thybluefox Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 I thought the original plans were drawn up with this extension already on them. Thats why the ground was designed so as little work as possible is needed. I've never seen any plans with the extensions on, but its always been said that the stadium had been built with a view to extend. I'd hope the owners though would take a fresh look at what they could do, so we get a stadium that looks like its from 2015/2016, and not 2001. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davieG Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Why Leicester City's plan to expand the King Power Stadium to 42,000 raises questions By Leicester Mercury | Posted: June 16, 2015 By Lee Marlow Why Leicester City's plan to expand King Power Stadium to 42,000 raises questions VIEW GALLERY There are several obvious questions arising from Leicester City's suggestion that it might expand its King Power stadium. Have they submitted a planning application to Leicester City Council? (No, not yet, says a spokesman for the council's planning department). So presumably it won't happen any time soon (any building work would have to take part in the close season, say experts). Will they be able to fill a 42,000 stadium? (Possibly, they stay in the Premier League). Will they be able to fill a 42,000 stadium if the club are relegated to the Championship? (Possibly not). And just how will they make it work? Well, that needs a longer answer. City fans old enough to remember when the stadium was built – back in 2002 – may also recall serious concerns were raised about the stadium's foundations when the club tried to stage rock concerts at the ground. The club applied for permission to stage stadium rock shows featuring well-known acts like Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rod Stewart at the-then Walkers Stadium. The club planned to cordon off one side of the ground for a stage, filling the three remaining sides and the pitch with fans. It would turn the 32,500 capacity ground into a venue capable of holding 45,000 music-goers – perfect for the stadium-sized acts looking for a centrally-located venue. Great news for the city – and a nice bit of extra cash for the club. These grand plans were quickly dashed, however. The stadium wasn't up to scratch. Not because it wasn't big enough – but because it wasn't safe enough. When the stadium was built, Leicester City cut no corners on the fixtures and fittings inside the ground. Charles Rayner was the head of operations at City at that time. "I think I'm right in saying the stadium cost £38 million, and was built, on time, inside a year," he says. "We tried to future proof it as much as we could and got a higher specification of fixtures and fittings inside the stadium." The club didn't, however, future proof the foundations. "I think the bottom tiers, the first 10 or 15 rows, are fine," says Mr Rayner, who now works as a stadium consultant, having overseen the construction of City's ground, the new Tigers stand, the Ricoh Arena, in Coventry, and the Harlequins rugby union stadium among others. "But above that, above those first 10 or 15 rows, it will need extra work if they're going to expand. There is not enough support. "What you have to remember is that it is a £38 million stadium. I don't know how much it would cost to make the stadium ready for any kind of expansion – 10 years ago, they were talking about £200,000, I seem to remember – but it would be a drop in the ocean compared to how much it cost." Back in 2006, when City first considered this, then-chairman Andrew Taylor said it was possible to do the work - but openly wondered whether cash-strapped City would be wiser spending that £200,000 preparation fee on a player's wages for a year. "In order to comply, there needs to be super-structural changes to the south and north stands," Andrew Taylor said back then. "Essentially, it would involve beefing up the steel to the external part of the stadium." Financially, City are in a very different position today, compared to 2006. Robert Kennedy is a respected architect who works for Holmes Miller, in Glasgow. He was one of the architects involved in designing City's stadium. "The King Power Stadium is still, 15 years on, one of my favourite grounds," he says. "It is compact. It is full of atmosphere. It looks good. It would need work, if there was to be an expansion, but, you know, it wouldn't have to be a huge job, I don't think. "It can be done, if the club wanted it to be done. We expanded St James's Park in Newcastle. We filled in the corners there. We extended Old Trafford. "There are ways of doing it which would make the ground safe for expansion and still keep it aesthetically pleasing." Former footballer Paul Fletcher has been involved in the design and construction of many stadiums around the world, including Leicester City's. "I had several meetings with Sir Rodney Walker in the late 90s, I remember, where we discussed and planned the new Leicester City stadium. "The cheap seats to build in a stadium are the front rows. It gets more expensive in the cantilevered section, because it needs more steel, more support. "The back rows, typically, need tonnes of steel, piled deep into the ground. "What can happen in some grounds, if the crowd are jumping up and down at the same time, is that the whole stand can shake." That does happen at Leicester. The stands seem to tremble after a goal has been scored. "Well, that's not uncommon," says Paul. "It's called resonance. It's a difficult thing to explain but if you remember the bridge which spanned the Thames, the one that seemed to wobble when people walked over it, it's kind of similar to that. "A football match is slightly different. It's not like that bridge or a rock concert, where there are 30,000 people moving or jumping along to the same beat." But at City, there are occasions when huge swathes of L1, in the East Stand, jump up and down and do 'The Posnan' when City have scored. "I think that should be okay, really," says Paul Fletcher. "I think there's only ever any real concern if that is prolonged and the vibrations are absorbed into the structure and steelwork. "You must remember, all buildings move to a certain extent. "I'm sure it's okay at Leicester. I have no fears there. "It's worth noting, too, the safety of the people coming to the ground is the number one priority at football grounds. It's imperative. "You may not have noticed, for example, but you will never have to walk past more than 13 seats in a block in a football stadium. "Seating is built in blocks of 28, so even if you are in the middle of that, you walk past no more than 13 seats. They are the regulations. "When it comes to designing stadiums, we've come a long way in a very short period of time." So if the King Power Stadium was to be extended, where exactly would they do that? Original architect Robert Kennedy says it can be done without making the ground look ugly. Charles Rayner thinks the ground would have to be expanded on the East Stand and the South Stand, (the Kop end). "That would be my guess," he says. "It would be easier to extend it where there's a bigger footprint, so presumably, that's the back of the East Stand and South Stand. "But that's just my guess. I'm sure there'll be someone at Leicester City who can talk to you about it. It's a good thing for the club, after all." We asked Leicester City to comment on this. They declined. Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-City-s-plan-expand-King-Power-Stadium/story-26705268-detail/story.html#ixzz3dDWnAkbm Follow us: @Leicester_Merc on Twitter | leicestermercury on Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davieG Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Leicester City's plan to expand the capacity of the King Power Stadium to the proposed 42,000 would make it the eighth biggest club ground in England and Wales. But, how would that compare with other football grounds and where are the biggest stadiums in the country? Here's the list of the top 20. 1. Wembley Stadium, London, 90,000 2. Old Trafford, Manchester United, 76,100 3. Emirates Stadium, Arsenal, London, 60,432 4. City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester City, 55,000 5. St James' Park, Newcastle, 52,401 6. Stadium of Light, Sunderland, 49,000 7. Anfield, Liverpool, 45,362 (Currently expanding to increase the stadium's capacity to 59,000). 8. Villa Park, Aston Villa, Birmingham, 42,785 9. Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, London, 41,623 10. Goodison Park, Everton, Liverpool 40,569 11. Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield Wednesday, 39,812 12. Elland Road, Leeds, 37,900 13. White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London, 36,274 14. Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, West Ham United, London, 35,333 15. Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, 35,100 16. Ipro Stadium, Derby County, 33,597 17. Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, 33,300 18. Bramall Lane, Sheffield United 32,702 19. St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, 32,689 20. King Power Stadium, Leicester City, 32,500 Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/20-biggest-football-grounds-country/story-26705322-detail/story.html#ixzz3dDYaHxie Follow us: @Leicester_Merc on Twitter | leicestermercury on Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgfualol Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Ergh, a stage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thybluefox Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Looking at that list of stadiums, and the number of them that are about to be redeveloped, I don't see how we can't expand if we want to stay in this league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-man Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 That Mercury article is fairly pointless given the Club have already said they are moving ahead with the steel strengthening works over the next 12 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan LCFC Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Imagine if we had a bigger ground than Chelsea and Liverpool ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo Posted 16 June 2015 Author Share Posted 16 June 2015 Imagine if we had a bigger ground than Chelsea and Liverpool ! Do you mean Everton? Liverpool's is over 45,000 already and being expanded to 54,000 Having said that, why not go for 90,001 - biggest in the country yes please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wymsey Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Do you mean Everton? Liverpool's is over 45,000 already and being expanded to 54,000 Might be controversial saying this, but I actually think we're a bigger club than Everton (and possibly Southampton too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammie82uk Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Just read the Mercury article, am I being a bit dumb or do these two paragraphs contradict each other "You may not have noticed, for example, but you will never have to walk past more than 13 seats in a block in a football stadium". "Seating is built in blocks of 28, so even if you are in the middle of that, you walk past no more than 13 seats. They are the regulations". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo Posted 16 June 2015 Author Share Posted 16 June 2015 Might be controversial saying this, but I actually think we're a bigger club than Everton (and possibly Southampton too). Can't agree with Everton at all. Never been out of the Premier League and they average 38-39k attendances at league games We're probably about on a par with Southampton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davieG Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Just read the Mercury article, am I being a bit dumb or do these two paragraphs contradict each other "You may not have noticed, for example, but you will never have to walk past more than 13 seats in a block in a football stadium". "Seating is built in blocks of 28, so even if you are in the middle of that, you walk past no more than 13 seats. They are the regulations". If you'er in the middle, a choice of two seats you'll be in the 14 seat from the end meaning you only have to pass 13 to get the stairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lestajigs Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 I don't think this would be a terrible thing... I think it's only in England where this mentality exists. If you look at a lot of the big teams in Italy, France, Spain, they have huge stadiums which far out-strip their average attendances. Napoli for example have a 60,000 stadium but they only average 32,000. Sporting Lisbon have 50,000 capacity and average 35,000 Seville have a 45,000 stadium but an average attendance last season which was less than ours. I think Leicester is unique in that it's the only club within a 100 miles (give or take) of the big north-west clubs and the big London clubs. I can see us topping 40,000 for home games against Liverpool, Man U, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs. Those clubs could probably bring 10,000 away fans for each game. That would be brilliant for atmosphere! That's 33% of home games with a full stadium already. Villa, Everton, Newcastle are also big attractions which could hit 35,000 without too much trouble. So I don't see the fact that the stadium will have empty seats for the smaller teams as much of a problem. Giving away fans 10,000 would be absolutely sucidal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammie82uk Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 If you'er in the middle, a choice of two seats you'll be in the 14 seat from the end meaning you only have to pass 13 to get the stairs. Yeah makes sense now but I've just realised that there is 17 seats in my block and there is only one entrance/exit to the stairs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wymsey Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 I suspect that if there's an expansion, there'll be more priority for disabled people to have more bottom tickets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4everfox Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Might be controversial saying this, but I actually think we're a bigger club than Everton (and possibly Southampton too). Everton are far bigger of a football club then Leicester. Southampton however, are not and I'd be willing to bet we are bigger then they are. We averaged higher attendance over the course of last season and we match them in every other department except current squad which can change on a season by season basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Weasel Fox Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Oh no the were bigger than you arguments are starting In all seriousness lets just concentrate on maximising our potential a little bit more than we currently do I totally agree we should increase our capacity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131535358009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Weasel Fox Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131535358009Yep a couple of those should do the trick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan LCFC Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Do you mean Everton? Liverpool's is over 45,000 already and being expanded to 54,000 Having said that, why not go for 90,001 - biggest in the country yes please So it is. Mare. Might be controversial saying this, but I actually think we're a bigger club than Everton (and possibly Southampton too). Not a chance on earth. Southampton I'd say we're as similar as to anyone but their current status puts them ahead of us for me. Everton are absolutely loads bigger than us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Everton are much bigger than us, we're not even comparable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Weasel Fox Posted 16 June 2015 Share Posted 16 June 2015 Everton are much bigger than us, we're not even comparable.Dear oh dear oh dear seriously are we still going on about this who is bigger than who rubbish?Let's just build a bigger stadium and try and grow ourselves Seriously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluearmyfox28 Posted 17 June 2015 Share Posted 17 June 2015 Dear oh dear oh dear seriously are we still going on about this who is bigger than who rubbish? Let's just build a bigger stadium and try and grow ourselves Seriously We shouldn't even compare ourselves to clubs let's put our own stamp on the premier league & let teams compare themselves to us. Onwards & Upwards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-man Posted 17 June 2015 Share Posted 17 June 2015 Dear oh dear oh dear seriously are we still going on about this who is bigger than who rubbish? Let's just build a bigger stadium and try and grow ourselves Seriously Yeah but the comment that we are bigger than Everton is laughable and needed to be dealt with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Weasel Fox Posted 17 June 2015 Share Posted 17 June 2015 Yeah but the comment that we are bigger than Everton is laughable and needed to be dealt with.Oh I'm not knocking Corky who is a great poster and very knowledgeable and I haven't corrected him on what he has said for obvious reasonsIt's just the whole argument is like a playground squabble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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