Stadium Plans

[YouGottaRaulWithIt]

My bad - you just cant read then

Hilarious.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I have no clue how they will do it, but the the fact that everyone has to exit the SB lower to the north end of the stand means we can't hold standing concerts at the moment from what I've been told

Unless the idea would be to have a removable section of seating at the southern end, so that people stood at a concert on the pitch, could walk into the SBL concourse at ground level at the southern end, but exit to the outside at the northern end as they do today. If so, doubling the size of the SBL concourse benefits both match day fans and large concerts.

 

[Wandsworth Wolf]

I'm absolutely shocked esports wasn't mentioned.

It was - in the intro section!

 

[beppe7619]

I thought you could exit the stadium from the side by the ticket office the gate is there and press use it to gain entry

 

[Minimalist]

I have no clue how they will do it, but the the fact that everyone has to exit the SB lower to the north end of the stand means we can't hold standing concerts at the moment from what I've been told

Why can’t a stage face the north bank? That way there are ground level exits both sides of the standing area?

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

Why can’t a stage face the north bank? That way there are ground level exits both sides of the standing area?

Finding this discussion a bit odd. Loads of standing gigs in bowl stadia with exits through the stands. Nobody says you need wide exits between the stands?

 

[Boss Hogg]

Why can’t a stage face the north bank? That way there are ground level exits both sides of the standing area?

It’s probably something daft like there isn’t an electric socket at that end to plug everything in

 

[Stoichkov]

So, just to clarify, are you saying that the primary motive for redeveloping the Steve Bull stand is so that Fosun can make money from concerts?

Nothing to do with improving facilities, or the matchday experience for fans then.

Something has to pay for it?

Will fans being more comfortable create more revenue? No because they already feel they’re being charged a lot

Will concerts create new money that wasn’t there before, enabling club to invest in infrastructure? Yes

Not so much hard-nosed as just plain logical

(Unless a sugar daddy appears or we move site)

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Finding this discussion a bit odd. Loads of standing gigs in bowl stadia with exits through the stands. Nobody says you need wide exits between the stands?

I think the point is that if you place the stage in front of the North Bank, because of the way the land is at Molineux, there are no ground level access routes to the pitch at the southern end. To resolve that Russell talked about having a section of the new Steve Bull lower that is removable. Having thought about it, it makes sense that this simply provides a route from the pitch into the SBL concourse, and then standing concert attendees would access the pitch through it. He also said the redesigned SBL concourse would be much larger, which would help on both match days, and for large concerts.

I was at the Riverside last week to watch the Killers, and access to the standing area on the pitch was via a ground level route in the corner opposite the stage and next to the fan zone. If the stage at Molineux were at the southern end of the pitch, then you could do this today using the existing corner access routes next to the North Bank.

 

[wayne-the-wanderer]

Finding this discussion a bit odd. Loads of standing gigs in bowl stadia with exits through the stands. Nobody says you need wide exits between the stands?

Think its probably more to do with lack of exits in the south end of the Steve Bull.
If you think about it once past about JL3/4 the only emergency exits are up stairs into the hospitality areas

 

[AndyY]

Happy with initiatives to increase revenue and improve facilities but how many concerts are envisaged in the close season, and what impact on the pitch?

 

[Minimalist]

I think the point is that if you place the stage in front of the North Bank, because of the way the land is at Molineux, there are no ground level access routes to the pitch at the southern end. To resolve that Russell talked about having a section of the new Steve Bull lower that is removable. Having thought about it, it makes sense that this simply provides a route from the pitch into the SBL concourse, and then standing concert attendees would access the pitch through it. He also said the redesigned SBL concourse would be much larger, which would help on both match days, and for large concerts.

I was at the Riverside last week to watch the Killers, and access to the standing area on the pitch was via a ground level route in the corner opposite the stage and next to the fan zone. If the stage at Molineux were at the southern end of the pitch, then you could do this today using the existing corner access routes next to the North Bank.

Surely you would want a stage facing north bank anyway given the wv1 and disabled facilities that end.

 

[berwickwolf]

Happy with initiatives to increase revenue and improve facilities but how many concerts are envisaged in the close season, and what impact on the pitch?

I am hoping Springsteen announces a molineux date on his upcoming tour, that would be a dream fulfilled

 

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

In my lifetime Molineux has been a magical place for me but in reality it has been a pretty troubled one as well. I first stood at the bottom of the South Bank in 1974 looking at awe at the colossus that was the South Bank, to which I quickly migrated. But since then:

1977: I remember the excitement as I reached the part of the Molineux Open Day Tour where Harry Marshall's model of a grand new Molineux stood. Space age development, we'd have the best ground in the Football League.​

1979: There it was "The New Stand", might have been in a different post code to the rest of the ground but the other stands would soon move over wouldn't they? Still remember the picture of us breaking the British Transfer record with Andy Gray signing on the pitch with the new stand as the back drop.​

1986: Having staved off bankruptcy twice we were facing the reality of Division 4 football with a hugely lopsided ground with two stands condemned and parts of the mighty South Bank fenced off, that 1970's dream was now a nightmare. Molineux was crumbling, the rats were packing their cases and our demise was almost complete, well almost....​

1993: Back up the ladder and hungry to get back to the top Division our saviour and benefactor Sir Jack rebuilds Molineux, having come out of an attendance depressed 1980's surely a 28k ground would be more than enough? Sadly it was for the time being as we flirted with promotion occasionally but stagnated for more than a decade. The stands were built to let air circulate and help the pitch but did little for the atmosphere. Undersized and too far away from the pitch, trick missed.​

2012: A New Hope - the first stand of the latest vision (Steve Morgan this time) opens. Looked great when it was being built but the proof of the pudding was in the eating and it tasted awful, very poorly designed and deprived the North Bank of any chance of an atmosphere. It precipitated our decline down to Division 3 (League 1). To this day it stands looming awkwardly over the Steve Bull and the rest of Molineux.​

2019: Grand Design number four for me was leaked out into the press and talk of a 50,000 all seater stadium with a single tier South Bank was all the rage! Wow maybe this time we could get our dream Molineux, but we all know how this story goes.​

Every time we have some kind of Molineux redevelopment in train, somehow the gods conspire against us, I am now nearly 50 years in and am slowly giving up on that "perfect" Molineux. Maybe we should learn from our history and let it lie, for another five years at least.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Surely you would want a stage facing north bank anyway given the wv1 and disabled facilities that end.

I don’t know what the reason for wanting the stage in front of the North Bank, but that appears to be the preference.

 

[wolvesjoe]

Its odd to read that job description. Apart from the poor English, it smacks of a lack of seriousness.

Wolves Records being talked about ahead of stadium redevelopment? In what world does that
sound reasonable or make any kind of sense? Has the "Steve Bull Stand Project" simply been tagged
onto a job description for a low level finance post to make it appear as if this unicorn exists and is ready
to go?

 

[WasStefan]

Trouble is I’d saddle Wolves with a large debt for a fancy new stand and we know where that led us before…

To be honest I’m a little tempted, because it would be fascinating to be involved in these projects at Wolves. But I retired early to have more time with my family after years of putting my career first. I spent the first few months of retirement looking after my wife when she broke her ankle, so it’s only recently we’ve actually started enjoying the freedom of not having to work.

Seriously, this is a job for a young analyst with a passion for the club. The kind of job my son would love to do when he’s qualified in a couple of years.

Trouble is I’d saddle Wolves with a large debt for a fancy new stand and we know where that led us before…

To be honest I’m a little tempted, because it would be fascinating to be involved in these projects at Wolves. But I retired early to have more time with my family after years of putting my career first. I spent the first few months of retirement looking after my wife when she broke her ankle, so it’s only recently we’ve actually started enjoying the freedom of not having to work.

Seriously, this is a job for a young analyst with a passion for the club. The kind of job my son would love to do when he’s qualified in a couple of years.

Agree this is a job for someone early career and not personally invested in the first team, which rules out every single wolves fan

Also agree it would be really fascinating to work for the club. I’d love to

 

[WasStefan]

Its odd to read that job description. Apart from the poor English, it smacks of a lack of seriousness.

Wolves Records being talked about ahead of stadium redevelopment? In what world does that
sound reasonable or make any kind of sense? Has the "Steve Bull Stand Project" simply been tagged
onto a job description for a low level finance post to make it appear as if this unicorn exists and is ready
to go?

i’ve read a few job specs in my time and its not bad if a little light on actual content related to the job, and like anyone reading cv’s, if all you look at is english/grammar then you are excluding a huge amount of talented folk, luckily we arent in the 1990s and most recruiting managers/ job seekers look beyond that

 

[boyceywolf]

Rod Stewart's stage was at the South Bank end

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Rod Stewart's stage was at the South Bank end

Good point. Not sure if having the stage at the North Bank end allows for a larger crowd, but there was 34k at Bon Jovi, and 25k for Rod. Don’t know if both events sold out?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1137754284756480001

 

[JayStringer]

Think its probably more to do with lack of exits in the south end of the Steve Bull.
If you think about it once past about JL3/4 the only emergency exits are up stairs into the hospitality areas

TBH I think it's about what levels the exits are at - so in an arena gig the people in the stands exit through the same routes as during a football match, but there needs to be enough exit space to safely account for all the people on the pitch. Also, and this could be a factor, routes for the trucks to bring all the rigging to the pitch to set up the stage. Now, I know the current version of the Mol hosted Rod Stewart so clearly they were able to get the rigging in and out. But I've seen Springsteen at Hampden and the Etihad, and his rigging is a lot larger than Rod's, so I could imagine that the exit/entrance space needed for the real top-tier of act is something we don't currently have. That's just speculation though.

 

[stuj4z]

Bon Jovi was in front of the North Bank and there was even less access back then.
Stupid legislation ruining it for everyone.

 

[JayStringer]

Bon Jovi was in front of the North Bank and there was even less access back then.
Stupid legislation ruining it for everyone.

There was more back then because the North Bank was further back from the pitch and there was access at both sides

 

[stuj4z]

There was more back then because the North Bank was further back from the pitch and there was access at both sides

There was access on the club shop side, there was a generator and water tank in the other corner.
The whole point of the quadrant was that an access tunnel was part of it.
Obviously we've only got half of this but it's a much bigger gap than before

 

[JayStringer]

There was access on the club shop side, there was a generator and water tank in the other corner.
The whole point of the quadrant was that an access tunnel was part of it.
Obviously we've only got half of this but it's a much bigger gap than before

There was enough room to drive around the Northbank in a circle. That's why the Bon Jovi stage was at that end, they could get the rig in. It's also a key feature of stadia that tend to host the biggest gigs. Places like the Etihad, Cardiff and Hampden, you can drive the rigs right up to pitchside. The plan for the tunnel in the quadrant would have provided that, as you say. But right now there's less access space than there was back in 2003, and even some of the space taken up by that stage in your pic nolonger exists with the new stand being further forward than the old one.

 

[Berlin Wolf]

Another club with stadium plans.. Tranmere involved in plans for a new stadium.. good ambition for a League Two club.
Obviously, a long way to go before the plans result in a new stadium, but it will be interesting to see how Tranmere get on working with Wirral Council.

The £100m Sports City in Birkenhead would have a new 15,000-seat stadium for Tranmere Rovers Football Club as its centrepiece.
The new stadium would also support TRFC’s ambitions to be a self-sustainable Championship club, according to the report.
Bidston MossT is owned by Peel and can hold the stadium and provide the club growth opportunities to increase capacity to 25,000 if needed.

Wirral flirts with building new Tranmere Rovers stadium - Place North West

The £100m Sports City in Birkenhead would have a 15,000-seat stadium for Tranmere Rovers Football Club as its centrepiece.

www.placenorthwest.co.uk

 

[Me Babbies]

Think its probably more to do with lack of exits in the south end of the Steve Bull.
If you think about it once past about JL3/4 the only emergency exits are up stairs into the hospitality areas

Bingo, as it is now, all those who would be exiting on the pitch level through the vehicle tunnel in the NE corner, would flow out into those exiting the whole of the SBSL potentially causing a jam or crush.

Thus affect any planning consent I assume

 

[oldgolded]

I often wonder how things would have turned out if we had been able to build that space age state of the art ground that was proposed in the late 1950s when we were arguably the biggest club in the country. The model looked amazing. The 1950s version of Spurs new stadium. Not sure why it didn't get off the ground. Were we refused planning permission? I am sure someone on here can enlighten me.

 

[Severnup]

I often wonder how things would have turned out if we had been able to build that space age state of the art ground that was proposed in the late 1950s when we were arguably the biggest club in the country. The model looked amazing. The 1950s version of Spurs new stadium. Not sure why it didn't get off the ground. Were we refused planning permission? I am sure someone on here can enlighten me.

I remember that. It was quite futuristic looking for the day. Maybe we should rehash it.

 

[lostwolf]

Another club with stadium plans.. Tranmere involved in plans for a new stadium.. good ambition for a League Two club.
Obviously, a long way to go before the plans result in a new stadium, but it will be interesting to see how Tranmere get on working with Wirral Council.

The £100m Sports City in Birkenhead would have a new 15,000-seat stadium for Tranmere Rovers Football Club as its centrepiece.
The new stadium would also support TRFC’s ambitions to be a self-sustainable Championship club, according to the report.
Bidston MossT is owned by Peel and can hold the stadium and provide the club growth opportunities to increase capacity to 25,000 if needed.

Wirral flirts with building new Tranmere Rovers stadium - Place North West

The £100m Sports City in Birkenhead would have a 15,000-seat stadium for Tranmere Rovers Football Club as its centrepiece.

www.placenorthwest.co.uk

That's a dismal location for a football ground. Prenton Park isn't in the best spot, being miles from the middle of Birkenhead, but at least it's near victorian Wirral and some pubs. This would be as bad as Col U, whose fans definitely prefer their tatty old ground.

 

[lostwolf]

I often wonder how things would have turned out if we had been able to build that space age state of the art ground that was proposed in the late 1950s when we were arguably the biggest club in the country. The model looked amazing. The 1950s version of Spurs new stadium. Not sure why it didn't get off the ground. Were we refused planning permission? I am sure someone on here can enlighten me.

It was beautiful, very much of it's time architecturally with real fans in the huge ends prioritised and smaller side stands. It was slightly reminiscent of Villa Park (before they butchered the Trinity Road stand), one of my favourite grounds in the country. Not sure why it wasn't built, but I'm guessing it was simply too ambitious? If you look at Old Trafford through the years, 50s to now, you can see that even that was developed in a piecemeal way; in the 60s the Scoreboard End was still open terracing.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

It was beautiful, very much of it's time architecturally with real fans in the huge ends prioritised and smaller side stands. It was slightly reminiscent of Villa Park (before they butchered the Trinity Road stand), one of my favourite grounds in the country. Not sure why it wasn't built, but I'm guessing it was simply too ambitious? If you look at Old Trafford through the years, 50s to now, you can see that even that was developed in a piecemeal way; in the 60s the Scoreboard End was still open terracing.

I think this sums it up. Ambutious plans at the height of success, but neve got off the ground with the council before it all fell apart. Nothing to be learned I'm sure!

From 1958 to 2010 – What Molineux could have been

Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers looks at grand Molineux plans that never came to pass and wonders if the 2010 version will suffer the same fate.

www.expressandstar.com

 

[Berlin Wolf]

Good read! Valencia present their flexible stadium plans.. Full of gold seats inside too.
Spanish LaLiga football club Valencia has publicly presented its revised plans for the Nuevo Mestalla for the first time, including revised capacity figures that will see the stadium delivered to a 70,000 capacity, but initially limited to 49,000.

Valencia presents Nuevo Mestalla plans, with revised capacity - The Stadium Business

Spanish LaLiga football club Valencia has publicly presented its revised plans for the Nuevo Mestalla for the first time, including revised capacity figures that will see the stadium delivered to a 70,000 capacity, but initially limited to 49,000. Yesterday’s (Thursday’s) presentation was the...

www.thestadiumbusiness.com

 

[oldgoldheart]

We wont do anything until/unless fosun sell

 

[Berlin Wolf]

We wont do anything until/unless fosun sell

It is beginning to look like that oldgoldheart.
I see Aston Villa are quickly moving their expansion plans forward, aiming for a next summer start.
No mention of covid hitting finances, high interest rates, steel prices rising, first team is top priority etc, etc, just getting on with it.

Aston Villa launch consultation on Villa Park expansion plans

Villa have launched a public consultation on plans to expand the capacity of Villa Park beyond 50,000.

www.expressandstar.com

 

[wayne-the-wanderer]

It is beginning to look like that oldgoldheart.
I see Aston Villa are quickly moving their expansion plans forward, aiming for a next summer start.
No mention of covid hitting finances, high interest rates, steel prices rising, first team is top priority etc, etc, just getting on with it.

Aston Villa launch consultation on Villa Park expansion plans

Villa have launched a public consultation on plans to expand the capacity of Villa Park beyond 50,000.

www.expressandstar.com

Looks like a 10 year old drew them

 

[oldgolded]

Villa Park is absolutely magnificent compared to Molineux. It's very frustrating.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Villa Park is absolutely magnificent compared to Molineux. It's very frustrating.

Is it? For those that moan about legroom I suggest a game in the holte end. You need to be hobbit size to sit down

 

[Matt]

Is it? For those that moan about legroom I suggest a game in the holte end. You need to be hobbit size to sit down

And for those who moan about the concourse in the Steve Bull, try the upper tier in the away end at Villa Park! Literally a corridoor.

 

[WickedWolfie]

Is it? For those that moan about legroom I suggest a game in the holte end. You need to be hobbit size to sit down

Explains the high pitched voices lol....