Comments on: What Do You Want From the New Stadium?

By: DG

DG — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:23:38 +0000

Firstly, I’m not West Ham.
Manchester United in fact. But I’ve a life-long mate whose a ‘Ammer, (works at your place actually) and I’m also a football fan, and as your team and your proposed new stadium came up in discussions tonight in the pub, I checked out the progress of your new ground and found this blog.
Anyway, enough of that, here, for what it’s worth is my 2p’s worth…..

1. DO NOT sell yourself short on capacity. Arsenal are now stuck at 60k. Even though they have a huge waiting list they cannot expand, ever. BIG mistake.
2. Therefore demand, yes DEMAND a stadium that starts at 50-60k, with a facillity to ‘fill in’ the extra bits to take your final capacity to c75-80k. No. I’m not joking. You are in London, your catchment area – in terms of population, is huge, and includes solid hard workers as well as Canary Wharf boys and girls. You will fill a huge ground as the PL is where it’s at…..even if you have to allocate 20k to Man United when we come to town!
3. Atmosphere is good. Actually, it’s pivotal to how much fans (‘customers’) enjoy their ‘experience’. Yep, horrible words in there but thats the new football world. Go large, and go fan based. You generate an amzing atmosphere at your place (been a few times) so don’t let such a tremendous asset slip through your fingers. Cherish and nurture it.
4. Corporate. They pay a hugely disproportionate amount, get over it.
5. Visually, make your new ground f*cking awesome. That means steep sides and close to the pitch. that’s the West Ham way. Loads of you have already mentioned that, and you’re correct to.
6. The roof. Don’t underestimate the visual wallop that a stunning roof can develop. At Old Trafford we have a simply gigantic stadium that if developed fully would be over 90k, yet the sloping roof of the North Stand has led to the stadium pulling off a magnificent deception; it is a 76k stadium that looks like a 55k one. Genius! Talk about hiding your light under a bushell. No. Go for a Millenium stadium style jaw-dropper. You will not regret it.
7. Beat Chelski every time they set foot in your new home. And Arse. And Liverpool. And Citeh, and…..
8. Remember, you will only get one chance to build this thing properly. F*ck it up and you’re stuck with it.
9. Good luck.
10. that, Hammers, is all.

By: banburyhammer

banburyhammer — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:23:19 +0000

What the people at WHU have to realise is that the corparate boxes are basically one of the last things they should worry about, they may bring in money, but they make the club lose a hell of a lot more wen it comes to the point when fans stop turning up, because of the crap atmosphere. WE are the lifeblood of this club and they have to put us first if they want to become sucessful, having millions in tv and corpatate money is useless if were not at the ground, they might as well rent a pitch on hackey marshes, build a pavillion, and televise it, rather than build a new stadium.
Build a stadium with great big intimidating banks on either end of the pitch, it will be a wall of irons, and it will scare the f*** out of the opposition as well as helping to make some noise. Build a roof that (like wembleys) has been designed to keep the noise in, the pitch healthy, and the rain of the stands. thats it. no artistic brilliance needed.
Put the away fans in the corner, surrounded at all angles, and so they cant see wat the hell is goin on, and on the main stand put a row of boxes to sepate into 2 tiers, with 2 tiers on the other side without the boxes. And make it steep.
And then make evrybody know even if theyre just in a tube train, just from the outside, that theyve just passed West Ham United.

By: Upton Spark

Upton Spark — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:44:18 +0000

Thanks Crazyhorse. On the subject of the fanbase,it doesn’t just stop with this country as I have on many occasions spoke to fans from Scotland,Wales,Ireland,Denmark,Sweden and Germany. The list is endless.
World wide I would think it runs into many millions,and filling a 60,000 stadium will be no problem.
We need to grow bigger to exist as a top Prem side and we need the money and fans to do this,so the sooner we get used to it the better for us all.
The future is bright;The future is,WEST HAM UNITED….

By: crazyhorse

crazyhorse — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:52:20 +0000

I agree with you upton spark,the research is already done beforehand to see if we could fill a 60,000 seater.It seems some people dont realise how large our fanbase is.We have a huge fanbase and always have had

By: MichaelC

MichaelC — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:06:05 +0000

I agree with most of these comments. It would also be nice if some thought was given to the finish and character of the place. The emirates (and the Dr Martens stand) looks like a B&Q warehouse inside, being mostly exposed breezeblocks. An example of how it should be done is the Seattle’s new(ish) safeco field baseball stadium (see some interesting articles here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/safeco/stadium/) which actually has some character and feels like it’s built to last unlike most new English football grounds. Of course this is wishful thinking and we will no doubt get a 50,000 seat shed indistinguishable from Derby/Sunderland/Southampton/Leicester. But why not try for something a bit different that acknowledges West Ham’s history and status as not just another club?

By: Upton Spark

Upton Spark — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:13:28 +0000

Stefan says we should not have 60,000 seats as they will not be filled.
I have already read from a well known journal that we have already looked into the seats required from our fan base and we could easily seat 50,000 fans for most games and then the rest would go to away fans up to 7,000 then that would leave 3,000 for the floating fan who’d just turn up to watch a game.
The club don’t just pluck a figure out of the air and say “oh we’ll build a 60,000 stadium then”. believe me,a lot of work goes on beforehand to make sure it will not be an empty place just to look at.
I hope this helps.
The other points raised by some on here about raising the capacity at the Boleyn Ground,would only be allowed to go up to 45,000. That is not enough. We definately need 60,000. I myself like many fans love our home ground and will miss it a great deal,but we must move on to secure our future as a top Prem side.

By: jon.london colney

jon.london colney — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:20:01 +0000

no time to read all these but a casino attatched would simply bank role the whole thing.

By: vdm

vdm — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:58:45 +0000

This is the most posts I’ve ever seen one topic on this blog. The ideas and suggestions are generally spot on and should be forwarded to the club owners as a blueprint for what they need in terms of a spec. for the new stadium

By: Stefan

Stefan — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:46:21 +0000

I do not wish to move from Upton Park…would much rather rebuild the East Stand and build two new corners, which coulb be two tiers high. Also make sure the loud fans are sat together…for example the Bobby Moore lower has a fantastic atmosphere. Move the away fans into the east stand, much like Villa have done…and pack the other end with loud fans, which will generate a better atmosphere. Bringing back the hostile atmosphere of Upton Park.

If this is not an option, then the new stadium SHOULD DEFINETETLY NOT be 60,000 seats, thats ridiculous, we are not that bigger club lets be realistic, we havnt even solidly got into europe yet. 45,000 seats,w hich the option to extend to 55,000 in the future. Make sure the stand are steep and really close to the pitch, make sure there are sections for the loud fans, and make sure the aaway fans are placed in the middle of the loud West Ham fans. Make the stadium really enclosed, allowing the singing to rebound of the walls, loudening the atmosphere.

By: Dave King

Dave King — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:53:29 +0000

I’m with WHU Kim on this realistically and I think the corporate boxes and the prawn sandwich brigade will have prime consideration. For myself, first and foremost would be ease of access and departure from the ground, which looking at an aerial view of West Ham isn’t going to be easy. Secondly would be sensible pricing for the standards of fare available and also in relation to where you are in the ground. Having sat near the back of the Dr Martins stand myself, where all the players looked like insects, I’d rather not go than sit there again. Toilets and Refreshment facilities as have been mentioned elsewhere need serious consideration with maybe proper bar/food facilities for those of us who wish to let the rush die down after a game before leaving. The obvious and paramount factor though has to be the team itself and the style of football played. The best stadium in the world will not fill up to boring long ball football as is being witnessed at Upton Park today. You want an atmosphere? Give me some thing to get excited with then.