Ground Capacities

[DoDTS]

In yesterdays Echo and the preview for the coming season it gave the capacties for Championship sides as follows :

48,300 SUNDERLAND
40,204 LEEDS
39,859 SHEFFIELD WED
33,597 DERBY
32,551 SOUTHAMPTON
32,500 COVENTRY
32,500 LEICESTER
30,300 IPSWICH
30.009 BIRMINGHAM
28,525 WOLVES
28,384 STOKE
28,000 WEST BROM
26,400 CRYSTAL PALACE
25,500 NORWICH
25,404 HULL
23,186 BARNSLEY
22,546 BURNLEY
21,412 PRESTON
20,134 PLYMOUTH
19,148 QPR
19,000 CARDIFF
12,306 SOUTHEND
9,975 LUTON
7,556 COL EWE

As we know our capacity is overestimated by about a 1,000 but clearly so is Col Ewes.

In view of our proposed new 22,000 stadium we would still be 18th in the list, goes to show what big clubs are in this league.

22,000 might be small compared to some of them but I think we would all settle for that.

 

[Technician]

The original plan for Fossetts Farm was for 16000 seats with provision for expansion up to 28000 when needed. Assuming this would still be the case, the latter figure would put us comfortably midtable alongside WBA.

 

[CSWICKFORDSHRIMPER]

That’s why 22,000 is about right.. We want to compete with other Championship clubs... 10,000 crowds for a few years maybe ok... but we will not be able to compete financially for ever

People may have forgotten only 15 to 20 years ago Root Hall could have held over 35,000... A big thankyou to Vic Jobson there

I very much hope the Stadium plans all goes though... cos this is last chance saloon for us to stay in Southend , Rons now done his bit for the cause and the People of Southend must ALL support this... UNITED WE STAND

One Team In Essex
SOUTHEND UNITED FC

 

[Jam_Man]

Our 12,300 isnt overestimated is it ? Arent the extra seats the complimentary tickets VIP tickets etc that arent counted in the actual atendances ?

Last I heard Fossetts was going to be 20,000, although the NOTW said 22,000 last week.

Wonder if we had a new stadium of that size today whether we could pull 15 or 16,000 in ?

 

[Smiffy]

Easy, certainly against the more local/bigger sides...

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

We must stat in Southend, that is a must, so fingers crossed

 

[DoDTS]

With full houses we still can't get more than about 11,300 in.

Echo today says proposed 22,000 capacity.

At Roots Hall our crowds are capped by the limit, with a higher capacity they would grow, but by how much?

look at Swansea's gates since they moved

 

[Technician]

One block of the North Bank (or part of), would always be needed for segregation, thus reducing the capacity of 12,306 by up to 500 seats. Our highest attendance in recent years, was in our head to head with Yeovil Town on 30.04.2005, when we had 11745 in the house. This count excluded the Executive Boxes and the Directors Box.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Quote[/b] (Dad of Dave the Shrimper @ Aug. 03 2006,14:21)]look at Swansea's gates since they moved

Reading are another prime example...

You have to adopt a "If you build it, they will come attitude" here in order for the project to be successful. The only other large club in the area are West Ham... and now that we're playing against opposition that are that much larger, more popular and bringing larger crowds a larger stadium is much more feasible. Theres no point doing a Col******r and moving to a stadium only 2,000 larger than the one we've got and comfortably fill it, we have to look expansive if we're to prosper in this league and 22,000 seems like an ideal size.

 

[Napster]

Quote[/b] (EastStandBlue @ Aug. 03 2006,14:28)]

Quote[/b] (Dad of Dave the Shrimper @ Aug. 03 2006,14:21)]look at Swansea's gates since they moved

Reading are another prime example...

You have to adopt a "If you build it, they will come attitude" here in order for the project to be successful.

Hmmm, didnt work for Darlington

 

[Jam_Man]

Yes Im not convinced it would just increase, although hope a new stadium will generate more interest.

Yes we were getting 10,000 gates last season, but we were fighting for the title and to get promoted to the Championship. Compare that to the 5,500 we had at Portvale.

Im just nervous we would build it and have a middle or low table position and they wouldnt actually come.

Saying that Id rather the confident ambitious approach of Ron Martin than a chairman who only wanted to build a new 14,000 stadium.

We just have to hope that Southend can sustain decent crowds.

 

[sufcintheprem]

Build it, ensure that you are run by scrupulous people, and they will come.

 

[Bluesmanager]

Yes, but Darlo are now in League 2, getting useless attendences, we are in the Championship, with 6 thousand season ticket holders, and a realistic chance of staying in the Championship for the forseeable future.

 

[Technician]

Darlington is a great example of what not to do when there is never going to be the numbers to get bums on seats. When a certain George Reynalds had the pipedream of moving Darlo from it's nice comfortable Feethams ground, into a 25000 seater stadium, he imagined that when it was not going to be used for football, he could lease it for concerts and so forth.

Unfortunately, he didn't take into account the size of Darlington as a place and unless folk were going to travel from far and wide to support the club, there was no way he would ever fill it. He made his money from dodgy deals but had little business sense in the footballing world and paid the price for his greed.

Now known as the Williamson Motors Arena, if you ask any Darlo fan whether they prefer the new or old ground, they would want to be at Feethams, but that is where the similarity between their new ground and our proposed ground ends. We have a much higher population and catchment area in Southend than Darlington and therefore you can say that 22000 is wholly justified in our present circumstances.

The only sticking point is will we be a Championship club to justify the capacity when the stadium is built two years from now.

 

[Jam_Man]

Dont get me wrong I want the new stadium and I want it to be 20,000+ capacity. If the club is to grow and to establish at this level its vital.

Ive just been following Southend a long time and if one thing is true we will get less people come if we arent playing well.

Things have changed over the last 10 years and football has become more family orientated etc and I think the success of our family enclosure bodes well so hopefully in a new stadium the family enclosure could be double as well.

We should get an average gate of 9000+ this year, it will be interesting to see if we do actually top 10,000 every game, the club seem to think we will be sold out for most of our home games.

6500 season ticket holders is a great thing to have but Im just concerned we are on a crest of success and at the moment I dont see 15,000 people turning up if next season we are 19th in the league.

Fingers crossed it all goes through, theres a front page story in the echo about it today, look at the picture of Ron Martin at "Roots Hall" (as stated by the echo....)

 

[Mr. Benedict]

Darlo also have the problem of the big north-east clubs being on their doorstep - they have to compete with Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, not to mention that Manchester and Liverpool are within an hour and a half's drive as well.

 

[Jam_Man]

Quote[/b] (Technician @ Aug. 03 2006,14:47)]The only sticking point is will we be a Championship club to justify the capacity when the stadium is built two years from now.

Its a catch 22 kind of situation isnt it.

We wont get those attendances in League One, we may get say 15k average in Championship, but to stay there we need the ground.

Makes it so important to stay here now we are here so we can get the ground agreed and move on.

 

[Jam_Man]

Quote[/b] (Mr. Benedict @ Aug. 03 2006,14:58)]Darlo also have the problem of the big north-east clubs being on their doorstep - they have to compete with Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, not to mention that Manchester and Liverpool are within an hour and a half's drive as well.

We have London of course, closer than an hour and half.

Plus the mighty Col******r are building an 11,000 capacity stadium which will overshadow ours. Ahem.

 

[sufcintheprem]

Quote[/b] (Jam_Man @ Aug. 03 2006,15:00)]

Quote[/b] (Mr. Benedict @ Aug. 03 2006,14:58)]Darlo also have the problem of the big north-east clubs being on their doorstep - they have to compete with Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, not to mention that Manchester and Liverpool are within an hour and a half's drive as well.

We have London of course, closer than an hour and half.

Plus the mighty Col******r are building an 11,000 capacity stadium which will overshadow ours. Ahem.

So it will be just about too small to match our bigger attendances. Good to see that they know their place.

 

[Mr. Benedict]

It's quite amusing - their new stadium is actually going to be smaller than Roots Hall. And it's got a stupid name (Cuckoo Farm)