It might not make much economic sense but how about just improving facilities for some of the clubs most loyal fans?
It shouldn’t just be about ROI. It should be about doing the best you can for the fans who are the lifeblood of the club.
Agree with the sentiment but you know that's not how well run clubs work, they aren't going to throw money down the drain.
Ignoring ROI and doing the best for the fans is so "last century". In fact I don't even think it's last century.
Surely you only invest when you expect a profit at some point.
Only a naive billionaire benefactor would spend money for zero reward.
McCabes plans were probably the best compromise solution.
It improve virtually all the facilities, concourse protected under cover, bigger toilets, bars and kiosks, removal of the pillars.
And the important factors were
Cost: It was the cheap option, just building onto the back of the present Kop, much cheaper than doing the south stand or new training ground.
Potential profit: It would put an extra 3,500 at the back of the Kop, so for games attracting over 35K we would earn a bigger income.
Might take a long time but eventually we would see a return on the investment.
However 2 unknown factors that would effect expansion is
Safe standing: If this becomes common place in 10 years then we should use a design to take this into account.
Unfortunately the McCabe design that we have planning permission for doesn't take into account safe standing. If there's a chance of following the German model of fitting 1.5 standing people into each seat, then all the concourse areas, stairways, toilets, bars, kiosks would need enlarging to deal with the approx 18K on the Kop.
Future trend in attendances: Attendances were low in the 1980's and have seen a gradual increase over the last 10 years. However how do we know this will continue.
The future of football might be streaming of every match resulting in many choosing to watch matches at home or in the pub, with only 25% of the fanbase attending matches, so the present capacity might be plenty for the next few decades. There's the cost of living crisis and potential recession, so unless prices are made really cheap then some might not be able to afford to attend games and swap to watching every game on TV.
So might be wise to hang fire for 3 or 4 years to see where the future football popularity and attendance trends are heading.
