Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar Site Development Thread

[Tom_mcfc]

I wonder how many "oh no its 85 minutes I need leave because a) I need to get out of carpark first b) I need to be first on the tram c) I am a w*nker" fans lied on this question?

Haha did you request an extra box.

“I stay until just before they switch the lights off so I can clap the tea lady off”

 

[gouldybob]

If we all go in the North Upper then I want a decent pair of sunglasses in my season ticket package

 

[The blue phantom]

I wonder how many "oh no its 85 minutes I need leave because a) I need to get out of carpark first b) I need to be first on the tram c) I am a w*nker" fans lied on this question?

Or even D. It's got absolutely fuckall to do with anyone what time folk leave.

 

[nmc]

Just had my survey which reading between the lines means

They are redeveloping the north stand
The family stand will be mixed up into the rest of the ground and I can either sit in the gods or next to the pitch or pay 1500 a ticket to sit in joes with a free pie
The solution to the infrastructure and traffic problems is create bars and restaurants to stagger the times people come and go

In moving the family stand and creating a bigger north stand it must be because of that scientific evidence stated by 19 year buzzing Ryan of the south stand which states. Fans sing much louder and join in if they are facing to the south than they are if they are facing to the north

It’s a well known fact.

The idea of creating bars etc to stagger the time people leave is a good one. I don’t race away after the game I often hang around and go home after the crowd has dispersed BUT they need to make the food and drink outlets affordable. At the moment I buy very little because it feels such a rip off. There’s an option to start to change people’s match day habits - getting people to arrive earlier and maybe leave later but presently there are significant issues with both the quality and choice of what’s on offer and more significantly the prices being charged.

 

[DiscoSteve]

I bet you were 2 - 3 hours.

Ha ha no... 0 to 10 minutes for me!

I have a supporters bus to get back to and (unlike some twats who shall remain nameless, mainly coz I don't know who the lads were, away at West Ham last weekend) I don't want to hold anyone else on the bus up!

 

[west didsblue]

A line from Queens Rd to Ashbury down ATW would be my choice, crossing the Oldham and Ashton lines, but it's expensive to build for little use. Maybe when the collar site has shops, conference and music venues it would be viable. In the meantime, why not some shuttle buses on match days?

A train station on the goods line next to the Athletics arena would help.

 

[Half Pint]

If we all go in the North Upper then I want a decent pair of sunglasses in my season ticket package

It’s mainly the East Stand that gets the sun as it goes behind the CB STAND - I’ve requested the same or a cap - still waiting!

 

[Deleted member 77198]

For the avoidance of doubt the diagram in the survey shows an expanded 2nd tier compared to the 3 tier layout of the South Stand.

Good i think it'll look top class and they'll kick themselves for not doing the same at the South Stand end

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I seem to recall in the old Kippax that the away fans were in the Kippax and corner nearest the Platt Lane and, if anything helped to create the atmosphere, because both sets were trying to outdo one another. (As well as kick ten bells of shit as well) :-)

That's a bit different though as the Kippax held 30k and there'd be 5000 away fans. At the Etihad the City part of SSL1 holds about 2500 yet there's 2800 away fans next to them in a strip going up to the top of SSL3 where the roof makes them louder than our SSL1 singers.

I guarantee you will not find a worse set-up for vocal home fans in any football ground in the world, it's abysmal!

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I went to Lyon yesterday.

They had a home end where their main vocal support is. They also had another section of vocal support at the other end of the ground. The noise and atmosphere both ends generated throughout the match was very impressive.(rail standing at the NS and SS lower tiers in the survey)

I’m not suggesting this, so don’t bite my head off. At the end with the smaller group of fans they had a drummer at the front of the singling section, and a fan with a megaphone or microphone. Couldn’t see which. I appreciate CIty and English fans in general are against those kind of things. But regardless of your views on that, for or against, it kept the fans singing, and helped to create a great atmosphere for the duration of the match.

We don't need that. All of the best atmospheres are when English fans who don't have drums get their noise going.

Drums, megaphones, microphones and everyone wearing one of 5000 of the same t-shirts for £100 just makes a big plastic atmosphere that annoys the fuck out of me after the first five minutes of it with the drum being leathered fuck out of (you should see the videos of these Ultras' drummers with hands bleeding at the end of games and drums thrown in the bin because they've been hit so hard they can't be used again).

All we need is to group more like minded fans together away from the away fans who want to create a noise (and singing doesn't always come into that because even 7000 people all together giving it more of the "GO ON"s "COME ON"s cheers for tackles, cheers for when it's our ball, boos at the ref and the opposition players etc. makes a huge difference to the noise in a stadium, never mind with singing).

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Just had this email through ...

I'm emailing the club about this since i didn't get the survey. Thanks for posting...

While i'm at it, i was wondering if anyone had a picture of the brilliant SSL1 "BORN IN GORTON" display from the Shakhtar game? My point about it will be to have no corporate areas in the North Stand because that brilliant display was ruined by the completely empty 93:20 corporate section right above it that night.

 

[GortonBlue62]

That's a bit different though as the Kippax held 30k and there'd be 5000 away fans. At the Etihad the City part of SSL1 holds about 2500 yet there's 2800 away fans next to them in a strip going up to the top of SSL3 where the roof makes them louder than our SSL1 singers.

I guarantee you will not find a worse set-up for vocal home fans in any football ground in the world, it's abysmal!

Off the top of my head, PSG in the Parc des Princes - huge distance between both ends and the goals in a crap stadium yet both ends generate a fantastic noise.

There's one problem at City and it's not the acoustics or the stadium configuration or anything else to do with infrastructure - it's the fans - we need to step up.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Off the top of my head, PSG in the Parc des Princes - huge distance between both ends and the goals in a crap stadium yet both ends generate a fantastic noise.

There's one problem at City and it's not the acoustics or the stadium configuration or anything else to do with infrastructure - it's the fans - we need to step up.

I see what you're saying but all their vocal fans are in whole ends with away fans tucked in the corner.

 

[casualdeyna]

A train station on the goods line next to the Athletics arena would help.

Absolutely would help, best way to get people away from the stadium is to give them multiple options, so they can walk, train, tram, bus etc. People will find their own and quickest way home the more options you have, like when there is traffic from a crash or whatever so people start using the "back roads." When there is only one way home your screwed and have to sit in the traffic.

I know plenty of fans do go North or East from the ground, but vast majority go South or in to Mcr, tram isn't good enough and traffic backs up quick. Just not enough options.

Problem is I can't see MCC or City sorting out the goods line to accommodate fans. It would be just too expensive and not used enough to justify the cost. It would need to be part of a bigger plan or project. Can it link up to somewhere like Stockport who are desperate for Metro/light rail as if we chipped in for something like that MCC may get onboard?

 

[Rammyblues]

That's a bit different though as the Kippax held 30k and there'd be 5000 away fans. At the Etihad the City part of SSL1 holds about 2500 yet there's 2800 away fans next to them in a strip going up to the top of SSL3 where the roof makes them louder than our SSL1 singers.

I guarantee you will not find a worse set-up for vocal home fans in any football ground in the world, it's abysmal!

Couldnt agree with you more all I wanted to do was point out that back in the old days fans being next to one another made more noise, just using this as a counter argument for those advocating a pure home end. But if the set up could be changed whereby the away fans were next to the home fans but the home fans had a standing/rail seating on all three or two levels going up to the roof and outnumbering the away fans by 10000 or so that might be different.

 

[west didsblue]

Absolutely would help, best way to get people away from the stadium is to give them multiple options, so they can walk, train, tram, bus etc. People will find their own and quickest way home the more options you have, like when there is traffic from a crash or whatever so people start using the "back roads." When there is only one way home your screwed and have to sit in the traffic.

I know plenty of fans do go North or East from the ground, but vast majority go South or in to Mcr, tram isn't good enough and traffic backs up quick. Just not enough options.

Problem is I can't see MCC or City sorting out the goods line to accommodate fans. It would be just too expensive and not used enough to justify the cost. It would need to be part of a bigger plan or project. Can it link up to somewhere like Stockport who are desperate for Metro/light rail as if we chipped in for something like that MCC may get onboard?

A little bit of investment could potentially provide a "circle line" that would link up a stadium station with Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Salford Central and Victoria and onwards via Miles Platting back to the stadium. The track is already there other than on the old disused viaduct through Ardwick and a new bridge over Ashton Old Road would be needed. There's probably technical reasons why it would be difficult but it would be worth looking at.

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

All this talk of using the rail line - trains have to be scheduled, including goods trains. I doubt there's capacity to fit many in (1 every half hour, maybe) so you'll find it quicker to walk on many occasions.

Trams are much more flexible.

 

[worsleyweb]

Cycling - no where near enough people cycle to the Etihad.

 

[jrb]

Using the away fans and their proximity to the home fans as an excuse not to have a proper home end is a bit short sighted.

Less and less away fans are coming to the Etihad, and only the big and close clubs take their full allocation of 3000 away tickets.

There have been numerous occasions when only level 1 is full or part full of away fans, with level 2 and 3 of the away end sold to City fans.

Bournemouth will probably bring 500 fans on Saturday.

Another thing not often mentioned on here is the effect the away fans in SS level 3 are having on our home support below them.

My partner and daughter sit in SS level 2, block 212, and they constantly tell me that they can't hear SS level 1 or the Kippax corner, blocks 111, 110 and 109, because of the noise coming down from the away fans above them.

Having a safe standing home end with a 10,000 to 15,000 capacity would make a massive(arf!) difference and change the atmosphere inside the Etihad for the better instantly.

The fact that the club is looking at safe standing at both ends of the Etihad is even more interesting and exciting, not to mention having safe standing seats on level 2 of the NS. Our own Curva.

Saying that, I fully expect these exciting initial safe standing proposals to be watered down, and a sort of safe standing fits all to be taken forward by the club in the future.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

A little bit of investment could potentially provide a "circle line" that would link up a stadium station with Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Salford Central and Victoria and onwards via Miles Platting back to the stadium. The track is already there other than on the old disused viaduct through Ardwick and a new bridge over Ashton Old Road would be needed. There's probably technical reasons why it would be difficult but it would be worth looking at.

I’ve been saying for years that there could be a monorail system that connects Trafford Park/The Quays to Etihad Campus creating a long West-to-East city centre.

Or that as well as having Metrolink at snails pace over ground in those areas, also have an underground just from that same West-to-East city centre that’s quick an efficient.

As you say a circle line connecting inner city districts without having to go through Town n’all. Would free up space on them coming through Town.

Bus only roads.

Cycle only roads.

More walks/walkways created that aren’t street/canal-side.

Transport in this city and especially around the city centre and around the Etihad could be so much better!