Could the Ricoh be expanded? (1 Viewer)

CJparker · Dec 19, 2012

In the ridiculously unlikely scenario whereby we rise up the leagues and need an increase in capacity AND can get agreement from the stadium owners, AND have the funding....would it be possible to add capacity to the Ricoh?

Some stadiums (stadia?) are built specifically with the idea of adding extra tiers onto the existing tiers at a future date - was this done when the Ricoh was constructed?

ccfc92 · Dec 19, 2012

Going by the rash decisions to move to the Ricoh, I highly doubt they thought this far ahead.

But I imagine it would be do-able :thinking about:

Lord_Nampil · Dec 19, 2012

I thought it could be extended to a maximum of 45K maybe wrong but im sure iv heard that number branded around

Covstu · Dec 19, 2012

yes very silly, even if we won the premier league we would not fill the ground consistently!!

There is certainly space on two of the sides but not sure if they could 'bolt on' additional capacity...

ggrady · Dec 19, 2012

I doubt we could expand the lloyds pharmacy because of the jaguar arena behind it but the rest would be fine probably

Houchens Head · Dec 19, 2012

Can't realistically see more than the 32,000+ seats ever being filled too often even if we reached the dizzy heights again. Based on that assumption, extension not a viable option. Too costly.

ccfc92 · Dec 19, 2012

To be fair to CJP, do Man City fans believe when they got relegated with us, they would win the premier league 12 years on? and be selling out their ground? I know they probably had a bigger fan base, but its just a thought :thinking about:

chiefdave · Dec 19, 2012

Doesn't seem as tho they've built in an easy way to upgrade. Guess the option would be to build a second tier on the tesco side. there's enough land that side to allow that. Given that they haven't allowed for it prob wouldn't be cheap.

I've never been sold on this idea it would be packed every week in the perm. Highfield Road certainly wasn't and you just have to watch MOTD to see loads of games under capacity.

ccfc92 · Dec 19, 2012

Agreed that HR was never regularly filled. But say we got promoted, the first season it will be close to being sold out, as those that missed the heyday, would make the most of the success, as we may come straight back down

ccfctommy · Dec 19, 2012

I wouldn't have thought so.

WillieStanley · Dec 19, 2012

Lord_Nampil said:
I thought it could be extended to a maximum of 45K maybe wrong but im sure iv heard that number branded around

That was in the original plans. Scrapped along with the retractable roof and sliding pitch!

ccfc92 · Dec 19, 2012

WillieStanley said:
That was in the original plans. Scrapped along with the retractable roof and sliding pitch!

what was the point of the sliding pitch :S?

marcus87 · Dec 19, 2012

Covstu said:
yes very silly, even if we won the premier league we would not fill the ground consistently!!

There is certainly space on two of the sides but not sure if they could 'bolt on' additional capacity...

If we were winning the prem we would 100% fill it every game!

Jarvo · Dec 19, 2012

Has any other "bowl" stadium been extended? It's possible but the cost would be huge.

It hasn't grown organically where you can bolt on extra capacity. You'd probably have to demolish a stand and build a new 2 tier one.

We rent a multi-purpose decent stadium and thats what we have got.

I don't think we have to worry about capacity issues for a while.:

deanocity3 · Dec 19, 2012

Arena 2000 the new Coventry City stadium as of april 1999

http://www.cwn.org.uk/skyblues/1999/04/990405-geoff-mann.htm

dadgad · Dec 19, 2012

We could have had a state of the art all singing, dancing, knobs and whistles sort o job with retractable and extendable this and that. Instead we went for the flat pack wasteland look.
The Ricoh is architectural junk (typical of the whole city), has besmirched the club and symbolises our lack of vision.
it is the putrifying albertross round our necks.

Ash · Dec 20, 2012

dadgad said:
We could have had a state of the art all singing, dancing, knobs and whistles sort o job with retractable and extendable this and that. Instead we went for the flat pack wasteland look.
The Ricoh is architectural junk (typical of the whole city), has besmirched the club and symbolises our lack of vision.
it is the putrifying albertross round our necks.

Have to agree, really unimaginative design. Much the same as most of the other new stadiums popping up, worst being the likes of Shrewsbury, Colchester etc.

dadgad · Dec 20, 2012

Yes, Colchester is awful.
I know cost is a highly sensitive issue but the benefit to all from good design is incalculable and, in point of fact, doesn't have to be expensive......just good.
The sinking feeling I get every time I see the Ricoh from the M6 is more from the realisation that that was a great opportunity missed. :-(

Paxman II · Dec 20, 2012

I don't know why we have to knock this stadium. The Ricoh is a fine stadium for the modern game. With its extended facilities it is quite a decent place. Where ever you sit you can see the football. Its neat and tidy and above all far more safety built than anything previous. The noise generated in the 'bowl' is very good when filled to more capacity. Some areas are clearly built cheaply but comparitive to most in the country it would score 8/10.
Stop complaining, I hated the trek up Highfield Road, the bad viewing areas, the terrible facilities and jamming people in.

The original idea with roof and retractable pitch was never going to happen once we got relegated. If I was to criticise one aspect then it would be having no retractable roof. That could be done in time and pay off handsomely for whoever made that investment. I can see that happening and a smaller second tier ringing around the bowl providing an increase to some 38k. One day when we are back and sustaining some success if there is still money left in football by then, it may happen.

mrtrench · Dec 20, 2012

I was wondering... if the ground started to get some atmosphere and felt less like a tomb celebrating the folly of previous board members, would it be possible to extract some of that atmosphere? Ideally the crowd should rattle around in the stands and tumbleweed should blow across the pitch.

skybluelee · Dec 20, 2012

ccfc92 said:
Agreed that HR was never regularly filled. But say we got promoted, the first season it will be close to being sold out, as those that missed the heyday, would make the most of the success, as we may come straight back down

The novelty factor would mean we would sell out every week. Like stoke. They used to get pitiful crowds in the champiomship.

Sky Blue Kid · Dec 20, 2012

The plans were originally for 80k+ (Remember New Wembley?) So I think it should be possible to extend.

Covstu · Dec 20, 2012

marcus87 said:
If we were winning the prem we would 100% fill it every game!

no I don't think we would!!!

TheParsonsHose · Dec 20, 2012

i doubt we will ever have enough fans to fill the Ricoh week in week out. Even if we had premiership status.

Monkeyface · Dec 20, 2012

I seem to remember at a fans forum, somebody asked Paul Fletcher the same question and he categorically said it couldn't. At least not without knocking down a stand and rebuilding it.

CJparker · Dec 20, 2012

When at Bolton, Sam Allardyce commented on the additional cost to the club of building the Reebok (rather than a conventional "boring bowl" stadium): "we needed a new ground, not a monument"

And he's right - we all want to see interesting new grounds, but why burden the club with huge extra costs for constructing something original? From a financial point of view, you need a functional ground which ticks all the practical boxes, not a white elephant.

dadgad · Dec 20, 2012

Yes, but its a "white elephant" anyway why not have one that looks good, one that turns heads for the right reasons, one that is memorable and one that the city could be justifiably proud?
Brighton's ground, for instance, ticks all these boxes because all these points were considered.

torchomatic · Dec 20, 2012

We'd still get rubbish attendances even if we were in the Premiership. They'd only increase when the Big Boys came to town.

CJparker said:
In the ridiculously unlikely scenario whereby we rise up the leagues and need an increase in capacity AND can get agreement from the stadium owners, AND have the funding....would it be possible to add capacity to the Ricoh?

Some stadiums (stadia?) are built specifically with the idea of adding extra tiers onto the existing tiers at a future date - was this done when the Ricoh was constructed?

dadgad · Dec 20, 2012

Monkeyface said:
I seem to remember at a fans forum, somebody asked Paul Fletcher the same question and he categorically said it couldn't. At least not without knocking down a stand and rebuilding it.

This is correct. It is of modular design....all interlocking.
To revisit it and stick on new bits would lead to all manner of structural defects. You'd basically have to start again.
One of the clear failures of the Ricoh is that the "home end"
Looks straight into the sun. This was utterly brainless from a design that bangs on about "match day atmosphere".
The fans responded by creating "singers corner" which immediately demonstrates that the Ricoh doesn't deliver in one of its critical design elements.

BigadamL · Dec 20, 2012

When the Ricoh was being built they forgot to allow for the weight of the fans, then then had to put more support in place. Considering that they didnt think of any fans at the time of it being built I doubt they even considered extending the stadium.

Joy Division · Dec 20, 2012

Jarvo said:
Has any other "bowl" stadium been extended? It's possible but the cost would be huge.

It hasn't grown organically where you can bolt on extra capacity. You'd probably have to demolish a stand and build a new 2 tier one.

We rent a multi-purpose decent stadium and thats what we have got.

I don't think we have to worry about capacity issues for a while.:

Yes, the Stadium of Light had an extra tier added to one of the end stands a few years after being built.

Joy Division · Dec 20, 2012

Those who are saying we would still have poor crowds in the Premiership, I don't agree whatsoever. The last time we were anywhere near the top of the Championship was when we played Leeds United, when Aidy Boothroyd was in charge. Think if we would have won the game we had the chance of getting into the Play-Offs, this still being in October the attendance was around 28,000. That tiny sniff of success brings out a crowd like that, can you imagine if we won the Championship?

Look at Stoke City, the season before they got promoted they were averaging 16,000 in the Championship. Now they are selling out every week at 28,000. The fanbase of both Stoke and ourselves are of a similar fickle sensibility, give the public success on the pitch and they crowds will come.

Noggin · Dec 20, 2012

It's crap for disabled people too because by a very significant margin there isn't enough disabled seating. 20k+ empty seats and it's still hard getting a disabled ticket and you can't get a disabled season ticket (well to be fair I didn't try this year but last year I couldn't)

That said it is very safe for disabled people not like Highfield road where the disabled fans were in between the away fans and the west terrace. So fighting occured in the disabled section. Damn I loved it there

dadgad · Dec 20, 2012

BigadamL said:
When the Ricoh was being built they forgot to allow for the weight of the fans, .

Says it all really.:facepalm:

TheParsonsHose · Dec 20, 2012

Just like the fans who forgot to allow for the weight in rental payments to ACL.

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