Currently averaging circa 30,000 whilst favourite for relegation. Wigan (700) and Fulham (2,200) didn't bring full allocations for the 3,100 eater away end. If we are nearly maxing out/maxing the stadium whilst in and around the relegation zone, what would we need if in mid table or top half? A capacity of 32k is restricting, because if we have any ambition of competing towards the top of the league it simply isn't big enough.
There will always be a thousand or so seats empty, except for the rare occasions where everyone who has bought a ticket or has a season ticket, actually attends. Even if the stadium is expanded the attendance will rise and there will be the odd seats that are still empty. It's a fallacy to assume that because you don't sell out every seat, every match, that there is no need for expansion. The Dell's minimum capacity was 15,251 and even that was often not full, even during league games. On that basis, should Saints have moved to St Marys..? Of course they should, but I've always said 32,689 was too small. It should have been 40K minimum. Then again, maybe that would have stopped any expansion plans, so perhaps it was better being too small.
We have got to become a much better attraction than we are at present I truly cannot see us expanding for at least 5 years......I can't see the point.We clearly are not using nearly enough of our present capacity.........
Completely agree. Also on a financial point of view, while we're hanging around the drop zone it isn't really a sound investment. If perhaps in a couple years we are around the mid-table mark and pushing for Europa and beyond then it makes much better sense. By being in this position I would assume we are in turn a much better attraction and can hence fill the quota.
I'm of the opinion that we will hardly ever actually sell out regardless of the capacity of the stadium however i am pretty sure that if we had a capacity of say 45k we would quite easily sell 37k and near enough sell out when the big boys come to town. If NC was serious in everything he said then he has no choice but to either move stadium or redevelop st mary's the question is more when than if.
Yeah it would be pointless doing it soon as with most expansions, it will restrict capacity in the short term, which if we were to be relegated would mean that we would miss out on larger attendances for our season(s) in the Prem. Once we have established ourselves as a Prem team and our looking to move on to the next step then that would be the right time. 5 year timescale seems about right, if anything a little short imo.
What is not good is to get 28k in a 40k stadium. If there is to be an expansion, there is no point if the extra seats are only going to be used four or five times a season. Most of the games need to be sellouts to mean the extra capacity will used. I think we have got to the point of our core support will not increase and only doing well is likely to increase the numbers and turn the occasional visitor to a supporter. It's not going to be easy though and the club needs to engage the supporters more.
Again that ignores my point that as a relegation favourite we are currently averaging circa 30,000. If we were a midtable club that would be higher, but the 32,000 capacity restricts the club from growing. A stadium expansion allows for fanbase growth whilst the team improves.
OK, let's put it this way. Back when Saints were in The Dell, and in the First Division [now the PL] in the 1960-70's, the capacity was 30,000. Saints would manage to get close to that capacity several times a season, though sometimes getting as low as 20,000 attending, in Cups, etc. This was in a ground which was not anywhere near as comfortable as St Marys, and in a city which didn't have the population it now has, or the outlying population there now is, or the ability to travel that the populace now has, or the much wider interest that the sport now has, beyond core supporters... Need I go on..? And people are honestly suggesting that the club should remain with a stadium which has roughly the same capacity as the one they lived in for over a hundred years..? Cortese has done the research. There is a need to expand, otherwise he wouldn't even begin to talk about it.
Yes but we are a relegation candidate, and probably will be again next year if we stay up. So there is no point in talking about an expansion at this moment in time
A stadium expansion would take a long time to plan, get permission and build. It makes sense to start early so that when it is complete the club can make use of it. If they wait years to start the process going, it will be even further away from being completed. Increased capacity aids the improvement on the pitch and revenue streams.
Cortese will have this on the backburner for a few years yet. Look at the facts..nearly but not quite full, a loan to ease cashflow, and having to change hospitality packages because not as popular as thought. Most of this is due to general financial situation of fans and commercial clients. Better to be in a stadium too small for a couple of years than in a stadium too large if things go wrong. There is no urgency to this...an expansion is long term planning.
It may be down to poor publicty, would more walk ups on the day turn up if they knew they could get a ticket, more importantly get a ticket before kick off, one of the major problems with the Ticket Office is that it is Division One Class trying to cope with a Premier Club, it needs sorting, fast.
Come on where's your ambition? Surely averaging 90%+ and selling out several games a year means expansion makes sense? We don't need to sell out every single game to justify it. And just as Saintdon13 says, people are put off going because they think they won't be able to get in. If more tickets were available, more people would go. I would be surprised if some expansion plans aren't announced before the start of next season.
There is ambition and foolhardiness. The cost of expansion, never mind a new stadium, is massive and will involve a large loan that needs servicing. Remember one of our problems was the mortgage we had to build SMS.
