on everyone outside Loftus Rd. Ie not using the pitch as a means of refuge. The 8 mins is a time set by H&F council, I think the upper loft is regarded as the most risk critical area of the stadium, but I still think it can be completely cleared in six minutes. Other areas of the stadium in even less time. As with everything it depends on the nature of the incident and the way a mass crowd of people respond to such an event.
Lol, good point. The storage areas and catering facilities underneath the stands would be the most likelihood of a fire occurring, and even a small fire in one of these areas would create a lot of smoke and potential for panic. We also live in a time where a sporting event could be a target for terrorists. Sadly.
My son and I are in Block B, Row L, SA Road, in a gold seat adjacent to the walkway and the Platinum area (Block C). The view is good (except for a blind spot about 25 yards from the School end goal). It is fairly easy to get a pee and a drink before the game but it gets very crowded at half time. I usually let the first rush die down before going for a half time pee and it's not too difficult. At the end I usually leave by the rear exit because there's a bit of a bottle neck by the stairs. All in all, I'm happy there and we will be renewing this season.
