Ground extentions/Renovations

[Keef Chedwyn]

We don't need to expand. This surge of extra support is temporary. A lot of the new season ticket fans wouldn't even turn up for potential Premier League games against Burnley, Watford, Bournemouth etc etc.
The surge in interest is about six or seven football teams and none of them are Sheffield United. Once our 'fans' have seen the Premier League superstars once or twice, they'll soon get bored and fuck off again until we get to a Wembley game or summat.

 

[S8blade]

Demolish the lot! I cant quite believe what im reading tbh, either you are a pig or on the wind up, i think if you asked all Blades if they wanted to demolish The Lane and start again the answer would be a BIG NO!! Im all for improving the stadium as i said previously but not by knocking the whole stadium down and starting again! I make the claim of clubs being "plastic" by having shiny new stadiums because it dilutes the atmosphere (stands too far away from the pitch, see Arsenal, etihad & west Ham) proper stadiums like The Lane, Anfield, Goodison park generate a proper football atmospheres not someone being a happy clapper! UTB

 

[aBladeInTheNorthernSky]

my guess is that any work done on the south stand would be predicated by the boundary corner development (which I noticed when queueing to renew my ST seems to be underway). the ticket office and club shop would all have to be moved to that new building, then work should be able to happen while the stand remains open.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

We don't need to expand. This surge of extra support is temporary. A lot of the new season ticket fans wouldn't even turn up for potential Premier League games against Burnley, Watford, Bournemouth etc etc.
The surge in interest is about six or seven football teams and none of them are Sheffield United. Once our 'fans' have seen the Premier League superstars once or twice, they'll soon get bored and fuck off again until we get to a Wembley game or summat.

Sorry Keef, this is bigger Blade nonsense.
The simple fact is we’ve had a 25,000 core for the passed two seasons, and the prices for potential Premiership football is amazing so those 25,000 have gone for the ST. In addition those who can’t make every game due to work or other commitments have also worked out the costs and the ST is still the way to go.
I’m not 100% sure on the numbers sold and how many are held back for full price but our core support has been growing and next year we’ll have 30,000 in the ground every week regardless of the opposition.

 

[YES Blade]

Demolish the lot! I cant quite believe what im reading tbh, either you are a pig or on the wind up, i think if you asked all Blades if they wanted to demolish The Lane and start again the answer would be a BIG NO!! Im all for improving the stadium as i said previously but not by knocking the whole stadium down and starting again! I make the claim of clubs being "plastic" by having shiny new stadiums because it dilutes the atmosphere (stands too far away from the pitch, see Arsenal, etihad & west Ham) proper stadiums like The Lane, Anfield, Goodison park generate a proper football atmospheres not someone being a happy clapper! UTB

Goodison Park? Have you ever been? The place is an absolute shit hole! It’s no surprise they have been looking to leave for decades.

What do you think Spurs fans think of their new stadium? I bet there isn’t a single Spurs fan that wishes they had kept the old White Hart Lane.

It’s all about the design, if we build a crap Leicester style bowl then no, but I’m sure a decent architect could come up with something that could help create a great look and atmosphere.

I guess we should have never got rid of the cricket at the Lane either?

 

[WORKSOPBLADE]

Whatever your opinion a local man as owner will keep up at the Lane. Foreign control could easily see up relocate.

We should never leave our home.

 

[S8blade]

Goodison Park? Have you ever been? The place is an absolute shit hole! It’s no surprise they have been looking to leave for decades.

What do you think Spurs fans think of their new stadium? I bet there isn’t a single Spurs fan that wishes they had kept the old White Hart Lane.

It’s all about the design, if we build a crap Leicester style bowl then no, but I’m sure a decent architect could come up with something that could help create a great look and atmosphere.

Mate you are talking shit! You are picking point scoring spots off my comments, no one ever said we shouldnt move with the times but knocking down our stadium to become The spurs of the north is never going to happen! I never said Goodison was a fine looking stadium i said it has a proper feel and atmosphere to it ! Your point about Bramall lane and the cricket pitch is invalid as i wasnt born until 1976 so i couldnt care less . Spurs stadium is a fine looking stadium granted but do you think we are in the same boat as them financially? How the hell could we ever afford to do that sort of thing? Do you think kevin McCabe would want to knock The Lane down after spending money on refurbishing BL? UTB

 

[YES Blade]

You’re the one calling me a pig because I have a different opinion!

I’ve already said it’s highly unlikely to happen because of money, but even if we had Man City level investment it sounds like you would rather keep the terrible Kop facilities rather than build something new?

I want to see this club progress and compete at the very top of English football and maybe even Europe. It’s nearly 100 years since our last major trophy, clinging onto every aspect of our history will see us go 150 years without a major trophy.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Demolish the lot! I cant quite believe what im reading tbh, either you are a pig or on the wind up, i think if you asked all Blades if they wanted to demolish The Lane and start again the answer would be a BIG NO!! Im all for improving the stadium as i said previously but not by knocking the whole stadium down and starting again! I make the claim of clubs being "plastic" by having shiny new stadiums because it dilutes the atmosphere (stands too far away from the pitch, see Arsenal, etihad & west Ham) proper stadiums like The Lane, Anfield, Goodison park generate a proper football atmospheres not someone being a happy clapper! UTB

Must admit I agree with S8blade,

In someways I’d also like something similar to Spurs stadium built on the current site
But I’m not prepared to pay £1000 for a season ticket with the club being in massive debt.

On second thoughts I would prefer our ground to be more unique and different.
Love how the ground has character with all 4 sides looking totally different.
Love how we have a big Kop behind the goal, it would look really impressive with an extra 3,200 seats built behind it (as planned).

I’m not bothered about theatre standard facilities, they just need to be good/ decent. The current Kop facilities are very poor, still stuck in the 80’s but the current plans ensures they are massively improved and match the South stand facilities.

My view is the Kop is the big priority, taking capacity to over 36,000, which is the sweet spot that we need.
Makes me wonder if the club prefer to delay expanding the Kop until they know what’s happening with safe standing.

However I can also see commercial value in improving the South stand, taking capacity to 42,000.
Don’t believe the motivations behind the South stand development is to increase capacity.
The real reason is to massively improve the face/ profile of our club to impress visiting VIP’s and people from the media world.
Our corporate, banqueting. conference facilities would double and become top class ensuring an income 52 weeks per year.

Also if capacity was increased to 42K, it would help the police organisation outside because they could block off BL and give both tiers to away fans at the Bramall Lane end, up to around 5,500 tickets.

PS: All this talk of stadium expansion only becomes relevant if we can stay a few years in the top flight.

 

[S8blade]

I didnt say that i didnt want the kop re- done i said i didnt want a new stadium rebuilding! A few bits of improvement on the stadium. Nothing wrong with having an opinion but lets make it realistic eh, i also want to see the club progress as do all Blades fans , theres nothing more id love to see than united win something and challenge in the premier league but id rather it be the club i love and know not joining the list of soul -less clubs in the prem! UTB

 

[Selly]

However I can also see commercial value in improving the South stand, taking capacity to 42,000.
Don’t believe the motivations behind the South stand development is to increase capacity.
The real reason is to massively improve the face/ profile of our club to impress visiting VIP’s and people from the media world.
Our corporate, banqueting. conference facilities would double and become top class ensuring an income 52 weeks per year.

Motivation has nothing to do with it. It's all about whether the finances make sense. The increased corporate facilities would provide much greater payback on the initial investment.

The Kop development would "only" offer increased capacity, and less restricted view seats. That's a much greater payback period. It's also the reason we are unlikely to ever see the kop completely rebuilt as a single tiered stand. To rebuild you'd again need to put in corporate boxes to make it financially viable.

 

[grafikhaus]

You want to demolish the Cricketers?

Why not? I may be mistaken but - apart from match days - I can't see how it pays and will probably go the way of The Sportsman.

Or what about integrating it into the new stand and re-branding it to suit our new, elevated status? 'Les Claquers Bistro, Wine Bar and Gastro Pub with Latte Coffee House'. Too much?

 

[S8blade]

Must admit I agree with S8blade,

In someways I’d also like something similar to Spurs stadium built on the current site
But I’m not prepared to pay £1000 for a season ticket with the club being in massive debt.

On second thoughts I would prefer our ground to be more unique and different.
Love how the ground has character with all 4 sides looking totally different.
Love how we have a big Kop behind the goal, it would look really impressive with an extra 3,200 seats built behind it (as planned).

I’m not bothered about theatre standard facilities, they just need to be good/ decent. The current Kop facilities are very poor, still stuck in the 80’s but the current plans ensures they are massively improved and match the South stand facilities.

My view is the Kop is the big priority, taking capacity to over 36,000, which is the sweet spot that we need.
Makes me wonder if the club prefer to delay expanding the Kop until they know what’s happening with safe standing.

However I can also see commercial value in improving the South stand, taking capacity to 42,000.
Don’t believe the motivations behind the South stand development is to increase capacity.
The real reason is to massively improve the face/ profile of our club to impress visiting VIP’s and people from the media world.
Our corporate, banqueting. conference facilities would double and become top class ensuring an income 52 weeks per year.

Also if capacity was increased to 42K, it would help the police organisation outside because they could block off BL and give both tiers to away fans at the Bramall Lane end, up to around 5,500 tickets.

PS: All this talk of stadium expansion only becomes relevant if we can stay a few years in the top flight.

THIS ⚔

 

[Working Class Hero]

Wouldn’t change owt about the Lane, would hate for it to lose its character, though one thing that does need seeing to is the John Street, looks odd surrounded by these huge stands - But what could be done, with the housing behind and all that.

I agree with this. The John Street stand was designed with far lower attendances in mind in the early 90s and unbalances the ground as well as limiting it's capacity. It would be easy to increase its capacity at the expense of one or both tiers of corporate boxes, but that will never happen, at least until more are built elsewhere.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Motivation has nothing to do with it. It's all about whether the finances make sense. The increased corporate facilities would provide much greater payback on the initial investment.

The Kop development would "only" offer increased capacity, and less restricted view seats. That's a much greater payback period. It's also the reason we are unlikely to ever see the kop completely rebuilt as a single tiered stand. To rebuild you'd again need to put in corporate boxes to make it financially viable.

Totally agree. Was trying to explain from a fans point of a view everyone thinks the Kop is clearly the big priority but from the clubs point of view, regards financial return, they are more likely to expand the South stand first taking capacity to over 38K.

The new South stand plans would not only mean we massively expand our corporate boxes, banqueting and conference facilities bringing in much higher revenue but it would be the face of the club when we receive VIP visitors. There will be a specialist media room to impress visiting journalists and reporters. Superb executive facilities to massively impress visiting business man, visiting players and managers. Underground private car park to impress visiting players and VIP’s.

It might seem daft but impressing visitors can lead to signing bigger name players and/or appointing big name managers.

 

[Keef Chedwyn]

Sorry Keef, this is bigger Blade nonsense.
The simple fact is we’ve had a 25,000 core for the passed two seasons, and the prices for potential Premiership football is amazing so those 25,000 have gone for the ST. In addition those who can’t make every game due to work or other commitments have also worked out the costs and the ST is still the way to go.
I’m not 100% sure on the numbers sold and how many are held back for full price but our core support has been growing and next year we’ll have 30,000 in the ground every week regardless of the opposition.

Sound comments.
I'm definitely not a bigger Blade type, just a mardy bastard

 

[Upton_Blade]

Why not? I may be mistaken but - apart from match days - I can't see how it pays and will probably go the way of The Sportsman.

Or what about integrating it into the new stand and re-branding it to suit our new, elevated status? 'Les Claquers Bistro, Wine Bar and Gastro Pub with Latte Coffee House'. Too much?

The Cricks only opens matchdays so it's a lot easier to run than a pub round there that opens all the time as there's no real peaks and troughs. Easy to know how much beer you need, staff etc so providing the matchday incomings exceed the outgoings then no real need to close it. It's not owned by a pubco so no real chance of sale for redevelopment unless the owner got an offer he can't refuse.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Anyone any idea of the cost of their suggestions?

 

[YES Blade]

Anyone any idea of the cost of their suggestions?

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Sound comments.
I'm definitely not a bigger Blade type, just a mardy bastard

Mardy? You should have seen or heard me after Millwall.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Anyone any idea of the cost of their suggestions?

Assume the South stand will be fairly expensive but with the extensive corporate/ banqueting/ conference facilities will have a decent return on investment to make it viable.

Assume the Kop will be relatively cheap but it will have a poor return on investment so needs to be cheap to make it financially viable.

Another massive factor is that for a time both stands can remain fully open whilst building work is being done, so little lost revenue due to temporary capacity reductions. I believe in the latter stages of the project then the rear parts of both stands will need netting off.

The important factor is planning permission has been submitted and approved, no doubt someone has done extensive calculations/ projections to prove that both Kop and South stand designs are financially advantageous UNLESS McCabe never intended to expand and the designs were only submitted to attract a new owner

 

[Sean Thornton]

Assume the South stand will be fairly expensive but with the extensive corporate/ banqueting/ conference facilities will have a decent return on investment to make it viable.

Assume the Kop will be relatively cheap but it will have a poor return on investment so needs to be cheap to make it financially viable.

The important factor is planning permission has been submitted and approved, no doubt someone has done extensive calculations/ projections to prove that both designs are financially advantageous.

I don’t see any chance of the SS development until we have an established PL side and new owners. Ie able to actually fund it without team finances being affected and willing to claw back the ROI over time.

 

[Sheffsteel]

I don’t see any chance of the SS development until we have an established PL side and new owners. Ie able to actually fund it without team finances being affected and willing to claw back the ROI over time.

Think I agree, its all ambitious stuff, suspect the club will dither and tread carefully.
The words “Sheffield” and “ambition”, historically don’t tend to go together.

 

[blade67]

Hopefully shared with Wednesday.

why not just merge with Wednesday instead

We could be called "The Steel City Warriors" or "South Yorkshire Scorpions", to give us regional appeal

It'd be great

 

[MobileBlade]

why not just merge with Wednesday instead

We could be called "The Steel City Warriors" or "South Yorkshire Scorpions", to give us regional appeal

It'd be great

Are you serious? You do realise Barnsley used to be the capital of South Yorkshire?

 

[bladesmanluke]

Please don’t do the south stand just do the kop we don’t need a 40 k stadium.

Woodland rThe

Evidently we do. Check the season ticket sales.

 

[Grizzly blade]

We should have started this last season.

Yes yes, I know we were just coming up to the champ, but a few simple things first could have been a stepping stone to starting as soon as we managed to return to the premier.
Spurs built almost a whole stadium while they continued to play at their lane, and we have the space to do something similar with the Kop and South stand.
Both new stands require new foundations set back further, and the Kop at least could have had a whole new structure built around it while we remained in place. Do it properly and there’s 5k extra seats added right there.

Then close season, fill the middle in. I know it would have been a building site for a while, but we’ve averaged 28k and had room to spare. So relocate away fans for a season and lower the Kop capacity while the work is done.

It might have been more expensive to do that way, but get the Kop finished and then replicate the plan in the South stand.

United need a 45k stadium going forwards. We need to resolve the away end issue and relocate away fans to a corner out of the way. One season up, replicate the achievements of Bournemouth, or Burnley and we can truly take advantage of the global coverage we will get.

We have to get it right this time. (If we beat Ipswich)

 

[FallowfieldBlade]

Evidently we do. Check the season ticket sales.

We do at this exact moment but when hopefully not where next in the championship we’d have 15k seats empty seats that would be embarrassing.
Do the kop which should take it to 35/36 which is probs the perfect capacity.

Also I think putting another tier on the south stand would make the ground look stupid. Like elland road just having one big fuck off stand

 

[Sheffsteel]

We should have started this last season.

Yes yes, I know we were just coming up to the champ, but a few simple things first could have been a stepping stone to starting as soon as we managed to return to the premier.
Spurs built almost a whole stadium while they continued to play at their lane, and we have the space to do something similar with the Kop and South stand.
Both new stands require new foundations set back further, and the Kop at least could have had a whole new structure built around it while we remained in place. Do it properly and there’s 5k extra seats added right there.

Then close season, fill the middle in. I know it would have been a building site for a while, but we’ve averaged 28k and had room to spare. So relocate away fans for a season and lower the Kop capacity while the work is done.

It might have been more expensive to do that way, but get the Kop finished and then replicate the plan in the South stand.

United need a 45k stadium going forwards. We need to resolve the away end issue and relocate away fans to a corner out of the way. One season up, replicate the achievements of Bournemouth, or Burnley and we can truly take advantage of the global coverage we will get.

We have to get it right this time. (If we beat Ipswich)

But wouldn’t your suggestion seem like financial madness, even financial suicide?

These are just estimates
Option 1
Why spend 500 million (half the cost of the Spurs stadium) to have a superb 45K stadium plus seriously pissing off 1000’s of fans due to relocation to S6, Rotherham or further afield.

Option 2
When we can spend a fraction, say 80 million for an excellent 42K stadium, with no relocation or capacity reduction whilst work is being done issues.

If you put this 2 options to the panel on Dragons Den. I know which one they’d choose.

 

[Sheffsteel]

We do at this exact moment but when hopefully not where next in the championship we’d have 15k seats empty seats that would be embarrassing.
Do the kop which should take it to 35/36 which is probs the perfect capacity.

Also I think putting another tier on the south stand would make the ground look stupid. Like elland road just having one big fuck off stand

Part of me agrees with you but there’s that saying “speculate to accumulate”.’
For we know we could become a permanent fixture in the PL for 10+ years.’
Some might say we have a fantastic opportunity to build up the fanbase so we’re averaging 35-40K every season.

I’m sat on the fence regards the double tier South stand. It’s what they have at Leeds and Cardiff. They also had that look at Old Trafford too. In the perfect world we should do something with the small John Street stand to give it some symmetry
But the new expansion plans still look superb.