v Blackburn, should be done more often to encourage the next generation... http://www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/qpr-blackburn-rovers-kids-for-a-quid-3272460.aspx
Oh! I thought you were selling young goats. Good move by the club but I hope it doesn't create one of those '80s atmospheres we used to have when they packed the school end full of kids. Lots of high pitched shrieking etc.
Only 13,000 at Preston match, looks like they're opting to fill the gaps, makes sense against less attractive opposition...
Marginally better than an empty stand. They really need to sack off this idea of the Lower Loft being a family stand IMO
Don't see why the Lower School end couldn't work and move those affected on the few occasions they have to be. Works well enough with other clubs.
I think I've asked this before, but what's wrong with using the Paddock? Something to do with it not being fully under cover if i remember rightly, which is not a proper reason at all.
If it wasn't considered to be that much of a problem to move LL regulars then presumably it wouldn't be for the Paddock. Just seems like the obvious spot to me.
I sit with my kids in the lower school end quite often and its got lively a few times with things thrown by the away supporters. Won't book seats in the front rows anymore.
They would have to exit with the away fans. SussexR and I and a handful of others had a meeting with Philip Beard to discuss the issue. The club have tried to come up with another viable option and none of them are possible due to the size and layout of the stadium. The only option is to get rid of the family stand and the club won't / can't do that.
Could the club not change the school stand so the upper stand exited to South Africa Road....and the lower to Ellerslie Road. ..and when necessary cut the connection between the two... I suspect there would be Fire regulations and access reasons why not ???
If people bring their kids, they become the next generation of QPR supporters. If not, all the kids in West London will support Chelsea, Man United, Arsenal etc etc. Not only do they have all the families sitting in the one area (Lower Loft), Jude the cat also spends a lot of time in that area entertaining the kids and giving them high fives etc. Behind the stand, they have entertainers face painting and stuff too. I agree there should be a family stand but the area they have chosen has reduced the noise and support from what used to be the main singing section in the ground. It would be like Liverpool giving over the Kop for their family area. They should move the family section to the R block Ellerslie Road and move all the R Block singers back into the Lower Loft. That would really help improve the noise of the support from our crowd. That's my view Kiwi.
In the instance of an emergency all exits would need to be deployed. You couldn't have a whole stand exiting to one side of the ground, ie the whole school end exiting to Ellerslie Road or South Africa Road or visa versa. As I've said before all avenue's have been explored by the club and nothing is legally or practically viable.
What about my suggestion of moving the family section to R Block 999's? Is that practical or was it considered?
The people seated adjacent to Q block would be subject to profanities etc, whereas in the Lower Loft they're pretty much self contained. That's my understanding of it. It's not ideal but it's the best that we can do with the current situation. I sit in the family stand and it's quite sterile but as you mentioned earlier it is there to encourage the next generation, rightly or wrongly. I thought that the paddocks would be the obvious place but they are uncovered and not big enough. The west paddock is also exposed to the away fans and the delightful ditties that the families maybe subjected to. The Lower Loft is the only place that meets all criterias. It's a great shame but that's how it is until we locate to a newer stadium.
As I recall everything was considered and everything that was offered by the panel had been thought of. Philip Beard had also done the same, and came up with the same answers. There was no way that the family stand could be re-located, either practically or legally.
