I've just seen this on the Beeb's website http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15636043.stm They haven't attracted over 11,000 fans all season, why on earth would they want to increase capacity to 32,000?? I know they have other events there but it's primarily a football stadium - if they can't get the fans to come and support them now, what makes them think they'll come to a bigger stadium?? "It's not about the capacity for the football in the short term," Dons chairman Pete Winkelman added. "It's about the cultural infrastructure of Milton Keynes. Have they got a 'cultural infrastructure' then?!?!
I think that or will potentially be used for a rugby stadium when the nxt world cup comes around aswell as being used if n when the football world cup comes to us. Also it will be used for concerts I imagine and other things that benefit the community.. Bringing in more money.
Northampton Saints play their big Heineken cup games there Northampton have a very big following and I would probably say they have put some money into it as I don't think they can expand their ground anymore.
It's a very good stadium and the community will get extra income from larger concerts, etc. They also are almost next door to IKEA, so they only have to walk the seats across the carpark.
It's just seating the upper tier; which has been built, thus finishing off the white elephant. Mind you, the £56m shopping development on the site might attract customers.
Seems like a pretty good idea when you take everything into account. MK's attendances are still very poor though...I wonder if they'll have a half decent fan base in 25yrs time?
I've been to the stadium twice and I really rate it. Sadly, it is already too big for MK Dons, so expanding it for that reason would be pointless. However, if it bring in extra revenue from the rugby and they're not paying for it directly there is certainly more to gain than lose by expanding it.
Stadium MK is the most comfortable stadium I have been to - large seats and fully padded unlike Ricoh which had tiny seats with no leg room Will be a great stadium for Northampton Saints RFU to move to when they get fed up with the local council pissing them about in the expansion of their own Franklin Gardens
Expansion plans were already in the pipe-line when England were bidding for the World Cup 2018 and/or 2022 - At that time it was proposed that Stadium mk's capacity was increased to 40,000. Plymouth's Home Park was also planned to be expanded to 40,000 capacity aswell - which in my mind is a more crazy proposition. However, due to location, Plymouth as a city was a prime selection as a host.
