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Post by supergas on Mar 10, 2024 14:05:37 GMT
Speak for yourself, shorty. 😃 It's the wheelchair access I'd require, has anything been done to address that? Was it ever planned as it looks impossible to me from the stands design? Yes it's in the original plans, two separate areas at the front, one near the away terrace, one by the West Stand |
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Post by supergas on Mar 10, 2024 14:24:34 GMT
To be fair the entire New Plough Lane stadium cost £34m for a capacity of 9000+, and whilst the only fully 'modern' new stand is the West Stand (capacity 4267) you can see how we *could* build a decent East Stand for £20m, including all the matchday and non-matchday facilities required (Plough Lane has 750+ banqueting/conferencing spaces, club shop, plus all the required matchday facilities like lots of hospitality suites, changing rooms, inside warm-up areas and media facilities). £20m would almost certainly get us everything we need, and we could follow the AFC-model - build to accommodate everything we want and need, but no need to fit out everything from day one - complete everything you need to generate revenue and then use that revenue to finish off the other parts... You know more than me about New Plough Lane but I understand 3 sides are temporary stands? It was built 3-4 years ago? I’m lead to believe construction costs have largely doubled since covid. As a diyer who had extensive work built since then i understand timber is still twice the price it was and a lot of materials are more expensive as well. However someone in construction would know better than me! A quick google suggests it was a greyhound stadium (the irony!) so there’s probably a lot less destruction required. And of course they didn’t have to worry about still playing there and losing most of their existing facilities for however long it took to build the stand and all the faff and inconvenience that goes with it Our temporary stand cost £3mn alone, so if we say called it £2mn as it was before everything went mad then it would be about £28mn for their main stand. If you’re telling me the whole site was £34mn I feel that reinforces that it’ll be an extension rather than a full rebuild. If it’s £20mn or so for us and we still need to get a North Stand and something in the North West as well then that just reinforces it even more as the North will surely have to be complete rebuild. Three sides are 'temporary' in the sense they are well-built stands that are easily upgradable. It's one of the best ideas any club has had in the last couple of decades - one fully fitted out stand with everything you need and three where you can just get bums on seats (or arms leaning against safe-standing railings). I googled construction costs, materials seem in general to have gone up around 33% since covid but are falling again since their 2022 high - regardless each development like this is bespoke and there are numerous other factors at play - not least we would have to find some construction workers in Bristol who are not currently building student accommodation. Anyway, lots to be learned from AFC Wimbledon, if the club hasn't already they should definitely go and have a look and talk to those involved - it will be of far more benefit vs what they learned at Brighton... |
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stuart1974
Proper Gas
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Post by stuart1974 on Mar 10, 2024 14:34:01 GMT
You know more than me about New Plough Lane but I understand 3 sides are temporary stands? It was built 3-4 years ago? I’m lead to believe construction costs have largely doubled since covid. As a diyer who had extensive work built since then i understand timber is still twice the price it was and a lot of materials are more expensive as well. However someone in construction would know better than me! A quick google suggests it was a greyhound stadium (the irony!) so there’s probably a lot less destruction required. And of course they didn’t have to worry about still playing there and losing most of their existing facilities for however long it took to build the stand and all the faff and inconvenience that goes with it Our temporary stand cost £3mn alone, so if we say called it £2mn as it was before everything went mad then it would be about £28mn for their main stand. If you’re telling me the whole site was £34mn I feel that reinforces that it’ll be an extension rather than a full rebuild. If it’s £20mn or so for us and we still need to get a North Stand and something in the North West as well then that just reinforces it even more as the North will surely have to be complete rebuild. Three sides are 'temporary' in the sense they are well-built stands that are easily upgradable. It's one of the best ideas any club has had in the last couple of decades - one fully fitted out stand with everything you need and three where you can just get bums on seats (or arms leaning against safe-standing railings). I googled construction costs, materials seem in general to have gone up around 33% since covid but are falling again since their 2022 high - regardless each development like this is bespoke and there are numerous other factors at play - not least we would have to find some construction workers in Bristol who are not currently building student accommodation. Anyway, lots to be learned from AFC Wimbledon, if the club hasn't already they should definitely go and have a look and talk to those involved - it will be of far more benefit vs what they learned at Brighton... I'd be quite content to follow their example if money for development is tight. Replicate the south stand to replace the north and west and throw the majority of the funds at a really good east stand. Replace the others as and when we can. |
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Post by gasonthemount on Mar 10, 2024 19:25:03 GMT
Only 13 seats left in south/southwest stands this morning, so apart from segregation it should be bouncing, hopefully only on the home side. I sat in the south stand yesterday for the first time only because I’ve done my Achilles and wasn’t sure about manoeuvring myself up and down the terraces of the thatchers. There’s still no stalls in the concourse yet , all they had was a mobile bar with two serving it took 15 minutes to get served and there were only 20 people in front of me when I joined the queue. The seating is very cramped , I’m only 5,9 and my knees were touching the seat in front of me which actually made my legs and achillies ache as well. Anyone taller than me would have found it even more cramped and if you’re over 6 ft then I’d forget it as there were blokes that tall sat on the diagonal luckily for them it wasn’t quite a sell out as if every seat had been full they literally wouldn’t have been able to sit down. The atmosphere was extremely quiet where I was sat , could only hear the derby fans who were loud. All in all not impressed with it at all , I suppose it’s increased the capacity which is good but I’ve got literally no other positives to say really. Really surprised at your comments about the leg room. The South Stand has the best leg room in the whole stadium. The West and East stands are only suitable for fans who are below average height. There were 4 food and drinks outlets yesterday and additional temporary toilets had been brought in. I am sure this will all be sorted for next season. As for the atmosphere what do you expect when you are losing 0-3 at home. In other matches it has been quite lively. Looking forward to next season when the stand will be filled with S/T holders. |
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Post by GasAttacK on Mar 11, 2024 13:59:13 GMT
I know the new South / SW Stand was supposed to have 10+ disabled spaces split between home and away sections.
Are these in use yet?
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Post by gas2 on Mar 11, 2024 14:17:40 GMT
Iwould build anew West stand and North stand I
the same way as the South stand then build a massive East stand with corperate boxes and other money making things
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Post by gasbluesman on Mar 12, 2024 9:46:36 GMT
Is it possibly time to bring back that family stand tent but put it towards the south east? Give up a bit more terrace to away fans so they have seating and terrace options. This way the whole south stand can be home fans only.
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Post by supergas on Mar 12, 2024 11:28:35 GMT
I know the new South / SW Stand was supposed to have 10+ disabled spaces split between home and away sections. Are these in use yet? Not that I've seen yet....they're supposed to be right at the front  |
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Post by GasAttacK on Mar 12, 2024 13:11:41 GMT
I know the new South / SW Stand was supposed to have 10+ disabled spaces split between home and away sections. Are these in use yet? Not that I've seen yet....they're supposed to be right at the front View AttachmentThanks. Yes, unfortunately they were always likely to be at the front. Looks like they're supposed to be in the SW corner which probably makes sense. I wonder why they're not in use yet. Maybe they can't use them until they get 100% capacity passed. |
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Post by supergas on Mar 13, 2024 9:17:40 GMT
Not that I've seen yet....they're supposed to be right at the front View AttachmentThanks. Yes, unfortunately they were always likely to be at the front. Looks like they're supposed to be in the SW corner which probably makes sense. I wonder why they're not in use yet. Maybe they can't use them until they get 100% capacity passed. Just looking at the plans vs the photos I don't think they moved the pitch as far north as planned this season - as it stands they definitely couldn't fit the spaces in safely as per the plans, they would almost be up to the goal-line. |
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nsgas
Reserve Team
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Post by nsgas on Mar 20, 2024 18:14:23 GMT
The club don't appear to be selling tickets in Block G for any of the remaining home matches. Anybody know why, and if this is going to change? I've been holding off buying tickets for the Shrewsbury match on Easter Monday for a couple of weeks now waiting for Block G to become available.
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Post by aforce on Jun 5, 2024 11:26:05 GMT
I see there was supposed to be solar panels on this stand as part of planning but rovers havent installed them. Could they get into trouble for leaving this off? You would have thought it was in their interest. Could also make future applications difficult if they don’t adhere to their responsibilities.
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Post by curlywurly on Jun 6, 2024 22:53:25 GMT
I see there was supposed to be solar panels on this stand as part of planning but rovers havent installed them. Could they get into trouble for leaving this off? You would have thought it was in their interest. Could also make future applications difficult if they don’t adhere to their responsibilities. I guess it depends whether the development is finished or not. As we've seen, various conditions set through the planning approval for the stand are still being completed at the moment. As the PV installation provided part of the overall energy efficiency case, there could be enforcement and reputational damage if they are not installed.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Aug 1, 2024 14:05:30 GMT
The progress on the South Stand is not as rapid as some supporters might hope.
Although improvements continue some of the changes are not easily discerned.
The building of this facility offers some flexibility over developments in the stadium as a whole.
It looks like some disabled away supporters spaces, possibly five, have been created in front of the East Stand next to the neutral section.
A large number of disabled away seats now exist, possibly 15 or so, at the top of the County Contractors terracing.
Possibly. The need for Disabled seating at the front of the South Stand may not be so pressing now.
In the concourse five largish tvs may be visible above the South Stand seat entrances. More permanent barriers may be in place at these points to ensure spectators who consume alcohol cannot view the pitch at the same time.
Extra cladding may be in place at the rear of the concourse to prevent over exuberant and thoughtless fans climbing upon the previously low height cladding.
A new gate and fencing may be noticed at the Away Supporters entrance. A general site clearance may have created a new parking space for the Away team coach.
In the bottom corner of the car park a compound might exist which replaces the "untidy" section that has existed for many years directly behind the Away fans area of the East Terrace.
At the top of the South Stand seats in a central location a small section has been created which looks like it could be a police/stewards observation point.
New LED boards seem to be in place in front of the South, East and North sides of the stadium.
It looks like the CCTV and lighting that is wanted for the South Stand is done.
The South West corner toilets and the refreshment provision does not look different.
Painting work is evident in some indoor sections of the stadium, such as the West Stand bars, but areas such as the Yellow walkways, which were all done last close season do not appear to have been refreshed.
It does seem as though the Health and Safety requirements of the stadium gave been prioritised this close season. This is to be welcomed and encouraged.
Then again, there is a lot that can still be added, removed or altered in a ten day period.
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Post by kruger on Aug 1, 2024 15:22:50 GMT
Be nice to see the screen up ready for the 1st game
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Post by oldmarket65 on Aug 1, 2024 16:18:12 GMT
The progress on the South Stand is not as rapid as some supporters might hope. Although improvements continue some of the changes are not easily discerned. The building of this facility offers some flexibility over developments in the stadium as a whole. It looks like some disabled away supporters spaces, possibly five, have been created in front of the East Stand next to the neutral section. A large number of disabled away seats now exist, possibly 15 or so, at the top of the County Contractors terracing. Possibly. The need for Disabled seating at the front of the South Stand may not be so pressing now. In the concourse five largish tvs may be visible above the South Stand seat entrances. More permanent barriers may be in place at these points to ensure spectators who consume alcohol cannot view the pitch at the same time. Extra cladding may be in place at the rear of the concourse to prevent over exuberant and thoughtless fans climbing upon the previously low height cladding. A new gate and fencing may be noticed at the Away Supporters entrance. A general site clearance may have created a new parking space for the Away team coach. In the bottom corner of the car park a compound might exist which replaces the "untidy" section that has existed for many years directly behind the Away fans area of the East Terrace. At the top of the South Stand seats in a central location a small section has been created which looks like it could be a police/stewards observation point. New LED boards seem to be in place in front of the South, East and North sides of the stadium. It looks like the CCTV and lighting that is wanted for the South Stand is done. The South West corner toilets and the refreshment provision does not look different. Painting work is evident in some indoor sections of the stadium, such as the West Stand bars, but areas such as the Yellow walkways, which were all done last close season do not appear to have been refreshed. It does seem as though the Health and Safety requirements of the stadium gave been prioritised this close season. This is to be welcomed and encouraged. Then again, there is a lot that can still be added, removed or altered in a ten day period. Is there any info on the back of South stand underneath ?. Have the gates been moved over or added to separate fans ?. Is there now scope to increase the away following in South stand including exit points ?. Our overall attendance could be improved if we can be flexible in opening up additional parts of South stand ( when required). |
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Post by bidefordgas on Aug 1, 2024 16:43:22 GMT
The progress on the South Stand is not as rapid as some supporters might hope. Although improvements continue some of the changes are not easily discerned. The building of this facility offers some flexibility over developments in the stadium as a whole. It looks like some disabled away supporters spaces, possibly five, have been created in front of the East Stand next to the neutral section. A large number of disabled away seats now exist, possibly 15 or so, at the top of the County Contractors terracing. Possibly. The need for Disabled seating at the front of the South Stand may not be so pressing now. In the concourse five largish tvs may be visible above the South Stand seat entrances. More permanent barriers may be in place at these points to ensure spectators who consume alcohol cannot view the pitch at the same time. Extra cladding may be in place at the rear of the concourse to prevent over exuberant and thoughtless fans climbing upon the previously low height cladding. A new gate and fencing may be noticed at the Away Supporters entrance. A general site clearance may have created a new parking space for the Away team coach. In the bottom corner of the car park a compound might exist which replaces the "untidy" section that has existed for many years directly behind the Away fans area of the East Terrace. At the top of the South Stand seats in a central location a small section has been created which looks like it could be a police/stewards observation point. New LED boards seem to be in place in front of the South, East and North sides of the stadium. It looks like the CCTV and lighting that is wanted for the South Stand is done. The South West corner toilets and the refreshment provision does not look different. Painting work is evident in some indoor sections of the stadium, such as the West Stand bars, but areas such as the Yellow walkways, which were all done last close season do not appear to have been refreshed. It does seem as though the Health and Safety requirements of the stadium gave been prioritised this close season. This is to be welcomed and encouraged. Then again, there is a lot that can still be added, removed or altered in a ten day period. Is there any info on the back of South stand underneath ?. Have the gates been moved over or added to separate fans ?. Is there now scope to increase the away following in South stand including exit points ?. Our overall attendance could be improved if we can be flexible in opening up additional parts of South stand ( when required). As blocks e and f are virtually full with ST holders, it would appear that half of block g will be available for the larger away followings and available for home supporters when that’s not the case. That means that the away allocation will remain the same as it has been. |
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Post by Sir Trevor on Aug 1, 2024 19:01:07 GMT
The progress on the South Stand is not as rapid as some supporters might hope. Although improvements continue some of the changes are not easily discerned. The building of this facility offers some flexibility over developments in the stadium as a whole. It looks like some disabled away supporters spaces, possibly five, have been created in front of the East Stand next to the neutral section. A large number of disabled away seats now exist, possibly 15 or so, at the top of the County Contractors terracing. Possibly. The need for Disabled seating at the front of the South Stand may not be so pressing now. In the concourse five largish tvs may be visible above the South Stand seat entrances. More permanent barriers may be in place at these points to ensure spectators who consume alcohol cannot view the pitch at the same time. Extra cladding may be in place at the rear of the concourse to prevent over exuberant and thoughtless fans climbing upon the previously low height cladding. A new gate and fencing may be noticed at the Away Supporters entrance. A general site clearance may have created a new parking space for the Away team coach. In the bottom corner of the car park a compound might exist which replaces the "untidy" section that has existed for many years directly behind the Away fans area of the East Terrace. At the top of the South Stand seats in a central location a small section has been created which looks like it could be a police/stewards observation point. New LED boards seem to be in place in front of the South, East and North sides of the stadium. It looks like the CCTV and lighting that is wanted for the South Stand is done. The South West corner toilets and the refreshment provision does not look different. Painting work is evident in some indoor sections of the stadium, such as the West Stand bars, but areas such as the Yellow walkways, which were all done last close season do not appear to have been refreshed. It does seem as though the Health and Safety requirements of the stadium gave been prioritised this close season. This is to be welcomed and encouraged. Then again, there is a lot that can still be added, removed or altered in a ten day period. Is there any info on the back of South stand underneath ?. Have the gates been moved over or added to separate fans ?. Is there now scope to increase the away following in South stand including exit points ?. Our overall attendance could be improved if we can be flexible in opening up additional parts of South stand ( when required). There is no evidence of current changes which permit significantly larger away fans numbers in the South Stand. In fact, it may not be desirable to offer seating in prime spots behind the goal which potentially boosts the support for Away sides. Many other clubs are developing their plans for Away supporters which splits them up and/or ensures they are not in the prime spots behind the goal. We have not really enjoyed much success in previous years when we allowed large numbers of Away fans to take over the South Stand. FGR? Leeds United? etc. The Lambert game, 1-0, is an exception. A much larger circulation area would be required to increase Away fans numbers. The physical limitations of the "behind the stands" area are unfortunately fixed. Entrance and egress points are a further limtation on Away capacity. No Alton Road use. Sadly. An increased provision in terms of refreshments and toilets is necessary to add extra Away fans. These extra facilities would be costly and would probably need to be installed for the entire season and would need to be semi-permantly installed. These essential facilities would in turn reduce the fixed circulation area and therefore reduce the expected capacity. More coach parking spaces would also be needed. Last season the "bigger" clubs brought large numbers of coaches and had an impact on the ease of exit for the away fans. Our car park is often full to capacity. With bigger away followings we would need to reduce the parking for Home fans to cater for large coach numbers. There would be fewer Home fans able to acquire the season long permit. This is a sizeable income reduction. Larger away followings in the South Stand are obviously possible if Home fans are excluded. For the Plymouth friendly a "record" number of South Stand Away fans was only possible because Home fans were not present. Although the thought of extra income from increased Away income is tempting it may not be the wisest decision. There are only a handful of games when an increase would be likely. How many clubs do you calculate would bring larger totals than we provided at the end of last season? Does the increase on a few occasions justify the potential hassle or cost of the range of changes necessary? If there is a big game next season might not the South Stand full of Home fans rather than Away fans be a much better proposition from a financial and atmosphere perspective? Long term we do need to be more flexible in terms of Away fan numbers provision. You are right to keep raising this issue. Hopefully, the future stadium plans include this aspect as a key driver. |
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Post by oldmarket65 on Aug 1, 2024 19:35:43 GMT
Is there any info on the back of South stand underneath ?. Have the gates been moved over or added to separate fans ?. Is there now scope to increase the away following in South stand including exit points ?. Our overall attendance could be improved if we can be flexible in opening up additional parts of South stand ( when required). There is no evidence of current changes which permit significantly larger away fans numbers in the South Stand. In fact, it may not be desirable to offer seating in prime spots behind the goal which potentially boosts the support for Away sides. Many other clubs are developing their plans for Away supporters which splits them up and/or ensures they are not in the prime spots behind the goal. We have not really enjoyed much success in previous years when we allowed large numbers of Away fans to take over the South Stand. FGR? Leeds United? etc. The Lambert game, 1-0, is an exception. A much larger circulation area would be required to increase Away fans numbers. The physical limitations of the "behind the stands" area are unfortunately fixed. Entrance and egress points are a further limtation on Away capacity. No Alton Road use. Sadly. An increased provision in terms of refreshments and toilets is necessary to add extra Away fans. These extra facilities would be costly and would probably need to be installed for the entire season and would need to be semi-permantly installed. These essential facilities would in turn reduce the fixed circulation area and therefore reduce the expected capacity. More coach parking spaces would also be needed. Last season the "bigger" clubs brought large numbers of coaches and had an impact on the ease of exit for the away fans. Our car park is often full to capacity. With bigger away followings we would need to reduce the parking for Home fans to cater for large coach numbers. There would be fewer Home fans able to acquire the season long permit. This is a sizeable income reduction. Larger away followings in the South Stand are obviously possible if Home fans are excluded. For the Plymouth friendly a "record" number of South Stand Away fans was only possible because Home fans were not present. Although the thought of extra income from increased Away income is tempting it may not be the wisest decision. There are only a handful of games when an increase would be likely. How many clubs do you calculate would bring larger totals than we provided at the end of last season? Does the increase on a few occasions justify the potential hassle or cost of the range of changes necessary? If there is a big game next season might not the South Stand full of Home fans rather than Away fans be a much better proposition from a financial and atmosphere perspective? Long term we do need to be more flexible in terms of Away fan numbers provision. You are right to keep raising this issue. Hopefully, the future stadium plans include this aspect as a key driver. I take your point and thank you for your detailed response. However it would seem 1400 is a very small away allocation for a large ground 12000ish. I believe teams like Cheltenham Newport Yeovil with much smaller grounds offer more away fans . Anyway it is what it is . I accept the new restrictions . |
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Post by Topper Gas on Aug 1, 2024 20:21:33 GMT
Is there any info on the back of South stand underneath ?. Have the gates been moved over or added to separate fans ?. Is there now scope to increase the away following in South stand including exit points ?. Our overall attendance could be improved if we can be flexible in opening up additional parts of South stand ( when required). There is no evidence of current changes which permit significantly larger away fans numbers in the South Stand. In fact, it may not be desirable to offer seating in prime spots behind the goal which potentially boosts the support for Away sides. Many other clubs are developing their plans for Away supporters which splits them up and/or ensures they are not in the prime spots behind the goal. We have not really enjoyed much success in previous years when we allowed large numbers of Away fans to take over the South Stand. FGR? Leeds United? etc. The Lambert game, 1-0, is an exception. A much larger circulation area would be required to increase Away fans numbers. The physical limitations of the "behind the stands" area are unfortunately fixed. Entrance and egress points are a further limtation on Away capacity. No Alton Road use. Sadly. An increased provision in terms of refreshments and toilets is necessary to add extra Away fans. These extra facilities would be costly and would probably need to be installed for the entire season and would need to be semi-permantly installed. These essential facilities would in turn reduce the fixed circulation area and therefore reduce the expected capacity. More coach parking spaces would also be needed. Last season the "bigger" clubs brought large numbers of coaches and had an impact on the ease of exit for the away fans. Our car park is often full to capacity. With bigger away followings we would need to reduce the parking for Home fans to cater for large coach numbers. There would be fewer Home fans able to acquire the season long permit. This is a sizeable income reduction. Larger away followings in the South Stand are obviously possible if Home fans are excluded. For the Plymouth friendly a "record" number of South Stand Away fans was only possible because Home fans were not present. Although the thought of extra income from increased Away income is tempting it may not be the wisest decision. There are only a handful of games when an increase would be likely. How many clubs do you calculate would bring larger totals than we provided at the end of last season? Does the increase on a few occasions justify the potential hassle or cost of the range of changes necessary? If there is a big game next season might not the South Stand full of Home fans rather than Away fans be a much better proposition from a financial and atmosphere perspective? Long term we do need to be more flexible in terms of Away fan numbers provision. You are right to keep raising this issue. Hopefully, the future stadium plans include this aspect as a key driver. I wouldn't worry too much about losing income from car parking permits as if we develop the ground to include flats then that'll probably only leave disabled spaces at the Mem. I'd also imagine a couple of aways fans would pay for a full seasons permit if they buy drinks and food at the ground. As far as giving the whole South Stand to home fans given we have to give at least 10% of the ground capacity to the away teams so it's unlikely the FA will allow us to do that, unless we play somebody like Cambridge in an end of the season crunch match. |
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