villa4europe Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, andycv said: My nerdy obsession - but I hope they upgrade the LED ad boards over the summer.... they upgraded them 2 summers ago, had to lower the pitch in order to do it we installed the fancy ones that regionalised sponsors can superimpose their advert on to rather than it being the one that is actually happening in the ground that's why the clarity might not be that good, you're not watching the real thing Edited August 5, 2020 by villa4europe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 3 minutes ago, villa4europe said: they upgraded them 2 summers ago, had to lower the pitch in order to do it we installed the fancy ones that regionalised sponsors can superimpose their advert on to rather than it being the one that is actually happening in the ground that's why the clarity might not be that good, you're not watching the real thing I think while there is no crowds, I'd be surprised if they do anything. We'll have a material amount of the season behind closed doors, if not all so maybe next close season. If we were really serious, we could spend this season rebuilding the north stand and it wouldnt affect crowds but that is a hope to far i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted August 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2020 8 minutes ago, MrBlack said: Maybe ground expansion is even more crucial if we're likely to have reduced occupancy rates for a long time. The higher your capacity, the more you can fit in socially distanced. Assuming your looking at no more than a third ( and probably a lot less) we'd fill a 120k seater stadium under potential new rules. Maybe a slight remodelling while noone can sit in the stadium is the perfect time to do it as well. Not that its a great idea to expand if they don't think the income in the short term is worthwhile and dont see us reaching Europe long term, but would be a hell of a statement to expand in this climate. Sorry but this simply doesn’t make economic sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 7 minutes ago, TrentVilla said: Sorry but this simply doesn’t make economic sense I agree, it doesn't in the short term. But when you're a multi billionaire and the opportunity cost of doing something you might consider in the future is as low as its ever going to be, you might consider it. Not like there is much money to be made elsewhere in the world at the moment either.... its not as wild a suggestion as it may first appear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted August 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2020 Just now, MrBlack said: I agree, it doesn't in the short term. But when you're a multi billionaire and the opportunity cost of doing something you might consider in the future is as low as its ever going to be, you might consider it. Not like there is much money to be made elsewhere in the world at the moment either.... its not as wild a suggestion as it may first appear. I'm afraid it is, expansion of Villa Park is a long way off. In the current circumstances it doesn't make any sense to put that sort of capital outlay into expansion when there is no fixed date for fans returning to stadiums. Leaving aside the current circumstances and I still don't think an expansion of VP is on the cards. Its about supply and demand, although we had a ST waiting list last season traditionally supply out strips demand for tickets. So they will first focus on filling to capacity regularly, then they will look to increase ticket prices and maximise match day revenue from the existing capacity, we are at the cheaper end of tickets currently. Only once they've achieved that will they consider expansion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junxs Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 It makes perfect sense to me to knock the North stand down and build its replacement while the fans are away. We have a 10k season ticket waiting list after all. Remember the ground is owned by a separate entity so it wont have any bearing on our FFP or anything like that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted August 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2020 18 minutes ago, Junxs said: It makes perfect sense to me to knock the North stand down and build its replacement while the fans are away. We have a 10k season ticket waiting list after all. Remember the ground is owned by a separate entity so it wont have any bearing on our FFP or anything like that. Yes it makes sense from a practical perspective in terms of doing the work but that makes the huge assumption plans have been drawn up, permission granted, contractors awarded none of which has happened and wouldn’t likely be done before fans return even if started at the beginning of lockdown. It isn’t happening for those reasons and the reasons I’ve already given. They will seek to increase revenue on the existing capacity before any expansion. Having retained our PL status it makes future development more likely but it’s a long way off at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilko154 Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 53 minutes ago, Junxs said: It makes perfect sense to me to knock the North stand down and build its replacement while the fans are away. We have a 10k season ticket waiting list after all. Remember the ground is owned by a separate entity so it wont have any bearing on our FFP or anything like that. It really wouldn't. It's not as though the builders can just rock up and knock the North Stand down next week and stick a new one up. I would hope that by the end of the year/start of 2021 we will be back to full capacity. The club then have a full ticket sale revenue stream back in action. This season is going to be tough again and redeveloping a ground with the threat of relegation is a huge worry for a club. I wouldn't be expecting any sort of ground redevelopment until we are into the Europa League at the minimum, most likely into the Champions League Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 1 hour ago, TrentVilla said: Yes it makes sense from a practical perspective in terms of doing the work but that makes the huge assumption plans have been drawn up, permission granted, contractors awarded none of which has happened and wouldn’t likely be done before fans return even if started at the beginning of lockdown. It isn’t happening for those reasons and the reasons I’ve already given. They will seek to increase revenue on the existing capacity before any expansion. Having retained our PL status it makes future development more likely but it’s a long way off at the moment. it'll be 2/3 years away if starting from scratch, prices are all over the place too the time to do it was whilst the upper trinity was closed, should have kept it open and knocked down the north, the fact that they didn't suggests to me that it wont be happening now either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted August 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2020 6 minutes ago, villa4europe said: it'll be 2/3 years away if starting from scratch, prices are all over the place too the time to do it was whilst the upper trinity was closed, should have kept it open and knocked down the north, the fact that they didn't suggests to me that it wont be happening now either It would have been crazy to do it in the Championship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 44 minutes ago, TrentVilla said: It would have been crazy to do it in the Championship. Disagree We spent 3 years with 10k empty seats Knocking it down then would have had no impact on our attendance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted August 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2020 13 minutes ago, villa4europe said: Disagree We spent 3 years with 10k empty seats Knocking it down then would have had no impact on our attendance I didn’t say it would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 3 hours ago, nick76 said: 3 hours ago, villa4europe said: I think while there is no crowds, I'd be surprised if they do anything. Yet if ever there were a "good" time to knock down the North Stand, now is the time. No fans to inconvenience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted August 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2020 Sadly, I don't think we'll completely replace the North Stand until it becomes a structure that is too expensive to maintain. How long does concrete last? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TrentVilla Posted August 5, 2020 Moderator Popular Post Share Posted August 5, 2020 5 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: Sadly, I don't think we'll completely replace the North Stand until it becomes a structure that is too expensive to maintain. How long does concrete last? In the case of Ron, usually only a few games. 1 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow1988 Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 4 minutes ago, TrentVilla said: In the case of Ron, usually only a few games. The problem was he was always put under a bit too much strain and then he just cracked (Engineers will get the joke). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted August 5, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted August 5, 2020 I still can't get my head around why so many clubs are building new stadiums and new stands if it's such a waste of time to do so and you can't make any more money / it's not worth it. I think they are just playing down expectations whilst they spend every penny they can on the team. it may not count for FFP but it's still expenditure. I am sure once we are established again and selling out most games they will look again at the stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow1988 Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 13 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: Sadly, I don't think we'll completely replace the North Stand until it becomes a structure that is too expensive to maintain. How long does concrete last? A long time. According to Wikipedia it was built in 1977. Around that time the required design life for concrete structures was 60 years I think and structures regularly outlive their design life so at the earliest it should fall apart in 2037. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted August 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2020 I'm quoting myself here, which promotes me to the most elevated levels of pomposity; I don't care. It also strikes me as sad that 13 years ago I for one thought this stand was about to see the end of its days - yet here it is. However, given that the stand seems to have been constructed using shall we say "unusual" financial methods and given that cost cutting tends to find its way into construction values and knowing that the stand is 43 years old - maybe there's a chance that it might start falling down before its worth knocking down. We can but hope. Quote It seemed there was plenty of work to be done, and no expense was spared as costs spiralled and the club dropped into debt. The stand had cost a million pounds to build; these fittings and alterations came to £1.3 million. An internal audit found that half of this money couldn't be accounted for, and whilst this figure was later found to be incorrect, it soon became clear that all was not well with the running of the football club. The police became involved, and the Bendall family ended its connection with Aston Villa Football Club as it became clear that Ron Bendall had conspired with members of his own staff to obtain money by deception from the Football trust. Terry Rutter was jailed, a fate that Ron escaped. He died in 1983. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 2 minutes ago, sparrow1988 said: A long time. According to Wikipedia it was built in 1977. Around that time the required design life for concrete structures was 60 years I think and structures regularly outlive their design life so at the earliest it should fall apart in 2037. Strange that the last stand built is the one that has to come down. Never really understood why we chose that design in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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