If the club maintains premier league status long term , I see no reason why the club cannot significantly increase the fan base . We are could also be currently selling many more tickets to away supporters ..Man Utd had 9,000 apply for tickets , I suspect the big London clubs could muster a similar figure . So ground expansion would be greatly beneficial , most of the other clubs could sell at least a 1,000 more than their current allocation . With the potential riches which would come with a prolonged stint in the prem , surely the club could buy the surrounding houses , redevelop any / all of the stands and even acquired the allotments ..I realise planning and other issues stand in the way , but money does talk . The club does lift the profile of the town and will bring in employment and many other benefits , so town planners / council may work with the club . I believe continued success could fill a 35,000 plus stadium on the current site , let's nick some of Arsenal , Chelsea and Tottenham's future fans ..I bet only a low percentage of those clubs fans live within 10 miles of their grounds ... I'm hoping the Pozzos feel the same way and have a 10 year plan / vision to deliver this or something similar . Finally , I hope Watford stay at the Vic ,,it's about memories , history and tradition .
Can anyone please explain the ownership issues of the corners of the ground as I know nowt about this .
The whole area behind and above the Rookery was sold off by Simpson and Ashton to fund the building of the East stand. Somehow the money which was ring fenced for that purpose disappeared into a dark hole.
It is full of occupied flats, so it is hardly a space. Last time I was in the ground the east stand was not completed so I had a chance to look at the steelwork. It seemed to me that it was large enough to extend that upwards if permission were granted. The obvious area to look at would be the Vicarage Road end at what could be done there with a new stand to replace the existing. Hornet Fez could tell us more about what would be required, but I suspect it would be a major project.
I was in row O of LGT stand on Saturday ..the highest row in LGT , towards scoreboard ...did not like it there , no atmosphere and felt enclosed . Was the Rookery 1881 gang quieter than normal on Saturday ? ..I could barely hear them ... I wonder if there is much scope / point in replacing the GTS in due course .
Relocate the occupants of the flats by fair means or foul ( apparently that's an evil grin ) ... I'm sure our Italian owners have a few " contacts" .
Wouldn't Warner Bros have something to say about that as it's the site of the Harry Potter studio tour?
Unfortunately since I left Watford the studio has grown somewhat and there is a new access road from the North Orbital road that cuts the site in half. There is still enough space to accommodate both the studios, car parking and a football ground if all parties were to agree to modify the existing road layout - it is unlikely to happen though with the respective councils creaming off money from the studios.
What about extending the Vic Road end back and higher and having the road go under the new part of the stand? If I recall correctly, there's just a bit of scrub (and not houses?) on the other side of Vic Road next to where the away coaches park.
I have been fascinated by the interesting diverse comments in response to my slightly morose introduction - especially how the discussion has 'migrated' (metamorphosed ?) to the possibility of a new ground. That might work for Arsenal or Man City - I'm not sure about us. Mostly we seem happy to trust the Pozzo's - and with good reason - although supporters tend to have a 'llifelong' attitude, which is too long for owners. Do we know any club which has been owned by the same people for (say) > 30 years ? Unfortunately Blackpool spring to mind, so I wish I hadn't asked that. Certainly life with the Pozzo's is more than we dared dream only 4(?) years ago. All being well, I'll pop my clogs before it all goes downbank again - as they might say oop north where I reside. Anyway, it's brilliant being surrounded by caring thoughtful real football supporters who lay their heads here. Thanks one & all. BTW - wrong thread, but after AN's observation last sat that there wasn't much to choose between the teams (muppet) the next comic on the cab rank at Sunderland thinks we are in a relegation dogfight with them. Perhaps he thinks Stoke, Everton ,Palarse are too but I doubt it. Offensive eejit. COYH
I did my dissertation on the design of sports stadia and got a warts and all tour of the ground. The club were very helpful indeed. In the space we have 30000 is achievable: another tier on the SEJ would give maybe 2000 but after that things need to get radical. The LGT and the Vic are very poor stands which could be rebuilt. The GT in particular is built off the old terracing under the Shrodells: only the piling for the cantilever roof was new and the UGT is hung off that. Anyone remember the "garages" before the lower tier was built? The difficulty comes with the slope of the pitch and the way the stands are built. The sightlines in the LGT are woeful, especially at the back and it was worse for the Saracens fans in the back losing sight of the ball every time someone punted it outfield. 30,000 is probably over cooking it a bit. 25-28,000 feels right. And unless the council sort the roads and parking out (the trains are coming thank goodness) it will be ridiculous. Leavesden was the obvious answer once upon a time but I think that ship has sailed. Aldenham was another option but a bit too far in the wrong direction. That leaves us as a traditional town centre club and without the infrastructure to support the stadium we'll be rolling around like a couple of marbles in a very large tin. Or it will take hours to get home.
In the past I wondered why the old Dickinson's Mill site was not considered as a possible site for a stadium. I expect that something else mas been built there now.
I'm glad it was not all in my imagination re poor view from the higher seats in LGT . Do you have any idea what sort of increase in capacity could be achieved if the GTS was demolished and replaced by something maximising the footprint ? Would it be feasible to lower the level pitch , I'm thinking lower than the level it was back in the 1970s ...would this provide scope for many more seats ? I believe the ground was once a quarry , so presumably not much of a problem to go deeper . Would removing say 50 % of seats from Rookery end significantly increase capacity .... I think its interesting to speculate on the options available to the Pozzos .
Not in the slightest your imagination, the LGT is one of the worst post-Taylor stands I've sat in. My estimation is 30,000. See thread link below to the problems we face with regards to the pitch. http://www.not606.com/threads/if-we-dont-go-up.212793/page-2#post-4808986
I thought the pitch got somewhat leveled when they relaid it a couple of years ago? I remember somebody at school doing a study on re-location back in the GT era, woodside was being bandied about then. Dicjkensons was redeveloped into a commercial park including National Lottery etc. Looking at the aerial photo how about a swap with west herts for that land it looks big enough to put a decent stadium on just when they move the met station to viccy road....
'Out of town' always assumes everyone comes by car - how 20th C is that going to be ? Well I come by train and walk - and I like the 'town centre atmosphere -now that idiots in the town centre are a very minor problem. Part of my original thinking - about bolton wanderers - was to wonder how much they had lost in support when they relocated to a field in the middle of nowhere. There is a train station - but the train companies don't seem very keen on helping via schedules. If we can get to 30000 capacity and hold it there with our existing location, I would be very satisfied to think we could also fill the stadium of that capacity. I think we have to be realistic about the level of support. It falls away pretty quickly once we slip down. We are slowly increasing our level partly because WE are playing good football - it's not down to just going to watch some classy opposition. (I remember Aston Villa were getting 30000+ when they fell into the 3rd division - it takes decades to get that level of consistent commitment. Villa Park is a real football stadium and the train system works well with 2 specials into New St after every game) The atmosphere at the Vic is excellent. The way we play is having a big effect on that. The atmosphere at BW is dreadful sadly. the big new shiny stadiums are much worse when it's obvvious how poor the attendance is. Nevertheless, I must say the new hull stadium is the best for atmosphere I've been to. Mind you, they were in the process of stuffing us 3-0 in the play offs, so that might not be unrelated.
