Stadium expansion

[Dale The Ram]

wouldn't safe standing increase the capacity?

[Guest]

where abouts do you sit because I don't hear much of that?

Think it is a reference to what the "new" 10,000 supporters would be saying ..........

[Angry Ram]

Vicars said at the London meeting there was no plans to increase the stadium.. Everything is about right.

Got to say, I agree.

[CumbrianRam]

33k about right I'd say, sell out most weeks in PL.

 

Respectful attendances in Champ when going well.

 

Only looks half empty when struggling like 03/04 and last seson under NC.

[Uptherams]

I think the first move would be to convert the South stand to rail seat standing. Increasing the capacity of that end by 50%. We got just shy of 29,000 against Wigan. So I don't believe the nonsense of we could not fill the stadium. One of the proposals was to add 15 new rows to the South, North and East stands taking the capacity to 44,000. PL football would justify that type of expansion. Even for matches where we know we will only get 40,000 in the PL, we could just simply cover the back 6 or so rows. 

[Uptherams]

Our stadium, at the minute, is a perfect size for us. We can fill it for the big occasions and we don't look daft when we're playing a unexciting game on a Tuesday night.

 

I have no doubts that if we win promotion and establish ourselves, we would need to look at expanding further. 

 

I'm not sure we will ever be able to fill a 40,000 seater regularly though, unless we become another Man City. We're probably as well supported as any Midlands based club, but I couldn't see any of them filling a stadium that size regularly.

 

 

The point wouldn't be would we fill that many seats for every game. It would be if we would get close to that and the simple answer would be yes. What's 2 or 3  or 4 thousand empty seats in a stadium with a capacity of 40 or 44 thousand. It is nothing. The ratio of empty seats would be smaller than it is now. While the number of empty seats would be less. Established PL football absolutely justifies a stadium expansion. Not only would away fans double in size but just look at the demand we had for Chelsea last season, the play off's and also again the demand we will have for Chelsea this season. 1/3 of matches in the PL at home would be big games.

[curb]

Agree, would be nice to expand the ground if we established in the Prem.

It would be great now that the South Stand is such a success to expand the end bigger than the rest of the ground, kop Stylee.

Established is the key word though, we'd have to be sure of staying as a top half prem club, I hate to see a half empty ground like Boro and Bolton, despite them having fairly recent spells in the top division, their support hasn't stuck with them.

That's one of the problems with the new sky football fans, they don't have the loyalty any more.

[VulcanRam]

Football is souless now, it isnt so much jsut the plastic stadium we have, it is the whole sport.

The average age of a football supporter in the stadium is now so much higher because we are the only ones who can afford to go, the 16 year olds havent got a chance...which has killed the atmosphere everywhere.

 

on the expansion...I would much rather have 28,000 every week in a 30,000 capacity with a few games sold out a season, that 15,000 empty seats for 90% of the games.

 

Agree with the stadium bit.

 

The pricing bit is a sweeping generalisation and, if you don't mind me saying, a bit of a cliche.

 

It depends on who you follow - certainly in the Premiership, and most certainly when it comes to the high end London clubs, but in the Champ and lower leagues clubs are bending over backwards to get the young support in. I take my two, one is free because of my season ticket, the other is

[Anon]

Why the rush to accommodate "fans" who can't be arsed to come and watch the team if they're not in the premiership anyway? Let them spend some time hoarding ticket stubs and queuing outside the box office like the rest of us used to. It might offer them some perspective.

[MuespachRam]

Agree with the stadium bit.

The pricing bit is a sweeping generalisation and, if you don't mind me saying, a bit of a cliche.

It depends on who you follow - certainly in the Premiership, and most certainly when it comes to the high end London clubs, but in the Champ and lower leagues clubs are bending over backwards to get the young support in. I take my two, one is free because of my season ticket, the other is

[SSC]

I'd much rather see a smaller ground we could fill each week than one with rows and rows of empty seats.

[Inverurie Ram]

There is a difference between going with your dad and going to the game with your mates...as a 13 year old I was going every week, home and away watching derby, paid for entirely by my paper round money.....this could never ever happen these days.

I was doing the same MuespachRam at 13 but unfortunately my paper round money only got me round Scotland watching Aberdeen home and away in the 80's and various random games up North. I set up my own paper round working direct for the Press & Journal and Evening Express newspapers instead of the local paper shop that wouldn't deliver to the new housing estates, I had to go round the houses collecting the money and tips paying me more than working for a shop. I delivered to Jim Leighton's house, Aberdeen and Scotland's Number 1, crap tipper! Paper money also paid for all the latest trendy gear to charge around on the Inter City's and run around various strange city's before a working wage allowed me to travel to the promised land and beyond. Up the Rams!

[Daaave]

There is a difference between going with your dad and going to the game with your mates...as a 13 year old I was going every week, home and away watching derby, paid for entirely by my paper round money.....this could never ever happen these days.

 

I agree you couldn't afford to go home and away on paper round money anymore, but actually I think it's much more to do with train prices than ticket prices. You could certainly easily afford to get an u16 season ticket at

[RadioactiveWaste]

NO need to expand the ground.

 

It's nice to know it's an option if the club ever is a position where we need to, but I honestly can't see it happening. Empty seats kill atmosphere.

[MuespachRam]

I agree you couldn't afford to go home and away on paper round money anymore, but actually I think it's much more to do with train prices than ticket prices. You could certainly easily afford to get an u16 season ticket at

[Duracell]

We're very lucky to be one of those very few clubs who built a new stadium fit for purpose. How many other clubs build grounds too big, and too far out of the city?

 

Would be stupid to throw that away on a whim.

[eddie]

I think the first move would be to convert the South stand to rail seat standing. Increasing the capacity of that end by 50%. We got just shy of 29,000 against Wigan. So I don't believe the nonsense of we could not fill the stadium. One of the proposals was to add 15 new rows to the South, North and East stands taking the capacity to 44,000. PL football would justify that type of expansion. Even for matches where we know we will only get 40,000 in the PL, we could just simply cover the back 6 or so rows. 

 

41826.

 

The largest crowd to ever attend a Derby home match.

 

I cannot see how we could ever justify a stadium with a capacity approaching that.

[mcsilks]

If we go up then there's a very good case to expand. I think we'd likely get more than 33,000 every home game.

On the atmosphere part, you have a look around the ground when Derby score. Most supporters are standing up and applauding. Compare that to bygone years when fans were jumping up and down.

Times have changed and footballs changed. Prices have gone up and many if not most if the lower and working class cannot afford to go.

That leaves the likes if me who go to games to sit and watch. I have no desire to sing. I hate singing though I do like it when others are singing and much prefer a stadium full of chanting fans.

The pie and chips supporter is about dead and ha been replaced with the rather muted middle class family type who really believe that singing is for others.

[Stive Pesley]

41826.

 

The largest crowd to ever attend a Derby home match.

 

I cannot see how we could ever justify a stadium with a capacity approaching that.

 

I see your point but that was 1969 when the city population was around 200,000 - it's now nearer 300,000 and the wider metropolitan area is nearer a million people.

 

I think we could fill a bigger stadium but only if the club were firmly established as a well run business, with very little risk of relegation. I'd say at least 5 years of stability on and off the picth with consistent top half finishes and European football. That is years away - the risk of being relegated after an expansion has to be too great in the short term

[Shaftesbury Street]

I'd hazard a guess that if we were an established prem side, we'd get between 33k and 36k.

 

So an expansion could be possible.

 

We were selling out nearly every game in that shocking 2007 season... imagine how many would show up if we were actually good!   An extra 3k doesn't seem that daft. But yea... atm, our ground is perfect for us.