Hospitality Area In The East Stand

[.:BigDaveInTheDungeon:.]

so again why can't they build it in the south stand where the most loyal supporters won't be put out?

why not have think about what you just posted, the clue might be in away fans.

that is true.

[Dirk Gently]

Why can't they locate this hospitality area at the very back of the current east stand and then build a new tier of seating above the hospitality level. They could model it on Arsenal's club class level.......... The middle tier of the emirates.

Its an Fffing disgrace to tear out the middle of the East Stand for a hospitality lounge.

Because if you think of the east stand as being like a triangle, with a vertical wall at the back and the seats sloping up to meet this wall just under the roof, it means there's not actually any room for hospitality areas high up! They need to be behind the seating, and there's no room at the top.

Maybe that's why, in the very example you use, it's the middle tier at the Emirates.

[PieEater]

so again why can't they build it in the south stand where the most loyal supporters won't be put out?

why not have think about what you just posted, the clue might be in away fans.

that is true.

The planning application states their intention to do the same thing in the North stand, so goodbye to all those STHs sitting there. I mentioned this on the stadium planning thread already.

They also plan two new sections in the South stand, one for away fans and one for home fans.

There could be other changes too. For example in one drawing they have carefully drawn seats in Y22-24 from row L to row Y on the East stand and similar rows in the north and south. In other drawings similar seats are indicated as being new, so these people could be moving to.

It makes you wonder whether STAR are being gullible in believing everything they are being told by the club and there are actually much grander plans than they are admitting to at this stage.

[PieEater]

I'm sure STAR will tell us this has all changed......

[.:BigDaveInTheDungeon:.]

according to that picture even more fans than originaly feared will be effected to make way for the padded seats for the rich few.

[royalsteve]

According to a leaflet given out at the match yesterday a new hospitality area is planned for the east stand, blocks Y21-24 rows X to DD seat nos 129-190 will all be lost.

Obviously the club are thinking about all the extra money they can make from having extra corporate hospitality but at what cost?

For a start all the season ticket holders who sit in this area, me included have been sitting there since reserved seating was introduced to the east stand and would not i presume due to the high amount of season ticket holders be able to get a seat with a similar view and would therefore be forced to move into the newly built area at the back of the stand, i for one find the back of the current east stand to far and would not enjoy watching the game from even further away and i assume this is the same for the people around me.

The next thing is people in these hospitality areas more often than not aren't even proper supporters but just clients that some buisness people are trying to impress by taking to a premiership football match, they won't sing and contribute to the atmosphere, they will take away from it.
Also the new area will effectivly split the east stand into two halves. This will also take away from the atmosphere as the real fans will be split into the areas above and below this area which could make getting the whole stand singing together impossible as the people at the bottom are cut off from the sound of the people further back.

I can only speak for myself on my next point but i will not be renewing my season ticket if this area is built, not that the club will care becuase of the thousands more they will make in revenue from this new hopitality area, and i remember nigel howe not so long ago saying on local radio how the season ticket holders were the life blood of the club.
I wonder how many more loyal, long term supporters will not renew because of this? the supporters that have been there though the good and the bad years, because Mr Howe if the bad years come back and heaven forbid we are relegated in two or three years time will these hospitality boxes still be full? i don't think so neither will the majority of these fair weather supporters only here because we are in the premier league.
a better idea i propsose may be to extend the current hopitality areas through the south stand where only the most recent season ticket holders sit and the away fans, although i imagen the fact that the seats in question also back onto the jazz cafe has something to do with it.

These plans may only effect a relativly small number of supporters for now, but what if they decide to expand this development a year or so later, spliting the east stand into a higher and lower tier with higher ticket prices for the top tier and the current prices for lower, would you want to pay more for the same view just because they built some boxes accross the stand? and i know that may not happen and the club will deny any future expansion plans but it is possible, it s easier for the club to make these changes a small amount at a time as some people not effected by this now may not oppose these changes as they are "Progress" but then lose their seat later on, divide and conquer i think it is called.

Also to learn of these plans from a leaflet handed out seconds before kickoff rather than from the club itself shows the disrespect they have for the supporters in general.

Obviously i don't want to lose my seat, but if i didn't sit in this area i would still think a hopitality area in the east stand is wrong. the east stand is like the south bank of old elm park where the normal supporters go to support and cheer on the lads, the executives and coporates should be kept accross the park where they have always been.

Long post i know, i hope you all have something to say on the issue to.

i agree, but unfortunately thats the way it is.....money talks and rfc is in the business of making money...hopefully!

[Coppelled Streets]

Amazing what people would throw money at - and i reckon they would fill it.

Totally agree. And although I think it's wrong to move the fans that will lose their seats, this is posh Berkshire and I'm sure we'll fill those seats also.

Quite why the football club cant do this at the front of the extension I don't know. That way no one has to move!

[PieEater]

and the north stand.....

[Coppelled Streets]

It brings a tear to my eye to see this club grow like this.

Coppell OUT!

[.:BigDaveInTheDungeon:.]

i agree, but unfortunately thats the way it is.....money talks and rfc is in the business of making money...hopefully!

well from that picture its another 14 rows not including the rows taken out to build the glass doors, its getting to be quiet alot of people who will be displaced because of this.
the club will still be making lots more money with all the extra seats they will be building for gate receipts, which will also increase the amount they will charge for advertisements in the ground/program due to higher potential customers and for contracts to sell food within the ground.
the club will still be making thousands more each game than they do now without this hospitality area.

[PieEater]

i agree, but unfortunately thats the way it is.....money talks and rfc is in the business of making money...hopefully!

Maybe, but you wouldn't expect the supporters trust to be actively participating in it to oust long-standing fans, in order to replace them with a more lucrative variety.

The pics I posted may be way off the mark for what will happen, but you have to ask the question who would you believe; an official document submitted to the Reading planning department; or a line spun by the club to STAR at a covert meeting?

[Kurtz]

Why dont they put the hospitality area in the Jazz Cafe with windows facing out towards Whitley with some HDTV screens in front of them to give a decent impression of viewing the pitch from behind a glass screen, champers in hand. Those prawn sandwich munchers barely watch the game anyway.

Not averse to progress but as ever the club seem to have an in built capacity to mess up relatively simple communications messages. A courteous email to affected STHs might have been a good place to start. For all the money sloshing around it can't be that hard to invest in decent PR.

Row X forever

[paultheroyal]

Stadium will look mightily impressive when its all finished.

[.:BigDaveInTheDungeon:.]

Stadium will look mightily impressive when its all finished.

not with these stupid glass windows breaking up the stands.

[Yellowcoat]

All these whinges may be academic as I believe Reading Borough Council have deferred a decision on the planning application until at least May. What many of the moaners are forgetting is that the club need to have an income stream throughout the year not just on a limited number of match days. A lounge with view of the pitch is going to be far more attractive than one with view of Whitley!

[premiership_bound]

All these whinges may be academic as I believe Reading Borough Council have deferred a decision on the planning application until at least May.

If that's true it may put the whole project back a year as all the ground work needs to be completed during the off season. If permission is not given until May not sure if they will have enough time to carry this work out.

[Wycombe Royal]

All these whinges may be academic as I believe Reading Borough Council have deferred a decision on the planning application until at least May.

If that's true it may put the whole project back a year as all the ground work needs to be completed during the off season. If permission is not given until May not sure if they will have enough time to carry this work out.

According to the RBC Planning website the committee meeting date is now 23/05/2007.

[weybridgewanderer]

Stadium will look mightily impressive when its all finished.

not with these stupid glass windows breaking up the stands.

So the Emirates doesn't look impressive? its got glass all round the middle tier breaking up the stands

However glass windows with a view of the pitch is pure conjecture. I am not sure the plans show "glass" as the dividing wall.

A premium lounge I use at a ground in Scotland has direct access to the premium seats but has no windows and no view of the pitch.

[Behindu]

From mthe plans it would look like that area would either be like the current disabled bays (ie a big brick wall with an advert on) or could have access to a hospitality area.

The plan seems to be making better use of the space than just blanking it off and restricitng access to the concourses. You couldn't actually put seats there becasue of the disabled access area.

The thought that this is somehow 'breaking up' the design doesn't make sense - it is no different to the current set up in essence.

The remaining objection of people moving seats is a bit harder to dismiss (although the point Yellowcoat made yesterday about season tickets not being debentures is valid if a bit hard hearted !). I think that the club SHOULD ensure we are kept informed of plans in the way they have been doing so far and they do seem to have committed to ensuring anyone affected is not only given first choice of a new location but also some form of compensation. What more could they do ?

I can see for some people the plan will be a good one for various reasons :

- we get a wider choice of options for how we watch games
- people get the chance to rethink where they sit, can get groups of seats together with friends they can't sit with now

If you bear in mind that there isn't a bad seat in the whole ground then a move a few rows one way of the other is not a huge inconvenience. At other clubs people get turfed out of their season ticket seats DURING THE SEASON (Wolves) or whole stands get totally redeveloped and reconfigured.

The club are aware that some people are concerned about the possible plans and I think they need to keep the communication coming - but we also need to stop panicing. It's not as if there is any chance we won;t get a seat....

[bigmike]

From mthe plans it would look like that area would either be like the current disabled bays (ie a big brick wall with an advert on) or could have access to a hospitality area.

The plan seems to be making better use of the space than just blanking it off and restricitng access to the concourses. You couldn't actually put seats there becasue of the disabled access area.

The thought that this is somehow 'breaking up' the design doesn't make sense - it is no different to the current set up in essence.

The remaining objection of people moving seats is a bit harder to dismiss (although the point Yellowcoat made yesterday about season tickets not being debentures is valid if a bit hard hearted !). I think that the club SHOULD ensure we are kept informed of plans in the way they have been doing so far and they do seem to have committed to ensuring anyone affected is not only given first choice of a new location but also some form of compensation. What more could they do ?

I can see for some people the plan will be a good one for various reasons :

- we get a wider choice of options for how we watch games
- people get the chance to rethink where they sit, can get groups of seats together with friends they can't sit with now

If you bear in mind that there isn't a bad seat in the whole ground then a move a few rows one way of the other is not a huge inconvenience. At other clubs people get turfed out of their season ticket seats DURING THE SEASON (Wolves) or whole stands get totally redeveloped and reconfigured.

The club are aware that some people are concerned about the possible plans and I think they need to keep the communication coming - but we also need to stop panicing. It's not as if there is any chance we won;t get a seat....

they need to keep the communication coming ??????

Thats the whole problem it WAS NOT communicated by the club the people in the possible affected area were handed some random sheet of paper telling them about it. If you believe that the club has carried out effective proactive customer services I hope you dont work for a customer sevices related company. Infact if any one that works with/for me had carried out the same lack of customer services they would have been marched to Hr and handed a Written warning. It is shocking but I guess as long as the minority of people with the money to buy season tickets in the new prawn sandwich seats are happy why should the club or STAR Care?