North Stand expansion - seating, ticketing etc

[Coatigan]

Atmospheric ends don’t usually include a family stand, premium seats, and a sky bar - happy to be proven wrong though.

Why not?

What is this specific one and only age/sex/fitness profile of fan, that we need to find 12000 exact copies of with nobody else allowed in, to make it work?

 

[Eccles Blue]

I honestly can’t believe there wasn’t more of a storm about the 4th kit shambles.

We we Manchester City. We play in Blue. We should not be playing in a white kit at home!

It was a marketing stunt by the club to make even more money at the expense of our traditions and culture.

The issue is if we let little things slip (like wearing white rather than blue for a one off game), the bigger things become more likely. Hard stance early on can negate that.

I wrote to City on my own behalf 'protesting' about that diabolical kit. I told them it was a disgrace. I did get a response. Maybe that's what people should do. If the club realise that it is not just a group but people using their right of protest as well. :-) JMHO

 

[TheGhost]

I’d pay premium to be in safe standing at the front of the South L3 or North Stand L2

 

[HelloCity]

Why not?

What is this specific one and only age/sex/fitness profile of fan, that we need to find 12000 exact copies of with nobody else allowed in, to make it work?

I don’t think you know or understand what is required to get an atmospheric end going. You strike me more of a premium seat kind of guy (nothing wrong with that - I’ve been in them a few times!) which is where the real conflict is coming from since you seem to be taking it personally that a group don’t want such seating to be present in a City ‘home end’.

Just out of interest - do you consider Colin Bell Level 3 to be an atmospheric tier and if not why? Would you if they said the back rows were safe standing? What do you think the club would need to do to make it a new place for louder fans?

 

[Coatigan]

I was privy to numerous surveys and the number of fans who showed an interest in rail seating in the North Stand was huge. They fell short of surveying all seasoncard holders (something we recommended they do), but the demand is undoubtedly there.

My point (which no one seems to be able to answer), is if this was an 'atmospheric North Stand', why not say they are going to put 6/7k rail seats in (to the orange line on the images above) and then, should the demand not be there, they reduce it slightly?

Because the club have displayed a tiny strip or rail-seating, they're going to struggle pursuading fans to go there en masse. The public update could have been far bolder and that would have made the job (improving the atmosphere by relocating singers into the back of NSL2) significantly easier.

I hate this common theme where fans say 'stop moaning'. It's not moaning. I'm passionate about this. I want it to work. These are my views on a forum dedicated to this particular topic. We're allowed to share views and describe what we would like to see.

Agree with that. Would have been a good approach by the club.

Why they didn't do it, don't know, we could both guess. But I would argue it is not because 'they don't want an atmospheric end'. I think if that was the case, they wouldn't say they do, they would say they are providing a mixed end and work on the south stand and improving that instead. I could be wrong of course, but I think they genuinely believe, they can have an atmospheric end And cater for various fan profiles. Possibly even that the two may be linked. Just my guess of course.

 

[jrb]

you don't survey the entire population you do a sample and that sample is representative of the population. That's how stats work. I don't get what you're moaning at. The fans were surveyed, they responded and the club actioned it. It sounds like you don't agree with what the fans said and you're in the minority. Just a matter of opinion

The fans weren't surveyed. The fans have never been surveyed by the club.

The club showcased the original NS proposal outside the ground and at other places before the PA was submitted. Apart from that the club has only involved the fan reps at the 4(?) NDA meetings. And has since released a short update about plans for the NS.

As for a sample, it's a very broad sample. Adult fans, old fans, youth, women, disabled fans, and every type of City fan you can think of, all with different wishes and ideas that they want to see for the NS.

I've lost count of the amount of email questionnaires the club have sent me over the years asking how the club is doing, what do I think of the match day experience, would I buy X, would I subscribe to X, do I use X, etc. Yet for the most important and final redevelopment of the Etihad, the club haven't asked me or the wider fan base anything.

 

[Eccles Blue]

Some will have been made but others won't. Take up the option of being "Anchor Tenants" and the hardest work is done. The rest can be discussed from there. There's a win/win here if it is sought out properly - this could be a bog boost to 1894. The club want this to make money but I think they realise that a passionate ground brings in commercial revenue in itself.

Sorry to butt in but what the heck is an Anchor Tenant?

 

[Manchester33]

I'm sorry, why do you consider that not to be an atmospheric end?

Because a third of the tier, only half of the new seats, are standing and the rest sitting?

Because 7% of the tier, less then a 10th have paid a bit more for padded seats in a prime location?

I get why the more the better on the rail seats, but why is that as is, not an atmospheric end in any capacity?

I'd stress the point that we're talking about an 'end' not a tier. If you look at the 3k rail seats as a percentage of the North Stand, it's roughly 20%. I don't think that's enough if we truly want an atmospheric home end.

Obviously 3k is better than nothing, but it's a big opportunity missed.

I think the other points (GA+ where it is - making it harder to link atmosphere between NSL2 and NSL1) re-emphasise that this is not a stand with a core focus of atmosphere.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Sorry to butt in but what the heck is an Anchor Tenant?

Guaranteed a prime position for as long as they want it. Like in the Trafford Centre with Selfridges. The idea is that they attract others (so usually get preferential treatment).

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Why not?

What is this specific one and only age/sex/fitness profile of fan, that we need to find 12000 exact copies of with nobody else allowed in, to make it work?

Ss3 is a pretty good example of what it could be like.

Can you name many examples where all of those things are included in a stand (corporate, family section..) and it works as an atmospheric home end?

You can clearly see the disconnect between tiers in the south stand. With the more expensive seats in ss2 often not joining in with displays or with chants. Spurs is another example of a completed disjointed home end, with sections sat down or half empty after half time. Pricing and standing play a big part in that.

i accept there will be some premium seating, but in my view the majority of the ns2 needs to be standing sections. 3,000 is a good start.