Stadion-Fredl

[Starostyak]

Denke so ein Thread fehlt hier noch... alles zu Stadien, wies euch wo gefallen hat, Atmosphäre, neue Pläne etc. hier rein, sind ja einige Sachen (Liverpool, Tottenham, City etc.) im Gespräch.

The club has conducted feasibility studies on various ways of expanding the ground, with the most ambitious plan to lift off the roof and add a whole new tier. That would give the Etihad stadium a capacity in excess of 70,000 and hugely increase the potential match-day income.

The club are trying to compete with their neighbours on every level. The first priority has been to build a team capable of matching them on the pitch but the club are also trying to drive their commercial and match-day revenues.

The Etihad Stadium’s capacity is currently 47,805 and with Old Trafford holding 76,000, the Emirates 60,000 and Liverpool and Tottenham looking for new stadiums, City do not want to be left behind. United themselves have discussed an expansion which could take them to 95,000 seats.

The first priority for City is the completion of the academy project next to the stadium. They have a planning permission hearing at the end of December and, subject to that being granted, they will begin work on the wide-ranging campus, which is expected to take three years to build.

In the meantime City will be looking at how they can develop the stadium. The club hierarchy want to ensure that any expansion fits with demands for seats. The average attendance of 45,949 last season was nearly 2,000 under capacity but City are hoping that consistent success will lead to an upsurge in demand. They also want to make sure they have the corporate facilities which are such a money-spinner for Arsenal and United, especially in Champions League fixtures.

Ferguson: Rooney needs rest, not Olympics 21 Oct 2011

The results of the feasibility studies have shown that they could easily install a further 2,000 seats without too much difficulty or, if they did not feel they could justify a new tier, lift one of the ends to add 8,000 more seats.

City’s plans to expand are another reminder of their current financial clout, but United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists he is not envious. “We have a good training ground, we have a good youth set up, we don’t need to touch that. We do well in terms of scouting. There’s not really a lot we can do with money.” Ahead of a Manchester derby which is likely to be as keenly contested as any in recent years, Ferguson also claimed that he had “never sought confrontation”. The Scot is famous for his fierce temper, but insisted: “I have never in my life ever sought confrontation with anyone, ever. In this game, you can bet your life it will come your way so you don’t need to look for it. You deal with it then but that’s not confronting anyone.”

Balotelli escapes fireworks blaze

Mario Balotelli could start Sunday afternoon’s Manchester derby despite a firework causing a fire in his house on Friday night.

The blaze was apparently caused by the Italian and his friends letting off fireworks out of the bathroom window.

Balotelli trained yesterday and was due to spend last night at City’s team hotel. Manager Roberto Mancini is unlikely to have been amused by his striker’s latest escapade but is still thought to be considering starting the 21 year-old.

Telegraph

Naja, City hat momentan 95% Auslastung, mal schauen, wenn sie Erfolg haben, würden sies langsam auch ab und zu füllen können... wobei 70,000 schon sehr hoch gegriffen ist. Da gehts wohl hauptsächlich ums Matchday Income, was bei den Ticketpreisen aber nur schwerlich nach oben gehen wird.

[ShanklysSon]

Denke so ein Thread fehlt hier noch... alles zu Stadien, wies euch wo gefallen hat, Atmosphäre, neue Pläne etc. hier rein, sind ja einige Sachen (Liverpool, Tottenham, City etc.) im Gespräch.

Naja, City hat momentan 95% Auslastung, mal schauen, wenn sie Erfolg haben, würden sies langsam auch ab und zu füllen können... wobei 70,000 schon sehr hoch gegriffen ist. Da gehts wohl hauptsächlich ums Matchday Income, was bei den Ticketpreisen aber nur schwerlich nach oben gehen wird.

Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass City das Stadion dauerhaft mit 70.000 Zuschauern füllen kann. Es sei denn die reißen die nächsten Jahre alles nieder, was ich nicht glaube.

[Kingkooli]

Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass City das Stadion dauerhaft mit 70.000 Zuschauern füllen kann. Es sei denn die reißen die nächsten Jahre alles nieder, was ich nicht glaube.

Müss ma halt bald 50.000 empty Seats singen. Auch schon wurscht.

[Ston3]

Fulham überlegt einen Ausbau auf 30.000

http://www.fulhamfc.com/StadiumProject/FulhamForever.aspx

[Kante]

Neighbours on the move: Chelsea and QPR and the battle for new grounds

West London rivals want to move from their old stadiums, but suitable sites are at a premium

Stamford Bridge has been Chelsea's home for over 100 years, but Roman Abramovich is on the lookout for a location to build a new stadium. Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images

Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea – long-standing west London rivals – collide again on Sunday at Loftus Road for the first time in the league for 15 years. But there is now added dimension to the clubs' mutual antipathy – with each in a race to grab one of the few available sites for a new stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham borough they share.

Greater monetary yield, as ever in the Premier League, is the catalyst for the clubs' expansion plans. Chelsea gaze with envy at Arsenal's financial transformation since moving to the 60,000-seat Emirates in 2006 and at the 75,000 plus who can now watch Manchester United at Old Trafford. QPR note how Sunderland and Stoke City's new builds allowed them to reap more funds from their fan base.

Tony Fernandes, QPR's new owner, wants a move away from Loftus Road but not out of what he calls "a fantastic area". If the Malaysian businessman, who bought the club in the summer, can raise the cash and secure the land, the next step is relatively simple. Neil Warnock, the manager, says: "We're already talking about a new stadium. Tony is one of those owners who, with the other shareholders, just want to get there yesterday."

Chelsea are aware of his ambitions and want to move fast. Yet for their oligarch proprietor, Roman Abramovich, the scenario is complex. The club insists that no definitive decision has been made to move. If they do, plots have been identified, with an area next to Battersea power station the current favourite, and sites at Earl's Court and White City other options. Earl's Court is the club's preference, on the north site, as it is the closest to Stamford Bridge, and would allow fans to continue their current pre- and post-match rituals. If Capco, which owns Earl's Court, is willing to reopen talks with Chelsea then the club would gladly accept the chance.

Abramovich's first challenge, though, is to buy back the freehold on Stamford Bridge so that the land can be developed to raise funds. To do this he needs to convince the Chelsea Pitch Owners that there is no wish to relocate any further away than a three-mile radius. Chelsea insist they want to stay close to their roots. If they are to move then the deadline for one of the sites is 2020, they say. This, Chelsea contends, is due to the belief that they will all be taken by then.

An extraordinary meeting of the CPO, whose members have owned the land since 1993, will be held on Thursday, with the politicking fully under way. Abramovich's offer to the 12,000 shareholders who own the 15,000 shares is to buy them at the sum they originally cost, a total of £10m, £8.5m of which was a loan from the club, which will be written off by the Russian. He is arguing, not unfairly, that the original purchase was never about profit, but safeguarding Chelsea's future.

While Abramovich wants to leave Stamford Bridge with its capacity of 42,000 for a new home that can house 55,000 to 60,000, Warnock believes that QPR could regularly attract at least 30,000. "When I was at Huddersfield [1993-95], we got something like 4,000 average at the old Leeds Road and then at the McAlpine we had 12,500 day one so it trebled."

Those opposed to Abramovich's offer are not against moving but want a new destination legally signed off first. Richard King, the CPO chairman, is careful to balance each side's concerns. "As directors of CPO," he says, "we had an obligation to ensure shareholders could discuss the club's proposal and then vote on it. It's for shareholders to decide, not us."

He is clear that Chelsea need to relocate. "I have been watching Chelsea for years. It's like a second home. On the other hand, I understand that because of its location the stadium can't be extended. With Financial Fair Play rules to come, we need a bigger stadium to compete. Finishing below Spurs, because they have a bigger stadium and therefore a stronger squad than us, is too awful to contemplate."

The Say No CPO organisation is upset that neither the CPO nor the club informed them that negotiations had occurred without the shareholders being told before the situation became public. "CPO had to deal with the proposal in confidence at the behest of the club," the Pitch Owners said. "Its directors have sought to clarify and settle a proposal which reflects what the club will offer and to allow the shareholders of CPO to decide, on a 75% vote if in favour, whether or not to accept it."

What Chelsea supporters would also certainly not like is if QPR became the noisy neighbours who take up the prime spot in their local manor.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/oct/22/chelsea-qpr-new-grounds