Stadium Expansion

[alad]

How will the extension join up with the rest of the East? Will it go straight up or will there be some staggered rows so it appears slightly curved?

[Coppelled Streets]

Does the whole area become a hard hat area

Hardly fair on the bikers that turn up in leathers.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

We got about £5Million for the Elm Park land, had to spend £6 Million developing the roads around the Madejski, and then £40 million on the stadium.

we also got, IIRC, over £20 million for selling the land that B&Q/Comet etc now occupy.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I guess Madejski should have spent £40 million on players instead, and worried about having a ground with a capacity of 2000 (as it would have been reduced to as our terraces had lost their licence) at a later date.

of course not you dick. I was hardly advocating we should have stayed at EP, just pointing out that relagation and spending fuk loads on a stadium took us 4-5 years to overcome. Increasing our stadium to 38000 & getting relegated from the prem might hit us just as hard

the cost of the stadium had no impact on how long it took us to get back up again. It's not as if we would have spent the money we spent of the stadium on new players - and we still spent a lot of money on new players on high wages.

In short, the cost of building the stadium did not set us back one bit - unlike at say, Arsenal, the cost of our stadium didn't come at the expense of the squad.

Our debt was also to the chairman, not the banks, so we weren't being hit by interest chanrges either.

So unless you can actually say how building the stadium hurt us as a club, I suggest you stop calling people dicks, unless you are looking in the mirror at the time.

[Winchester Royal]

We got about £5Million for the Elm Park land, had to spend £6 Million developing the roads around the Madejski, and then £40 million on the stadium.

we also got, IIRC, over £20 million for selling the land that B&Q/Comet etc now occupy.

So the stadium effectively took more in the region of £21 million out of the clubs account.

Makes it seems really cheap now!

[RoyalBlue]

Update 22/01/07

"The works should not affect the normal seating positions in the East Stand as the construction would take place behind the existing stand.

What about the roof then?

Wouldn't the roof necessarily have to come off before they start constructing behind the existing stand? Does this mean uncovered seating in the East stand for most of next season?

Interesting point! What's the betting that they hit us with another big increase in season ticket prices and then remember to tell us about the new 'air conditioning' they have arranged for the East Stand!

[LumpWarden]

Interesting point! What's the betting that they hit us with another big increase in season ticket prices and then remember to tell us about the new 'air conditioning' they have arranged for the East Stand!

Gonna make sure I'm front of the queue for mover's week!!

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Our debt was also to the chairman, not the banks, so we weren't being hit by interest chanrges either.

My recolection of things back before we moved was the JM didnt stump up the cash for the ground, he just personally secured the debt & that Reading Football Club are paying for every penny borrowed to build the Madejski Stadium. Like JM keeps saying, the club has to stand on its own 2 feet. I posted this a quite a while back somewhere on this site and other posters confirmed that was the case. I will happily stand corrected.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Heavon on Earth, The Offical History of Reading FC says this:

"Although the council sold the land to the club for a nominal £1, it cost £6m to complete the remedial work...."

"Most of the £37m construction costs were raised by the surrounding Business Park but when it was made known the chairman was guaranteeing the £10m shortfall, it was suggested the stadium be named after him"

"Elm Park was put on the Market for £3.25m..."

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

We got about £5Million for the Elm Park land, had to spend £6 Million developing the roads around the Madejski, and then £40 million on the stadium.

we also got, IIRC, over £20 million for selling the land that B&Q/Comet etc now occupy.

So the stadium effectively took more in the region of £21 million out of the clubs account.

Makes it seems really cheap now!

I'm not debating that the stadium was expensive, just the idea that moving at the same time as we got relegated harmed the club in a way that it wouldn't if we hadn't moved. i.e. the club was not in any way "set back" by the move, and it didn't take is years to recover because of the move.

[bre]

Heavon on Earth, The Offical History of Reading FC says this:

"Although the council sold the land to the club for a nominal £1, it cost £6m to complete the remedial work...."

"Most of the £37m construction costs were raised by the surrounding Business Park but when it was made known the chairman was guaranteeing the £10m shortfall, it was suggested the stadium be named after him"

"Elm Park was put on the Market for £3.25m..."

I beleive that JM was the financial backer for the club in getting the stadium built, but don't think that he spent any of his own money in getting the stadium built.

I seem to recall that we got a large grant towards the cost, bought the land for a pound then sold land to both Prudential and where B&Q is located and got more for Elm Park than was expected.

We also had to fund some of the A33 releif road works as well but I still beleive that JM didn't have to fund any of the stadium.

[Ooo Trevor Morley]

I think by not extending the Madejski, the club will be losing several million pounds in revenue per year; I couldn't guess how much but certainly a few million (okay I will guess 5-10million). If the club can get another interest free loan to pay for the development, then a large bulk of the extra gate-money can go on new players. I think it is wrong to conclude that paying for the ground development will mean we will have less money to buy new players: it will mean we will have more.

Moving to the Madejski certainly increased the club's turnover as ticket prices were raised from the £9 it cost during the last season at Elm Park. The cost of the stadium, after subtracting the money the club got from selling the land, was around £10million. Peanuts really.

[Coppelled Streets]

Update 22/01/07

"The works should not affect the normal seating positions in the East Stand as the construction would take place behind the existing stand.

What about the roof then?

Wouldn't the roof necessarily have to come off before they start constructing behind the existing stand? Does this mean uncovered seating in the East stand for most of next season?

Interesting point! What's the betting that they hit us with another big increase in season ticket prices and then remember to tell us about the new 'air conditioning' they have arranged for the East Stand!

They had better not!!

There are a few clubs now calling for cheaper ticket prices at league games. Mainly due to this huge tv deal. Reading FC would do well to show their supporters some good will by reducing ticket prices for at least the kids and OAP's.

[SWLR]

Update 22/01/07

"The works should not affect the normal seating positions in the East Stand as the construction would take place behind the existing stand.

What about the roof then?

Wouldn't the roof necessarily have to come off before they start constructing behind the existing stand? Does this mean uncovered seating in the East stand for most of next season?

Even less atmposhpere generated by the East Stand. Thank god for the North Stand and our drummer.

[bb0118]

I think the club should use some of the land around the ground to build some pubs and bars.
Not nessecarily built into the stadium, just something there for fans to use on matchdays.

And who would use those pubs/bars on non-matchdays?

Theres a few pubs in Gloucester that only open their doors on a thurs, fri and sat night.. They make their money from just doing that. If they opened during the week, they would lose out because the business is just not there.
It can work. I hoped RFC or some pub chain got hold of the retail outlet which has recently been taken over by BHS. It works in Ipswich for Brannigans!

[STAR Voice]

From what I understand, they'll build out behind the East stand first - so there will probably be access issues during this time which will cause complications for all - I think patience getting in and out will be required - even more than now!

But my assumption is that the current roof will be taken off and the new one put on during the close season - however, that's purely an assumption but as a PM that's the only way I can think of to do it.

[alad]

How will the extension join up with the rest of the East? Will it go straight up or will there be some staggered rows so it appears slightly curved?

Can someone answer this?

[STAR Voice]

How will the extension join up with the rest of the East? Will it go straight up or will there be some staggered rows so it appears slightly curved?

Can someone answer this?

As I remember it from the plans, it will eventually be a single tier, going back up at the same single that it currently does.

Behind it, there'll be several levels of concourse, so that there'll be outlets at each level - and the space at ground level and just above will, of course, be much, much, bigger.

[M4 Junction 11]

How will the extension join up with the rest of the East? Will it go straight up or will there be some staggered rows so it appears slightly curved?

Can someone answer this?

The architect I would imagine

[alad]

How will the extension join up with the rest of the East? Will it go straight up or will there be some staggered rows so it appears slightly curved?

Can someone answer this?

As I remember it from the plans, it will eventually be a single tier, going back up at the same single that it currently does.

Behind it, there'll be several levels of concourse, so that there'll be outlets at each level - and the space at ground level and just above will, of course, be much, much, bigger.

No I meant how will it join up with the North and South stands.