The World Famous City Ground - Home of the PROPER WORLD‘S OLDEST LEAGUE CLUB

[Quntib Hollox]

You can’t assume 50-60k are going to keep turning up when we aren’t winning most games because history shows they don’t.

Wow you’ve jumped up a fair bit there. Not sure anyone really thinks 50-60k is realistic. Personally I think we should plan for something that is achievable on a regular basis presuming we’re a steady/progressive Premier League team. It’s reasonable to expect 40k crowds against most of the big teams so for me the lower end of 40-45k is what we should be looking at.

 

[Quntib Hollox]

I agree-we have never exceeded an average around 32,000 for home games in any season in our 157 year
history(even when our capacity was over 47,000).
It would be truly remarkable if that changed on a consistent basis-especially in a relatively poor city like
Nottingham where the fortunes of Forest have ebbed and flowed through the decades.

The era you’re talking about was at a time women/families didn’t go to football like they do today. Completely different times.

 

[Harvey]

The new Main Stand and redevelopment of the Bridgford Stand will give us more than enough capacity in 38k

 

[Cloughie1975]

The era you’re talking about was at a time women/families didn’t go to football like they do today. Completely different times.

You can bet your bottom dollar that football was go through a slump in popularity at some point-things always go in cycles (this may come sooner rather than later given the current cost of living crisis).
As for Forest-you can also be sure that they will hit rough times sooner or later.At that point you can also
bet your bottom dollar that those giving it large now will be nowhere to be seen (man,woman or child).

 

[Flaggers]

Speaking of ground improvements...
Given that we;ve had to play all our preseason games at Button Albion or Notts' ground, wouldn't it have been nice for the club to show us what they're doing/have done to the WFCG to require us to stay out of it, and slum it in other people's stadia.
Some work-in-progress pictures would be nice.
New LED floodlights? What's that then? Everywhere? Just the BC stand? How powerful are they? Can they be made to do funky stuff?
New cabling? 5 miles, you say? Where?! Why! Show me a trench with shit-tons of multicore/coax in it

Would have been nice.

 

[Morpeth]

Take Newcastle as an example...

They are rubbish, and bar a few seasons under Keegan, have always been rubbish. Football wise, we are at least on their level.

They built a bigger stadium and look what happened. If we hadn't been away from the top flight for so long then there's no reason to think that wouldn't be the situation with our attendances. I'm not saying 52k, but if we consolidate our premier league status then 45k might not be unreasonable. 35k or 38k would be too small, but then again, what can you realistically do about it?!

 

[Quntib Hollox]

The new Main Stand and redevelopment of the Bridgford Stand will give us more than enough capacity in 38k

Probably. If you’re restricting away support.

 

[RianBrice]

Leicester won't sell 40K out every week. I also don't consider them rivals.

They’d run out of clackers

 

[Quntib Hollox]

It’s not all about stadium capacity. The club hopefully realise they’ve got a massive customer base that they’re not tapping into due to the facilities in the ground. It’s been repeatedly said that you have 30k people by and large not spending much on food and drink because the standard is piss poor compared to outlets around the ground.
Congestion outside the ground has been mentioned a lot in the last 24 hours but if we had more to attract people into the ground a few hours earlier and after the games(for the earlier kick offs). More kids zones with games etc. Live music area maybe. Make it a real day out.

 

[donny]

Take Newcastle as an example...

They are rubbish, and bar a few seasons under Keegan, have always been rubbish. Football wise, we are at least on their level.

They built a bigger stadium and look what happened. If we hadn't been away from the top flight for so long then there's no reason to think that wouldn't be the situation with our attendances. I'm not saying 52k, but if we consolidate our premier league status then 45k might not be unreasonable. 35k or 38k would be too small, but then again, what can you realistically do about it?!

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Theres not much else to do in Newcastle, other than incest and fighting

Although, I have seen there are rumours they will be attempting to get SJP expanded again.

 

[Timothy Pope]

New cabling? 5 miles, you say? Where?! Why! Show me a trench with shit-tons of multicore/coax in it

Would have been nice.

Find your own wanking material


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[Steve B]

I think people underestimate the current level of interest in football, it’s on the up. Every single premier league team is averaging its capacity (selling out every week). Wolves (no bigger fan base than us) are planning a 50k upgrade. Everyone said Brighton were mad to build a 30k stadium in a town that rarely ever got more than 15k - they’ve filled it every year since.

 

[Notcher]

Speaking of ground improvements...
Given that we;ve had to play all our preseason games at Button Albion or Notts' ground, wouldn't it have been nice for the club to show us what they're doing/have done to the WFCG to require us to stay out of it, and slum it in other people's stadia.
Some work-in-progress pictures would be nice.
New LED floodlights? What's that then? Everywhere? Just the BC stand? How powerful are they? Can they be made to do funky stuff?
New cabling? 5 miles, you say? Where?! Why! Show me a trench with shit-tons of multicore/coax in it

Would have been nice.

I've seen the trench they dug out when it was being done. It ran the full length of the PT stand through the technical areas

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[Quntib Hollox]

I've seen the trench they dug out when it was being done. It ran the full length of the PT stand through the technical areas

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Did they find any Japanese knotweed?

 

[Notcher]

Did they find any Japanese knotweed?

Yes, buried it under the away dug out so shhhh

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[RRRREDUN]

Not sure of the relevance of historical facts and figures. I started watching football when the vast majority in the stadium watched games from terraces. Often with loose concrete which was sometimes thrown at opposition fans. At the end of night games, it was almost impossible to see from the light of a few weak bulbs. Gristle pies were usually on the 'refreshments' menus. You wouldn't feed your dog on it.

My points?

Football has evolved. I've probably watched a good handful of games at the WFCG which had 45,000 or more. While I found it really exciting to find myself in a crowd (mostly standing) of swaying spectators, the views of the pitch were not very good.
Although most football clubs go through periods of relative ups and downs, successful clubs are what they are because of good management. People on here are bemoaning the plans for a 35,000/38,000 stadium. I have to agree with them. Our site here at the City Ground is probably able to hold 45,000. I have already suggested ways we could get to that capacity.
In the past, crowds were largely determined by the quality of the opposition. Sell-outs happened and people would not get in. Other times, there was loads of room because the opposition was unattractive. This is different now; tickets for games are generally organised on line, but sell-outs are regular.
A club which shells out £100 million on new players should surely be aiming to attract 45,000 to their ground!
Incidentally, some grounds have exceeded their sensible capacity. Take Newcastle for instance and try seeing what's happening on the pitch from the highest seats (which we will next Saturday). It must be similar at Manure. Some grounds have the capacity but shove away fans into corners. Stands arranged into bowls works. MK Dons have gone from a single bowl stadium into a double deck stadium merely by adding an extra bowl. An extra 10,000 seats.

Phew. Think I'll lie down for a bit.

 

[MagicalQuakers]

Isn't the new development more about increasing corporate facilities, building the new flats and improving the match day experience for players, official and fans?

I'd say it is less about increasing capacity. The extra capacity is almost a byproduct of what they need to build for the other elements.

I agree that extra capacity is needed based on demand today, but sustaining that demand really that all depends on staying up.

If we stay up then I would expect gradual increases in other areas of the ground.

Certainly would be great to see the Bridgford End sorted out. Someone who visited me in Nottingham was alarmed when they saw it from the outside and asked when had it collapsed!

 

[Harvey]

I'm probably alone in this but I quite like the dip in the Bridgford End, gives the ground character

 

[Quntib Hollox]

I'm probably alone in this but I quite like the dip in the Bridgford End, gives the ground character

It will look more tinpot when the new PT stand goes up

 

[Harvey]

It will look more tinpot when the new PT stand goes up

Oh aye I mean it needs sorting. It's a just a quirk you don't see at any other ground.

 

[Quntib Hollox]

Oh aye I mean it needs sorting. It's a just a quirk you don't see at any other ground.

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Having a Co op behind the goal was pretty quirky

 

[Cloughie1975]

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Having a Co op behind the goal was pretty quirky

It totally ruined Burnden Park-which had a great atmosphere when full.

 

[Quntib Hollox]

Went there several times in the 90’s. Think the Normid was a necessity when the club were going through hard times.

 

[Cloughie1975]

Went there several times in the 90’s. Think the Normid was a necessity when the club were going through hard times.

Yes-Bolton fell on hard times in the 80s.
I had the good fortune to visit over Christmas 1976 when Forest and Wanderers were both going for
promotion-the atmosphere was electric in a pulsating 1-1 draw (I thought the roof was going to come off
when the home side equalised).

 

[Canadian_red]

MK Dons have gone from a single bowl stadium into a double deck stadium merely by adding an extra bowl. An extra 10,000 seats.

Cardiff did the same but the big difference is that these stadia were designed and constructed with those expansions in mind from the start. Everything from foundations to utilities would have been done to accommodate later phases of construction. Retroactively doing that is pretty much impossible without tearing nearly everything down at each end , at which point you may as well build new.

The expansions you suggested aren't as easy as you're might think and would've certainly been considered at the conceptual design stage, before being thrown out for being unfeasible in terms of cost/constructability/keeping us playing/long term advantage.

Short of playing somewhere else for a season or two and rebuilding, or building on the outskirts of the city, this has to be the most advantageous option, considering everything and everyone involved.