Main Stand redevelopment thread

[est1905]

the answer is that Chelsea utilised their big squad and did play a few youngsters e.g. George upfront, however, as they progressed the team got stronger each round and they played a full team in the final.

Can we get back to the Main Stand discussion now.

Now the 6 houses are being knocked down hopefully we shall see some progress this year. Let's just hope we don't get relegated once it's built as per Chelsea in the early 80s

This

 

[est1905]

The question is not whether other Championship (or even League One) clubs would have better stadiums than ours. The question is whether, if we were in the Championship, we could sell enough seats and corporate boxes in the new stand to cover the payments for it.

This very knowledgeable looking source confirms what we all know: Palace do not get close to selling out even the existing capacity if in the Championship, and often the average attendance, even when we have a good team fighting for promotion, is thousands short of capacity.

Average attendances

Crystal Palace Supporters' Website

www.holmesdale.net

Hence the white elephant risk.

The reason for this is a lack of faith in the team to get promotion. The longer we stay in the Prem (hopefully many more years to come) the more fans will stick with the team in the event of a relegation in the realistic hope of an instant return.
People that think 35,000 that turned up to watch City in the third tier are deluded if they think that was just loyal support from a bigger club. It was because they were hoping/expecting to see City smash everyone every week. Even fans aren't always loyal to a club that is failing.
My bet is if Palace stayed in the Prem for another ten years and then got relegated the fans will be queuing round the block to watch us tear up the Championship.

 

[TheBigToePunt]

That was 14 years ago. The club has evolved.

We cannot stand still as a club. We did that for years and that is why we failed to cement a top level berth.
The money available for stadium development is not solely dependent on our league status. We have owners worth billions of dollars. We also have assets on the field.

Perhaps we have evolved, but to the point of needing a 34000 seat stadium in the Championship? That is double our average attendance last time we were in that league, or any time we've been in it in modern memory.

All available evidence is clear that we only need the new stand in the top flight. That doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice, or beneficial otherwise, but it isn't evidently needed unless we are at the top table.

The other thing is paying for it. The owners aren't going to pay for the stand, are they? The club is, including by way of a loan of at least £125m which will need to be paid back. To do that we need income, and we would have a lot less of it one division down. In that respect money for the stand is entirely dependant on league status. It will take x years to pay for itself if sold out every week at premier league ticket prices, but a lot longer otherwise, if it can be done at all.

Yes, assets on the field was my original point. They are an insurance policy that we just didn't have in 2018. Lets hope we never need to cash in on them, at least not to cover the stand debt, but to my mind they must be the best guard against risk that a club can have.

 

[TheBigToePunt]

The reason for this is a lack of faith in the team to get promotion. The longer we stay in the Prem (hopefully many more years to come) the more fans will stick with the team in the event of a relegation in the realistic hope of an instant return.
People that think 35,000 that turned up to watch City in the third tier are deluded if they think that was just loyal support from a bigger club. It was because they were hoping/expecting to see City smash everyone every week. Even fans aren't always loyal to a club that is failing.
My bet is if Palace stayed in the Prem for another ten years and then got relegated the fans will be queuing round the block to watch us tear up the Championship.

I'll have some of what you're having! 😉

Seriously, I am sure the club have a contingency plan to pay for the stand if we get relegated, as that is a constant possibility over the time it will take us to pay it off. I would be surprised if it involved a presumption of 34000 sell out crowds, though.

Lets hope we never find out!

 

[Hrolf The Ganger]

Perhaps we have evolved, but to the point of needing a 34000 seat stadium in the Championship? That is double our average attendance last time we were in that league, or any time we've been in it in modern memory.

All available evidence is clear that we only need the new stand in the top flight. That doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice, or beneficial otherwise, but it isn't evidently needed unless we are at the top table.

The other thing is paying for it. The owners aren't going to pay for the stand, are they? The club is, including by way of a loan of at least £125m which will need to be paid back. To do that we need income, and we would have a lot less of it one division down. In that respect money for the stand is entirely dependant on league status. It will take x years to pay for itself if sold out every week at premier league ticket prices, but a lot longer otherwise, if it can be done at all.

Yes, assets on the field was my original point. They are an insurance policy that we just didn't have in 2018. Lets hope we never need to cash in on them, at least not to cover the stand debt, but to my mind they must be the best guard against risk that a club can have.

I think you need to forget about the 34k and focus on the wooden relic that is laughably referred to as the Main Stand. It is not fit for a professional club in the 21st century.
We don't know what the arrangements are for the loan, so any discussion is speculation.
Also remember that costs in the Championship go down as well as income.

I would be staggered if relegation halted the build. It just makes no long term sense for anyone.

 

[mtp1958]

Knocked anything else down today?

Yes £2 off rioja in sainsbury 👍🏻