Design it Yourself Kop ..... a compromise solution?

[Blade56]

Meanwhile at S6

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

The currently planned KOP extension should feature railed seating which can be amended to safe standing if and when the legislation passes to allow it.

It should do yes. But the pussy holes at the council shit themselves at the first mention of the word ‘standing’. Forget that it’s safe, that’s irrelevant. Still stood. And standing kills people.

The Pukka Pie corner should have rail seating fitted. Minimal hassle and good to gauge demand.

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

It would at that point lose one of its defining characteristics making it a kop. Single tier is a must in my view. While preparing it for a potential safe standing future would be nice, all I really want is a single-tier stand:
– without columns
– that’s easy to get in and out of
– where you can actually see what’s happening in the goalmouth nearest the stand

Spurs are having a single-tiered kop on the new ground. Looks very impressive.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Spurs are having a single-tiered kop on the new ground. Looks very impressive.

Indeed, I’ve been past the development a few times and you can already get a good sense of it – I think it’s going to probably turn out being the best of the newly-built stadia. That stand in particular is going to be great.

 

[Inter_blade83]

Good morning after the night before all.

Last night, I sat high in the BLUT - the best seats in the house, I noticed a phenomenon opposite on the Kop. It allows me to illustrate my sketch idea for a modification of the design of any extension to the Kop that might satisfy both parties?

The problem is this .....

1. Kop sitters understand that the seats are uncomfortably close together and that the rake of the terraces is too shallow to afford a good view of the pitch.

2. The owners of SUFC don't want to demolish the existing hill but want to be able to increase it's seating capacity in the long term.

I took this photograph last night ....

View attachment 35739

if you can see, the spectators nearest to the back and the sides stood up all match so that they could see the action comfortably, the line of the standers formed a beautiful arc, which I trace out in this next image ....

View attachment 35740

this is why in stadium design you see the tops of the stands curved btw (Arsenal, Wembley etc.etc.)

In effect, then, the crowd yourselves made a stand that has a step about 1.7m high in an arc halfway up. So THAT is how you model the shape of an extension to it.

It ends up a bit like this sketch .....

View attachment 35741

I would tweak it a bit but basically the crowd itself has shown the architects and Kevin what shape the new extension should have. We leave the middle arched section of the Kop as it is .... the spectators show that they are 'happy' with it - we build the kop 1.5 to 2m higher around the curve but using cheap STRAIGHT terracing (kicked up at a slightly steeper pitch for a better view possibly) and extend at the back.

This is a compromise between 'our' desires for a more comfortable stand AND the scheme that has won planning approval .... it would be a minor amendment to that scheme and I believe might keep EVERYONE happy at a minor extra cost .... the walkways would remain the same with a staircase at the point of the step. It even echoes the old 'canyon' across the old standing kop, beloved of us old boys - because it gave us a better view ........

Ladies and Gentlemen, I move ...... I'll do a better sketch if anyone is interested?

I'm not sure if this has been said before, but take a look at Lens stadium in France. They have what you're suggesting, but less curvy.

 

[vorpal blade]

مرحبا بكم في الكويت

Put a bit of arabic in a post and u have to work backwards ...... I just had a look at Lens and that isn't what I intend ..... I am now making a little model in my computer and I want to make the higher crescent shaped piece just high enough to see the pitch over the heads of those in front. I've actually drawn the step up just 500mm (20") higher at the moment, which more or less constitutes repair work rather than new construction (which niceity may mean the difference between having to meet new building regs. requirements and not doing which could be important) .

I share the view that we should have a single tiered kop where everyone in the crowd feels included with everyone else (and yes, I know what it feels like in the extreme front left corner of the kop where it's like you're not really inside the ground yet) what I am working on is a small step no where near as high as that at Lens ..... possibly highest at the centre of the stand, which is a product of geometry if the new terraces are at a steeper rake to the those that are kept as they are in the front part of the stand.

Thanks for drawing my attention to the Lens but I hope you won't subject my sketch drawings to microscopic levels of scrutiny......

 

[RedandWhite]

Model it on the infamous südtribüne

 

[Dkc]

Slightly off topic but if new executive facilities are incorporated into a new South Stand tier, I wonder if it might be possible to replace the JSS executive boxes with seating. There are currently just 200 seats up there (I think) - two rows of 5 outdoor seats for each of the 20 boxes. If all the boxes were removed they could probably be replaced with at least four more rows of seats above, giving the JSS upper a capacity of around 1000.

The capacity increase isn't great but the seats could still be sold as premium - the view is great from up there and the dining and hospitality facilities could be retained. The stand would look far more impressive with a proper second tier

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Slightly off topic but if new executive facilities are incorporated into a new South Stand tier, I wonder if it might be possible to replace the JSS executive boxes with seating. There are currently just 200 seats up there (I think) - two rows of 5 outdoor seats for each of the 20 boxes. If all the boxes were removed they could probably be replaced with at least four more rows of seats above, giving the JSS upper a capacity of around 1000.

The capacity increase isn't great but the seats could still be sold as premium - the view is great from up there and the dining and hospitality facilities could be retained. The stand would look far more impressive with a proper second tier

No point, you have to take a kid with you to go in that stand, even if there are only single seats available.

 

[FATTYFOULKE]

No point, you have to take a kid with you to go in that stand, even if there are only single seats available.

What happened to families who’s kids grew up? Do they still sit there are we’re they forced to move. I don’t see how that stand can ever sell out because many seats will be single seats between two groups of families and most people won’t want to attend/sit on their own, not to mention the club won’t sell to single people anyway.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

What happened to families who’s kids grew up? Do they still sit there are we’re they forced to move. I don’t see how that stand can ever sell out because many seats will be single seats between two groups of families and most people won’t want to attend/sit on their own, not to mention the club won’t sell to single people anyway.

I understand what they are trying to do with that stand,but its never going to sell out with that policy. Its also pot luck on who you get in the ticket office on if you can buy a ticket for that stand without a Child.

 

[Jon Bon II]

مرحبا بكم في الكويت

Put a bit of arabic in a post and u have to work backwards ...... I just had a look at Lens and that isn't what I intend ..... I am now making a little model in my computer and I want to make the higher crescent shaped piece just high enough to see the pitch over the heads of those in front. I've actually drawn the step up just 500mm (20") higher at the moment, which more or less constitutes repair work rather than new construction (which niceity may mean the difference between having to meet new building regs. requirements and not doing which could be important) .

I share the view that we should have a single tiered kop where everyone in the crowd feels included with everyone else (and yes, I know what it feels like in the extreme front left corner of the kop where it's like you're not really inside the ground yet) what I am working on is a small step no where near as high as that at Lens ..... possibly highest at the centre of the stand, which is a product of geometry if the new terraces are at a steeper rake to the those that are kept as they are in the front part of the stand.

Thanks for drawing my attention to the Lens but I hope you won't subject my sketch drawings to microscopic levels of scrutiny......

Why are you even bothering? The architects have already settled on a design and the plans have been submitted. No one involved in the process is going to look at your design and go 'fucking hell, can't believe we've spunked best part of 200k up the wall on a shoddy scheme when we could have done this. Get on the phone to the council and tell them we're amending our design...'

You could do get it made for Pro Evo or FIFA I suppose.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Slightly off topic but if new executive facilities are incorporated into a new South Stand tier, I wonder if it might be possible to replace the JSS executive boxes with seating. There are currently just 200 seats up there (I think) - two rows of 5 outdoor seats for each of the 20 boxes. If all the boxes were removed they could probably be replaced with at least four more rows of seats above, giving the JSS upper a capacity of around 1000.

The capacity increase isn't great but the seats could still be sold as premium - the view is great from up there and the dining and hospitality facilities could be retained. The stand would look far more impressive with a proper second tier

I thought the same that the John Stand could possibly have an extra upper tier however economically it makes no sense.
Remember stadium expansion is not a vanity project, there must be a strong business case and decent return on the investment.

Also I don’t think Uniteds main motivation in this is increasing the capacity. Although based on this seasons average of 27K it does look like we could do with an extra 5K seats if we return to the PL. Also it means we can give away fans more than the current measly 2,200 tickets when they have both the upper and lower tiers of Bramall Lane.

Let’s consider the options logically
Kop expansion: extra 3,200 seats, low cost, worse part of the ground that urgently needs an upgrade.
South stand expansion expansion, extra 5,400 seats, high cost, huge upgrade in corporate facilities, media centre, impress VIP visitors.
Potential John Street expansion: extra 2,000 seats, high cost,

The interesting part for me that the club hasn’t explained is what order is the expansions being done.
Or confirmed if the Kop and South stand being done at the same time?

However it’s pretty clear that once the Kop and South stand are done increasing capacity to approx 41.5K
Then why would SU have any interest in paying out quite a lot to decreases their banqueting/ corporate facilities just because they
Want to increase capacity from 41.5K up to 43.5K.

Surely a final capacity of 41.5K will be more than adequate for many years to come?