Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:46 pm  

Iain wrote:

Cool. One day we may have a profile as high as that of Walsall FC.

Let's hope that if the west stand seats are to be visible from the bridge they get the word "SALFORD" across them.

So you don't see the potential of being in a location like this in comparison to the back streets of Weaste?

Walsall have always been hampered by the fact they are competing against four other big football clubs nearby who have a much richer history than themselves. Villa average 42K, Birmingham and Wolves 30K and WBA 25K. Would you want to watch Walsall if you lived in Birmingham?

Do you honestly believe Bolton would still be in the Premier League if they were still playing at Burnden Park?

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:41 pm  

theredshed wrote:

So you don't see the potential of being in a location like this in comparison to the back streets of Weaste?

Walsall have always been hampered by the fact they are competing against four other big football clubs nearby who have a much richer history than themselves. Villa average 42K, Birmingham and Wolves 30K and WBA 25K. Would you want to watch Walsall if you lived in Birmingham?

Do you honestly believe Bolton would still be in the Premier League if they were still playing at Burnden Park?

No probably not, but I don't think the positioning of the stadium next to the motorway helped them increase their attendance either. At least not with drive by's thinking "hmmmmmmm I might just pop in there and see what it's all about"

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:45 pm  

That's the key point though. The Reebok is so eye catching. It's aesthetically brilliant whereas Walsall, despite being in a prime location have a stadium that fails to impress. Furthermore, Bolton also compete against some pretty useful clubs in GM and unlike Walsall, have achieved relative success due to the combination a genuinely iconic staduium in a prime location.

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:50 pm  

Fungus The Muffin Man wrote:

No probably not, but I don't think the positioning of the stadium next to the motorway helped them increase their attendance either. At least not with drive by's thinking "hmmmmmmm I might just pop in there and see what it's all about"

Oh, I don't know. I reckon the location of a leisure facility in combination with way it looks is a big selling point. The TC and Chill factore are two examples of this.
I reckon it's a case of planting the seed visually so that when we advertise to the potential newbies, as we do at the Willows, they immediately determine that "yes, it's easy to get to and yes, it looks like a place I'd want to spend Friday evening."

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:58 pm  

Red Preacher wrote:

Oh, I don't know. I reckon the location of a leisure facility in combination with way it looks is a big selling point. The TC and Chill factore are two examples of this.
I reckon it's a case of planting the seed visually so that when we advertise to the potential newbies, as we do at the Willows, they immediately determine that "yes, it's easy to get to and yes, it looks like a place I'd want to spend Friday evening."

I think it's very different for the TC and chill factor especially. I mean Look at it It's just plain weird and it has snow in it. Thats enough to get people wanting to go and look at it. It's something very new and exciting that they normally wouldn't be able to do.

A square RL stadium or even Boltons for that matter will only encourage people with a passing interest in that particular team/ sport. And footie/ rugby being quite tribal in origin/ nature it won't encourage people to come along unless it's their own team playing there.

If it was the iconic stadium being built , but belonged to Swinton or even Sale sharks would it make you want to go?
I think we all know the answer is NO.

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:07 pm  

Fungus The Muffin Man wrote:

No probably not, but I don't think the positioning of the stadium next to the motorway helped them increase their attendance either. At least not with drive by's thinking "hmmmmmmm I might just pop in there and see what it's all about"

I am sure they must have attracted some people who never went to Burnden Park. What the Reebok did for Bolton was raise the profile of the club which helped them attract more sponsorship and a better caliber of player. It gave them something to sell that was sellable.

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:08 pm  

Fungus The Muffin Man wrote:

A square RL stadium or even Boltons for that matter will only encourage people with a passing interest in that particular team/ sport. And footie/ rugby being quite tribal in origin/ nature it won't encourage people to come along unless it's their own team playing there.

And there's where the hope lies in the assumption that we can't tap into a completely new market. There are a sizeable number of people with a passing interest in Salford RL. As we're all too aware from the countless debates on here regarding conversations we've almost all had with people that used to watch Salford. Unfortunately, people in general prefer the edge of town retail park style entertainment venues. Places with no real character but plenty of parking spaces and fast food outlets.

Suppose the question remains as to whether a square stadium can draw the passing interest back or not.

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:12 pm  

Red Preacher wrote:

Suppose the question remains as to whether a square stadium can draw the passing interest back or not.

It certainly didn't do Warrington any harm.

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:21 pm  

theredshed wrote:

It worked for Warrington.

Just to add something to that: Warrington had already increased their attendances significantly at Wilderspool before moving to the HJ. It's a fallacy that the new stadium doubled their attendances overnight.

Re: New Stadium Site Update Thread!!! : Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:30 pm  

Chico wrote:

Just to add something to that: Warrington had already increased their attendances significantly at Wilderspool before moving to the HJ. It's a fallacy that the new stadium doubled their attendances overnight.

I appreciate that some progress was being made whilst at Wilderspool but it's a fact that their attendances increased by 60% when they moved to the HJ. Warrington added about 4000 to their gates. Hull's gates increased by 72% and 4700 supporters when they moved to the KC.

This isn't something I've dreamed up it was from an article I read in the Rugby League World magazine last year.