Do we need a new stadium?

[MattyRangers]

seems like a lot of you guys think we wouldnt be able to match Fulhams crowds. They got 25,698 at the weekend. Lots of tourists and so on but with a similar plan we could surely get 30k. Southampton got 30,713 at home last week. What were their Dell crowds like? 10 or 11k? Reading at Elm Pk? Swansea at the Vetch? Its not like there is not precedent for this. Coventry would get 25k in the premier league. Have we not had this thread multiple times by now?

Reading, Southampton & Swansea have a far larger catchment area than us - we are competing with countless clubs in London for support. The only side you mentioned in London is Foolham, and they were getting near on 20k sell outs in their first year in the PL and have near enough sold out every season since at whatever their capacity is (due to constant increase to what Craven Cottage holds) - therefore they have warranted their increases. We arent selling out often as it is, so its not the best comparison IMO.


As I have previously stated dont get me wrong Impretty sure crowds would jump abit if and when we moved to a new stadium, but I, personally, find it hard to believe there will be a significant rise - maybe 3 or 4k IMHO.

[Brian Wilson]

Some fair points but the club cant progress as it is at Loftus Rd.

The extra revenue from concerts, other sporting events and all the corporate stuff would bring in a lot of extra revenue. A new ground would be a lot more appealing to familes who dont have to try pick out seats from limited locations and can also make use of all the better facilites. We could start with 30k with room for expansion.

If we are gonna stay at Loftus Rd then we need to accept that we are a middling league 1/championship yo yo club at best as we will be left behind by all the other clubs like Fulham snapping up the casual fans

[Busheyboy]

the costs of going now is a big factor in this debate. My trip to Spurs last week cost over £85, whch included fares, food, drink, programme, etc and lots of people are finding it tough financially. It's very well some people sweep this issue under the carpet, but it is reality.
Hstorically, football was a working man's sport, predominantly watched by working class people. When players, many of whom are average, earn in a week, what working class people work their nuts off to earn in 3 years, it makes a mockery of this.
I repeat from an earlier post, prices won't go down. Filling a bigger ground for us would be difficult, also based on the number of other clubs there are in London

[stanistheman]

Do you actually think that the extra £10 for a ticket is stopping thousands upon thousands of fans coming?

Not meana sound like Im having a pop btw, genuinally wondering as, IMO, I dont think reducing it by a 10er will bring too many more fans in. Some, yes, but not to the tune of 7 or 8k fans.

I think the price, stadium facilities and lack of success are all factors in why we see tickets still available.

If QPR can build a new stadium, that alone will attract 3-5,000 new fans. Cheaper prices and success on the pitch will attract a few 1000s more.

If this new 40000 satdium was ready for perhaps the 2015-16 season, by then QPR could be an established top 7 club and will be able to attract 30,000 for many games and perhaps more for bigger games. There's not much point building a sate of the art stadium -if that is what they want to stage concerts and other events/uses, and make it a 25-30,000 capacity.

The main point is this new stadium will help improve the club’s income for the new rules that will be in place soon, and will allow for more fans to be attracted in the future by success on the pitch. For me the two go hand in hand.

If QPR don’t build a new stadium, the club will eventually fail to meet the new financial rules and will have to be run on a shoestring budget and ultimately out of the top flight.

[Gtleighsr3]

new built ground share is the future.

[lymehoop]

foolham had under 10,000 average in the late 90's, so there is proof we can expand our fan base, 30-35,000 stadium would be ideal

[72bus]

look at MK dons stadium , when we went there last year i noticed they had built another level all round but yet unopened, a 25,000 new stadium would be fine and if we attract bigger crowds then copy MK

[mat72]

I have serious doubts we could ever fill a 40-45 thousand seat stadium. I do think with some serious thought and effort we could get somewhere near 30 thousand.
It can be done, Charlton proved it, when they was in the premier league and getting 26-27 thousand fans a large amount of those were coming from Kent. They used to lay on cheap coaches all over Kent going to the Valley. Even though they have been out of the premier for a good few years now they still attract decent crowds. The last I heard when/ if they return to the premier league they will expand their ground further. One things for sure Rangers will never find 40 odd thousand fans in West London. Think it just needs some thought..

[Bigears]

AS mentioned above the 40k stadium is not focused at QPR in the short or medium term but for the other activities they wish to hold, as this means we can rival other venues such as Wembley Stadium, O2 but with better links.

A multipurpose stadium will lose up to 30% as it is reconfigured depending which event it is for, but the money generated will be used to help increase the club revenue allowing us to continue to buy good players.

The question we need to ask, are we prepared to invest in the time required to build up the fan base or do we just want a sugar daddy like Man C and Chelski.

A sugar Daddy means small stadium keeping the current situation or invest time in doing a John Gregory and building over time. There is no point in investing in a new stadium if you cant get the capacity or the flexibility to be multi purpose and sell it out o the required audience targets.

I am not open to what the plans are or the business plans but i get a feeling they do and if that is the plan thats what they will follow, we just need to either go with it or not.

I for one think they deserve the chance to build and invest so i am going to trust and give it time investment.

[Gtleighsr3]

I have serious doubts we could ever fill a 40-45 thousand seat stadium. I do think with some serious thought and effort we could get somewhere near 30 thousand.
It can be done, Charlton proved it, when they was in the premier league and getting 26-27 thousand fans a large amount of those were coming from Kent. They used to lay on cheap coaches all over Kent going to the Valley. Even though they have been out of the premier for a good few years now they still attract decent crowds. The last I heard when/ if they return to the premier league they will expand their ground further. One things for sure Rangers will never find 40 odd thousand fans in West London. Think it just needs some thought..

we could easily fill 40 50 k stadia,well v mancs,pool,Ars etc and when we give them 20k tckts lol

[MYU]

Do you actually think that the extra £10 for a ticket is stopping thousands upon thousands of fans coming?

Not meana sound like Im having a pop btw, genuinally wondering as, IMO, I dont think reducing it by a 10er will bring too many more fans in. Some, yes, but not to the tune of 7 or 8k fans.

You could be right, however people just don't have the money right now. I do feel with the prices lower we could attract more to our ground, instead of going else where.

A few years ago I went to Bradford FC for work, they had the same problem with not many going. He said they reduced the ST prices to around £110 and sold the full ground. I then asked how they made money and he just said they do but wouldn't tell me how. My guess is match day programs, food and drink, that's all I can think of. The other could be advertising around the ground, the more people that see it, the more it will be worth?

We have some good people on board right now and I'm sure they'll have a trick up there sleeves.

[mat72]

we could easily fill 40 50 k stadia,well v mancs,pool,Ars etc and when we give them 20k tckts lol

That's one way of doing it...

[QPRDave]

Yes we need a new stadium.............No more restricted views, away fans accommodated properly in their own section, extra income from other revenue streams, new fans attracted to a new facility.

[Gtleighsr3]

when they knock HQ down,whos gonna fight for a pillar

[1973 ranger]

No as you have to have a team to put in it and at the moment we dont have one. Look at Boro and Coventry. A new manager is more needed than a ground this man is a joker