North Stand Construction Discussion

[blueparrot]

What the club need to realise, and I'm not convinced they do, is that matchday atmosphere will drive corporate revenue. People will want to be part of an improved matchday experience.

I happen to know that City's corporate sales are low compared to rivals, but I don't believe they need to be putting new areas into a new stand when they have 80% of the second tier still to go at - the natural home for stadium hospitality.

This move stands or fails, as you said, on the relocation logistics. Picking up on a point made earlier, we need an organised fan group - not 1894 or the supporter's clubs but a dedicated "Atmosphere Action Group" with representation from all of these groups, to push the club into making the right calls. The way they handled the new South Stand tier proves to me they do not understand properly. there was a bit of a push at the time ("Operation One End") but it wasn't loud enough to achieve anything and they ballsed that opportunity up big time.

They cannot take a "Build it and they will come" approach here. They have to make big decisions about the prioritisation of relocations and pricing.

All true, but they also need to be prepared to cause some upset and complaints with the relocations, do one big relocation get it right and those that don't like it wil moan but they can't stand in the way there are no seats for life.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

All true, but they also need to be prepared to cause some upset and complaints with the relocations, do one big relocation get it right and those that don't like it wil moan but they can't stand in the way there are no seats for life.

i think they could do it without pissing anyone off. The new seats will make up a new section which is the back half of the stand. Open them up first of all. They should give allocate 1894 a block or area first of all, I'd say at the back but I know some of them don't like that. Next everyone in the existing singing areas should be allowed to relocate into the new area, at half price. Once that is done then open up the rest of the stand to anyone else but they have to market it had as an Atmosphere End.

If they do it that way they don't need to move anyone one. But anyone who does want to leave that stand should also be offered half price relocation.

You're running this as a sort of loss leader just to get everyone in. Prices can go up of course but to me an old fashionend atmosphere end which is cheaper than the rest of the stadium is feasible.

 

[blueparrot]

i think they could do it without pissing anyone off. The new seats will make up a new section which is the back half of the stand. Open them up first of all. They should give allocate 1894 a block or area first of all, I'd say at the back but I know some of them don't like that. Next everyone in the existing singing areas should be allowed to relocate into the new area, at half price. Once that is done then open up the rest of the stand to anyone else but they have to market it had as an Atmosphere End.

If they do it that way they don't need to move anyone one. But anyone who does want to leave that stand should also be offered half price relocation.

You're running this as a sort of loss leader just to get everyone in. Prices can go up of course but to me an old fashionend atmosphere end which is cheaper than the rest of the stadium is feasible.

Think it depends, if we want the NS to be a home end, those on level 2 now, and the familly stand need moving (if they want to anyway), where to is tricky, doubt the families in the NS1 want to be next to the away fans, so which fans get meved to the SS, presuming those in there now go into a NS home end.

 

[Pontypool Blue]

I don't know where I've been for the last few year's or I've forgotten with age, but I was recently watching a YouTube clip on the stadium tour, the guide mentioned the large under pitch reservoir that supplied the ground sprinkler system.

Shhhh, that's the special vault area where our players stash all their "secret" cash!
Someone in the Know told me it would have to be quite big too.

 

[LEXSTARproject]

What the club need to realise, and I'm not convinced they do, is that matchday atmosphere will drive corporate revenue. People will want to be part of an improved matchday experience.

I happen to know that City's corporate sales are low compared to rivals, but I don't believe they need to be putting new areas into a new stand when they have 80% of the second tier still to go at - the natural home for stadium hospitality.

This move stands or fails, as you said, on the relocation logistics. Picking up on a point made earlier, we need an organised fan group - not 1894 or the supporter's clubs but a dedicated "Atmosphere Action Group" with representation from all of these groups, to push the club into making the right calls. The way they handled the new South Stand tier proves to me they do not understand properly. there was a bit of a push at the time ("Operation One End") but it wasn't loud enough to achieve anything and they ballsed that opportunity up big time.

They cannot take a "Build it and they will come" approach here. They have to make big decisions about the prioritisation of relocations and pricing.

Didsbury Dave and Supercity 88 are so spot on with their comments about the North Stand an "Atmosphere Action Group" is needed now, I could help with setting up a Facebook, Twitter, etc, and emails. JRB is right with his comments what he is trying to say is simple it would be like shoving the tunnel club in the Yellow Wall. The club needs to listen to people like Dave but what are doing is thinking cash first, instead of atmosphere first. If you mention the atmosphere to people outside city first thing they will say is about the empty seats etc, it's like the execs at City are not reading the room as you say.

 

[Centurions]

...If you mention the atmosphere to people outside city first thing they will say is about the empty seats etc, it's like the execs at City are not reading the room as you say.

The Execs at City don't listen to morons who know sod all, so no need to "read the room". Perhaps you should stop listening to the idiots as well?

 

[MrCheeseGrater]

Think it depends, if we want the NS to be a home end, those on level 2 now, and the familly stand need moving (if they want to anyway), where to is tricky, doubt the families in the NS1 want to be next to the away fans, so which fans get meved to the SS, presuming those in there now go into a NS home end.

NSL1 could stay as it is now, a family area, whilst above it NSL2 could become the designated singing section. There should be no accoustics issues on the second tier. Then, only those in NSL2 would have to move if they don't want to be in an atmosphere orientated safe standing section.

i think they could do it without pissing anyone off. The new seats will make up a new section which is the back half of the stand. Open them up first of all. They should give allocate 1894 a block or area first of all, I'd say at the back but I know some of them don't like that. Next everyone in the existing singing areas should be allowed to relocate into the new area, at half price. Once that is done then open up the rest of the stand to anyone else but they have to market it had as an Atmosphere End.

I think that at the start, they should designate the 2 central blocks in an expanded NSL2 as the official singing section. At least then not everyone on the existing NSL2 would need to be relocated, hopefully not causing too much upset.

These blocks could be used by the club and 1894 for displays and other things. Ideally they would be able to use the front rows and the overhang as it would look the better, although this depends on whether or not the club go ahead with the hospitality plans.

People who want to be in the singing section and closer to the pitch could stand in the front rows (what is currently L2) for a price similar to the currently SSL1. It wouldn't be as close to the pitch as L1 is, but hopefully for most the new facilities and chance to be apart of a designated area with better traveling sound would be worth the trade off. Again, all this would depend on the club's plan for hospitality.

Further back in the blocks could be priced more like SSL3, to attract singers from there (and other areas) to the singing section for a price not more expensive than what they are currently paying. If this is going to work, it needs to be affordable for many.

If the whole tier was safe standing too, this would also help with chants starting in the official singing section before spreading around the stand and therefore the stadium.

If there was enough demand, they could extend the section by using more blocks in the North stand.

 

[blueparrot]

NSL1 could stay as it is now, a family area, whilst above it NSL2 could become the designated singing section. There should be no accoustics issues on the second tier. Then, only those in NSL2 would have to move if they don't want to be in an atmosphere orientated safe standing section.



I think that at the start, they should designate the 2 central blocks in an expanded NSL2 as the official singing section. At least then not everyone on the existing NSL2 would need to be relocated, hopefully not causing too much upset.

These blocks could be used by the club and 1894 for displays and other things. Ideally they would be able to use the front rows and the overhang as it would look the better, although this depends on whether or not the club go ahead with the hospitality plans.

People who want to be in the singing section and closer to the pitch could stand in the front rows (what is currently L2) for a price similar to the currently SSL1. It wouldn't be as close to the pitch as L1 is, but hopefully for most the new facilities and chance to be apart of a designated area with better traveling sound would be worth the trade off. Again, all this would depend on the club's plan for hospitality.

Further back in the blocks could be priced more like SSL3, to attract singers from there (and other areas) to the singing section for a price not more expensive than what they are currently paying. If this is going to work, it needs to be affordable for many.

If the whole tier was safe standing too, this would also help with chants starting in the official singing section before spreading around the stand and therefore the stadium.

If there was enough demand, they could extend the section by using more blocks in the North stand.

I don’t disagree with that, but would those in the current singing blocks in th South stand relocate to the second tier of the North. Maybe if encouraged they would ,but don’t know how willing they’d be myself?

 

[jrb]

Pretty much replied to this before you posted it. I don't think you're overthinking it, I just think you're naturally a bit sceptical because we know revenues are the driving force behind decisions. But as I said above, they could have created plenty more hospitality areas within this design, and instead they've looked to maximise revenues from the wider facilities, the sky boxes and all that's really left to fret about is the impact of 700 padded seats amongst a wall of 9000 blues! Under 10%. It will be fine!

I don’t have a problem with the hotel room balconies or the hospitality seats at the back of NSL2. It was the hospitality seats at the front of NSL2 that threw me, and to be honest, disappointed me, when I looked at the PA. I knew hospitality would be included on NSL2 somewhere, but I honestly didn’t think it would be on the first 7 rows of NSL2, considering the amount of hospitality we already have in the stadium, and the opportunity to expand those hospitality areas once 8000 fans relocate to NSL2.

Can 700 hospitality match day seats really generate much more revenue than normal match day seats directly behind them?

We don’t know the pricing structure yet for the (season ticket) seats on NSL2. Will they be comparable or cheaper, seeing as it’s the ‘offcial home end’, to the (season ticket) seats on SSL3?

TBF to the club those (season ticket) seat prices on SSL3 are very fair. If those season ticket prices were replicated or made even cheaper on NSL3, that would be great. Obviously you have factor in another 2 possible season ticket prices rises before the North stand expansion is finished.

https://www.mancity.com/meta/media/xowh15py/gold_season_ticket_pricing_map_23-24_mobile-2.pdf

 

[jrb]

I don’t disagree with that, but would those in the current singing blocks in th South stand relocate to the second tier of the North. Maybe if encouraged they would ,but don’t know how willing they’d be myself?

The new bar and DJ in SSL1 isn’t helping. :-) Saying that, the pull of a 3000 capacity fanzone, City Hall, and being in the home end would be very tempting for most match going City fans, never mind fans in SSL1.

I think the decision will boil down to whether or not SSL1, SSL3 and the Kippax corner fans want to remain close to the away fans, not only for the atmosphere, but for the banter as well. They won’t get that at the other end of the stadium.