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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 6, 2012 12:09:39 GMT
www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/120606/qpr-chief-raises-prospect-ground-share-173769QPR chief raises prospect of ground share By Julian Bennetts | Wednesday, June 6, 2012 QPR chief executive Philip Beard admits the club cannot afford to build a new stadium without incorporating a cinema, restaurant or casino - or even ground share with a team from another sport. Rangers are looking to move out of Loftus Road, which is the smallest ground in the Premier League, and are attempting to identify a site near their current west London home. But Beard admits the club has to have a bigger fanbase before they can even consider moving - and says that a football-only stadium would not work. And the man who oversaw the transformation of the Millenium Dome into the 02 has refused to rule out other clubs playing at the stadium, with Fulham and London Wasps both having called Loftus Road home in the past. "To have a stand-alone football stadium that only hosts 19 home domestic matches a season would probably not make the numbers work," he said. "What is important is that it is the home of QPR but it will need to have facilities to do other things as well. If we are serious about building a new stadium we need to grow our fanbase and engage with young people and the community — Philip Beard "A full-on ground-share is more challenging, but I am hoping to emulate an entertainment destination model where you roll the pitch away and use it for other things. "Look at the Emirates hosting Coldplay for three nights - that is the sort of activity you need to host to generate the revenues to make the club sustainable and ultimately invest in the team going forward. "But the criteria is that we need to find somewhere that hopefully isn't too far from Loftus Road. "Our fanbase is a very passionate, loyal and local fanbase. We need to stay in the area if we can and that is almost a must." But Beard first wants to make the club a force both in the Premier League and Europe so that more supporters are attracted to the terraces. Rangers survived on the final day last season but Beard knows an average attendance of 17,295 needs to be improved significantly. He added: "We need to build our fanbase. We have a capacity of 18,500 at Loftus Road and I think we could fill a significantly higher number of seats here. "If we are serious about building a new stadium we need to grow our fanbase and engage with young people and the community and become a club that is not just known in London and around Europe but further afield. "That takes time but it is exciting and is a challenge building a brand, growing a fanbase. That is something I am hoping I can challenge the guys off the pitch to help us with. "QPR stands for so many good things that if we can get the messages out there we will start to see the blue and white Hoops further afield than west London."
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Post by cpr on Jun 6, 2012 12:16:17 GMT
Sod the stadium (for now) get the training facilities and academy sorted.
That will help grow the fanbase by ensuring community usage.
It's also vital to keep Premier league players happy with their place of work.
A stadium is only used roughly once a fortnight!!!!
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Post by Bushman on Jun 6, 2012 12:22:48 GMT
"What is important is that it is the home of QPR but it will need to have facilities to do other things as well.
What is important is that it it owned by QPR.
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Post by Macmoish on Jun 6, 2012 12:24:44 GMT
Yes..
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Post by haqpr1963 on Jun 6, 2012 12:26:42 GMT
Sod the stadium (for now) get the training facilities and academy sorted. That will help grow the fanbase by ensuring community usage. It's also vital to keep Premier league players happy with their place of work. A stadium is only used roughly once a fortnight!!!! Spot on mate Academy and training first. Build from the bottom and then we can go for a stadium....
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Post by scarletpimple on Jun 6, 2012 12:37:04 GMT
But Beard admits the club has to have a bigger fanbase before they can even consider moving -
How can we grow our fanbase while still stuck at LR, that dont make any sense.
And a what, possible share with a rugby club and fark up the pitch??
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Post by Markqpr on Jun 6, 2012 12:43:18 GMT
"What is important is that it is the home of QPR but it will need to have facilities to do other things as well.What is important is that it it owned by QPR. That depends on wether or not you equate QPR owning it's own ground with owning QPR and the ground (as two separate entities) as meaning the same thing. Of course it doesn't, but don't worry about it, our owners are rich and we're in the Premiership. I've always liked the suggestion of a shared entertainments venue and possibly alternate sports played there as well. For the local community a large venue for gigs during the summer would bring in much needed local revenue and Beard's background at the O2 suits that set up perfectly. I've always thought that was the principle reason behind his hiring, as he has no experience in football at all, yet he is a proven success at running a larger entertainments/live venue. As far as owning the ground is concerned though, I think that ship has already sailed.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 6, 2012 12:44:57 GMT
But Beard admits the club has to have a bigger fanbase before they can even consider moving - How can we grow our fanbase while still stuck at LR, that dont make any sense. And a what, possible share with a rugby club and fark up the pitch?? I think he means there is no point getting a new stadium until we are selling Loftus Road out every week.
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Post by londonranger on Jun 6, 2012 13:04:58 GMT
Expand Westfields and build on the roof. the Boston Bruins plsyed for decades on roof of North Station.
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Post by deannw10 on Jun 6, 2012 13:14:27 GMT
Heard from a very reliable source,we are looking at the gasworks in ladbroke grove around the back of sainsburys.apparently the scum are really after the old oak site in harlesden/park royal!
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Post by Bushman on Jun 6, 2012 13:33:51 GMT
But Beard admits the club has to have a bigger fanbase before they can even consider moving - How can we grow our fanbase while still stuck at LR, that dont make any sense. And a what, possible share with a rugby club and fark up the pitch?? I think he means there is no point getting a new stadium until we are selling Loftus Road out every week. That will not happen with the amount of restricted view seats we have.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 6, 2012 13:46:19 GMT
I think he means there is no point getting a new stadium until we are selling Loftus Road out every week. That will not happen with the amount of restricted view seats we have. Good point, we would also need to sell out the away end every home game.
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Post by harlowranger on Jun 6, 2012 13:59:48 GMT
Why dont they lower the prices of the restricted views further , surely better to have the place full even if seat prices arent bringing in as much revenue in those areas? We wont sell out the away end to Wigan thats for sure , Reading , Southampton and West Ham all have decent away support , feel we will have bigger gates with these three home games than Bolton , Blackburn and Wolves ,
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Post by Hogan on Jun 6, 2012 14:05:40 GMT
I fear, that by the time the fanbase has increased significantly land on which to build a new stadium will no longer be available in the local area.
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Post by Jo-Onenil on Jun 6, 2012 15:28:53 GMT
Talking about a new stadium, look at what "Le Havre" have done in France. They play in Ligue 2, but they are about to end the construction of their new stadium. It will cost 101 millions Euros. The Capacity is of around 25'200 seats. As you can see, the seats are quite close to the pitch, the rows are quite steep, to generate compact feeling as at Loftus Road, and there's plenty of legroom. Maybe the link between the main stand and the corners of the ground is not the best, but i like that design. It's not a simple bowl like most of the clubs have nowadays. I really feel it's the kind of stadium I would love us to build. Maybe 25k is too small, but you could easily imagine the same kind of design with 30k seats. This is an artistic impression of the stadium: This is how it looks now from the outside: For the last pics of the stadium: www.lehavrais.fr/2012/04/le-grand-stade-entrez-cest-maintenant.html
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 6, 2012 15:36:13 GMT
That is literally perfect. If that stand on the side of camera is just one tier then it will be just like a bigger Loftus Road.
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Post by Jo-Onenil on Jun 6, 2012 15:39:28 GMT
The "invisible" stand is two tiers. But I find it good anyway. I'd just make the lower tiers slightly bigger so that their size would equal the size of the upper tiers, and maybe add a few rows to the main stand. And so we could have our 28-30k stadium.
And I'm sure this is the kind of stadium you can expand, so that we could add around 10'000 seats to take it to 40k if necessary.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 6, 2012 15:40:45 GMT
If you look at those pictures there is loads of room between each row, we could reduce that leaving enough leg room but you could fit more rows in.
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Post by cpr on Jun 6, 2012 15:44:38 GMT
Not sure on the external look but like the look internally. ;D
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Post by Jo-Onenil on Jun 6, 2012 15:45:14 GMT
Yes exactly. I think you could just place 3 rows of Loftus Road in the gap between their rows.
I also like the stadium of Duisburg in Germany, but this one from Le Havre is my new favorite to inspire our next home.
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Post by harlowranger on Jun 6, 2012 16:10:22 GMT
Looks great from the inside , a bit like a big Lilo from the ouside though , maybe a darker colour would help ? good concept though.
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qprdjb
Dave Mangnall
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Post by qprdjb on Jun 6, 2012 16:21:53 GMT
101 million euros = a lot more £'s, and then add a bit more £'s coz its built in west london and that = near bankruptcy AGAIN!!!!!
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Post by Jo-Onenil on Jun 6, 2012 16:24:57 GMT
You won't' get a stadium for less than 100 millions in London. Maybe this one's too expensive, but we'll have to break the bank.
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Post by Markqpr on Jun 6, 2012 16:51:31 GMT
Why should QPR FC spend 1 penny on a stadium that it won't own? Football truly has gone insane when different clubs make the same mistake over and over yet fans expect different results to uniquely apply to their club. Though it must be nice to be able to lead your customers by a carrot and also have them be grateful for it.
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Post by cpr on Jun 6, 2012 18:58:02 GMT
Don't call me a donkey!!!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2012 19:45:29 GMT
Personally i doubt we will see a new stadium for some time yet, like others have said we first need to get the training ground and youth facillties up to scratch first, not to mention establishing ourselves in the prem also, like Fulham have before considering a new stadium, when the day does come though i would like the ground to be like LR, Boavista's stadium is a ground i like abroad wouldnt mind something like that, the idea of the stadium being multi use is a good idea, though not keen on another club from whatever sport sharing.
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manta
Gordon Jago
Posts: 945
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Post by manta on Jun 6, 2012 21:31:48 GMT
I wouldnt object if we looked at a ground share as our stadium, as much as I love the old shoebox, is too small.
Craven Cottage would be the obvious choice.
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Post by cpr on Jun 6, 2012 21:35:59 GMT
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Post by Bushman on Jun 6, 2012 21:36:33 GMT
I wouldnt object if we looked at a ground share as our stadium, as much as I love the old shoebox, is too small. Craven Cottage would be the obvious choice. Now go and wash your mouth out.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 6, 2012 21:39:48 GMT
Would actively protest against ground-sharing with Foolham at the crap hole that is the Cottage.
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