Top aiming for top ten finish

[4everfox]

I doubt the proposed stadium expansion is money related. I'll bet its more to do with sending a message, a statement of intent. These Thais mean serious business and I'm absolutely delighted that we have people with ambition running the club. Finally someone with ambition to match the majority of the Leicester supporters.

[Gerard]

Through the late 70s and 80s I was a member and my parents never had any trouble getting tickets for matches. I've now had season ticket since about 90, my other half used to have one until the kids came along and she gave hers up. As the kids have got older we've brought them to more and more matches. This was until last season when they managed about two games, my six and four year old often in tears because my other half can't get tickets to join me, this year she decided that she would get season tickets, not a chance.

As a kid football and Leicester was my life, I lived for Saturday's, weekdays dominated with thoughts of the past and upcoming games, it was the ability to go to all the games that forged my devotion and I have had fantastic days supporting City, I want that for my kids yet I can't give it to them.

I stood with 8000 at filbert street and dreamed of success and bigger crowds, when we started to fill Filbert Street under O'Neill and then moved as Filbert Street couldn't be expanded and we couldn't meet demand I was ecstatic, the club was moving in a direction beyond my wildest dreams. I now look at where the owners are trying to get us to and feel like I did all those years ago. Yes things went wrong on the pitch pretty quickly and we found ourselves down in div 3 but the stadium raised our stock. We attracted the better players, would mandaric have fancied us without the new stadium? Maybe, maybe not. What about the current owners? Most likely not. However when we bounced back everything was in place to progress and expand. If we, as the owners want, are to break into the top half and then further everything needs to be in place otherwise we'll stall, we'll struggle to hold onto players, managers and eventually stagnate. We might get relegated, but If so everything is in place, we may not however, and this is a long term plan for sustained success, we should embrace it.

 

That's a great post.

[Babylon]

The additional profit that we'd generate from having another 8k seats is minimal in the scheme of things. Even generously assuming £25 clear profit per seat per game (not even considering the fact that there would be an upfront cost) would give us another £4m profit per year - Newcastle earned £7 million more than us just for being on tele more often last year.

Match day revenue is virtually irrelevant in the scheme of things. Obviously every little helps but with another even bigger TV deal on the horizon the potential financial benefits of this are trifling

You might think it's virtually irrelevant, but £4-5m a year is two extra players earning £40-50k a week. That can make a difference quite clearly.

[Babylon]

don't tell them that man the extra revenue and pulling power of an extra 5k empty seats is gonna assure us champions league glory in a few years 10000%

You do realise that by twisting what people say to try and win an argument makes you look stupid don't you?

 

Using your point of view we'd never have moved from Filbert Street. The reasons for increasing capacity are the same reasons we left filbert street. To expand. It's not going to happen over night, it will take years of performances on the pitch and investment off it to entice people in. But the facts are we can't currently meet demand.

[thesilverfox]

Through the late 70s and 80s I was a member and my parents never had any trouble getting tickets for matches. I've now had season ticket since about 90, my other half used to have one until the kids came along and she gave hers up. As the kids have got older we've brought them to more and more matches. This was until last season when they managed about two games, my six and four year old often in tears because my other half can't get tickets to join me, this year she decided that she would get season tickets, not a chance.

As a kid football and Leicester was my life, I lived for Saturday's, weekdays dominated with thoughts of the past and upcoming games, it was the ability to go to all the games that forged my devotion and I have had fantastic days supporting City, I want that for my kids yet I can't give it to them.

I stood with 8000 at filbert street and dreamed of success and bigger crowds, when we started to fill Filbert Street under O'Neill and then moved as Filbert Street couldn't be expanded and we couldn't meet demand I was ecstatic, the club was moving in a direction beyond my wildest dreams. I now look at where the owners are trying to get us to and feel like I did all those years ago. Yes things went wrong on the pitch pretty quickly and we found ourselves down in div 3 but the stadium raised our stock. We attracted the better players, would mandaric have fancied us without the new stadium? Maybe, maybe not. What about the current owners? Most likely not. However when we bounced back everything was in place to progress and expand. If we, as the owners want, are to break into the top half and then further everything needs to be in place otherwise we'll stall, we'll struggle to hold onto players, managers and eventually stagnate. We might get relegated, but If so everything is in place, we may not however, and this is a long term plan for sustained success, we should embrace it.

This sums it up perfectly! 

[Guest ttfn]

You might think it's virtually irrelevant, but £4-5m a year is two extra players earning £40-50k a week. That can make a difference quite clearly.

I think that's a fair point but I suspect that in 3 years' time you'll struggle to find a competent Premier League footballer earning less than £30k a week with the new TV deal.

[Babylon]

I think that's a fair point but I suspect that in 3 years' time you'll struggle to find a competent Premier League footballer earning less than £30k a week with the new TV deal.

I dread to think what will happen to wages when the new deal kicks in... James Pearson on £100k a week no doubt.

[Ollie93]

This whole up-tapped market thing is ridiculous, I also don't get the point about expanding the stadium to expand as a club. If that's the case then Swansea, who's ground holds 12,000 circa less than ours, have a much bigger "un-tapped" market. There's no PL football for 100's of miles around them, so why haven't they expanded?

 

Because they've invested in a good manager and good players instead of their stadium, they're what I class as "establish" that's what we should be aiming for. Not filling 40,000 seats. I'd rather see the owners invest money in players, coaching staff and training facilities, than watch us struggling to fill 37-40,000 seats on a Monday night to WBA at home.

[thybluefox]

Some of the assumptions in this thread are remarkable. 

 

If we extend the stadium, we will go down!!

If we don't extend the stadium, we won't stay up!!

 

The truth is that stadium expansion has no short term effect on team performance.

 

What it does offer though is the potential of X thousand more people watching each game. That then relates to X thousand more drinks, pies, burgers, and shirts. Increased turnover means the ability to spend more under FFP (And IIRC infrastructure improvements aren't included in the amount you're able to spend under FFP, right?). An expansion done correctly, with money spent on actual facilities that can generate non-football related revenue, along with additional seats, is an ideal way forward.

 

People say we should wait till we're established in the Premier League. When would that be exactly? Anyone from the top 8 downwards is capable of having a bad season and ending up in a relegation fight. We should do it when the finances make sense. If that's now, then that's now. If its in 2 seasons, then its in 2 seasons. 

 

Because they've invested in a good manager and good players instead of their stadium, they're what I class as "establish" that's what we should be aiming for. Not filling 40,000 seats. I'd rather see the owners invest money in players, coaching staff and training facilities, than watch us struggling to fill 37-40,000 seats on a Monday night to WBA at home.

 

Since when was it a black and white choice between spending money on players and spending money on a stadium? 

[davieG]

This whole up-tapped market thing is ridiculous, I also don't get the point about expanding the stadium to expand as a club. If that's the case then Swansea, who's ground holds 12,000 circa less than ours, have a much bigger "un-tapped" market. There's no PL football for 100's of miles around them, so why haven't they expanded?

 

Because they've invested in a good manager and good players instead of their stadium, they're what I class as "establish" that's what we should be aiming for. Not filling 40,000 seats. I'd rather see the owners invest money in players, coaching staff and training facilities, than watch us struggling to fill 37-40,000 seats on a Monday night to WBA at home.

The money you invest in players is subject to FFP the money you invest in infrastructure isn't. They're completely different budgets. Maybe Swansea haven't extended because they don't have the capital to do so without getting loans. King power seem to have 'surplus' money to invest in expanding their businesses.

[Ollie93]

 

 

Since when was it a black and white choice between spending money on players and spending money on a stadium? 

 

It isn't, but I'd rather see the £X m spent on the stadium on players that will keep us in the league.

[Ollie93]

The money you invest in players is subject to FFP the money you invest in infrastructure isn't. They're completely different budgets. Maybe Swansea haven't extended because they don't have the capital to do so without getting loans. King power seem to have 'surplus' money to invest in expanding their businesses.

 

My point with Swansea is you don't need to expand to become a better club like some in here are suggesting.

[Babylon]

This whole up-tapped market thing is ridiculous, I also don't get the point about expanding the stadium to expand as a club. If that's the case then Swansea, who's ground holds 12,000 circa less than ours, have a much bigger "un-tapped" market. There's no PL football for 100's of miles around them, so why haven't they expanded?

 

Because they've invested in a good manager and good players instead of their stadium, they're what I class as "establish" that's what we should be aiming for. Not filling 40,000 seats. I'd rather see the owners invest money in players, coaching staff and training facilities, than watch us struggling to fill 37-40,000 seats on a Monday night to WBA at home.

You mean Swansea who have plans in place to expand their stadium very soon. Thanks for making the point for us. They moved from Vetchfield in 2005 and went from a 11000 capacity to a 21000 capacity, they are now planning for a 27000 stadium.

 

It's called gradual expansion, which is what we are planning for.

 

The population of Swansea is 250,000. Leicestershire is 600,000. The biggest market is our own, people are making too much of people coming from far afield.

[Babylon]

My point with Swansea is you don't need to expand to become a better club like some in here are suggesting.

Swansea. Vetchfield 11,000, Liberty Stadium, 21000.... stadium expansion in the next year 27,000.

[davieG]

My point with Swansea is you don't need to expand to become a better club like some in here are suggesting.

Maybe but the more income you generate from pure football activities like attendance income the more money your'e allowed to spend on players and stay within FFP.

 

Let's be honest about these so called established clubs below the top 5/6 they are mostly there through a large does of luck by picking the right manager. LCFC during Mons reign were touted as the team to copy just like Swansea are now but all it took was a change in management to Taylor and down we went. Swansea so far have struck gold but i doubt it will last.

[Frank to be]

Swansea have got thousands on their season ticket waiting list. The only reason they haven't expanded already is because the council owns the stadium. About 8k season tickets they've lost out on for a couple of seasons and counting due to their inability to strike while the iron is hot. We don't have that restriction.

[Ollie93]

You mean Swansea who have plans in place to expand their stadium very soon. Thanks for making the point for us. They moved from Vetchfield in 2005 and went from a 11000 capacity to a 21000 capacity, they are now planning for a 27000 stadium.

 

It's called gradual expansion, which is what we are planning for.

 

The population of Swansea is 250,000. Leicestershire is 600,000. The biggest market is our own, people are making too much of people coming from far afield.

 

Clearly everyone has a different opinion don't they. Yes we might need to expand, but you're all getting too excited after one season in the Premier league, if we can consistently sell 32,000 for the next few seasons then by all means go ahead, but I doubt we will.

[Ricey]

Bigger capacity = cheaper tickets and more ticket schemes (kids go free, fans fixtures etc) = increased fanbase over time.

 

As has been raised several times, we will never be an 'established' Premier League club. Stoke have been a mid-table PL side for 7 years, yet one bad season and it's perfectly conceivable that they could be relegated.

 

Now is as a good a time to expand as any.

[Ollie93]

Bigger capacity = cheaper tickets and more ticket schemes (kids go free, fans fixtures etc) = increased fanbase over time.

 

As has been raised several times, we will never be an 'established' Premier League club. Stoke have been a mid-table PL side for 7 years, yet one bad season and it's perfectly conceivable that they could be relegated.

 

Now is as a good a time to expand as any.

 

The ticket prices will stay the same, why would they decrease them if more revenue is the main pro of this stadium expansion?

[Ricey]

The ticket prices will stay the same, why would they decrease them if more revenue is the main pro of this stadium expansion?

 

You could still reduce prices and increase revenue, if the capacity was there to cope with it. 

[Babylon]

Clearly everyone has a different opinion don't they. Yes we might need to expand, but you're all getting too excited after one season in the Premier league, if we can consistently sell 32,000 for the next few seasons then by all means go ahead, but I doubt we will.

It's not happening now is it, the earliest it's going to happen is next summer. By which time we'll have presumably sold out most games (bar away fans and single tickets) for two years. We'd have to stay up for it to happen, so that would mean we'd be in the league that next season for the third consecutive year. The stadium could also be expanded in stages, we don't know if the plans were for it to all happen at one time.

[Dawko]

Just get it done as soon as possible.

Stop faffing about worrying that we haven't been in the Premier League for 4 seasons in a row.

The longer they leave it the more expensive it will be.

Just bloody do it.

[Ollie93]

You could still reduce prices and increase revenue, if the capacity was there to cope with it. 

 

Average ticket price this season say roughly £35 x 32,000 (if its a capacity crowd) = £1.12m

 

If you reduce it to say £30 x 37,000 (again if its full capacity) = £1.11m

[FrankieWorthoYaggedMyWife]

Average ticket price this season say roughly £35 x 32,000 (if its a capacity crowd) = £1.12m

 

If you reduce it to say £30 x 37,000 (again if its full capacity) = £1.11m

 

you're completely ignoring the additional programmes, beer, pies, shop merchandise though aren't you?

[4everfox]

Clearly everyone has a different opinion don't they. Yes we might need to expand, but you're all getting too excited after one season in the Premier league, if we can consistently sell 32,000 for the next few seasons then by all means go ahead, but I doubt we will.

So what are the god knows how many fans demanding tickets yet can't get any going to do until then? The demand is there and expansion would be a sensible idea if the club does nothing then they miss out on extending the size of the clubs fan base. I am a massive Leicester fan, would I be such a huge fan if I didn't get to go to a load of games growing up during the O'Neill era and beyond? Probably not. The same goes for local children now, how can you grow up supporting a club if you've never seen them play? I for one would be pretty depressed if I couldn't get tickets to take my two year old son to a game before he is five, start him off early and all, and at the minute its appearing like that will be the case unless we get relegated. What a ridiculous scenario come to think of it. Any potential new fans will have to wait until / if we get relegated and all the glory grabbers have sodded off to experience proper football for the first time. If the club is really the family club they claim to be then expansion must happen.