New Ground Feasibility Study

[WXF]

Genuinely interested.
What ideas would you have had for it?

The away end and old granstand were needed (we now have them).
I don't see how you expand the big bank end backwards without a pitch move.

I don't have any strong opinions on how future generations of Grecians should redevelop SJP. My point is that by surrendering that land we have limited their options and the ability to expand over the long term.

Was it a price worth paying? If it meant empowering those who want to relocate from SJP, then I'm really not sure.

 

[Rosencrantz]

I don't have any strong opinions on how future generations of Grecians should redevelop SJP. My point is that by surrendering that land we have limited their options and the ability to expand over the long term.

Was it a price worth paying? If it meant empowering those who want to relocate from SJP, then I'm really not sure.

Any meaningful expansion of SJP was lost when the new houses were built in what is now Stadium Way. If we had been able to acquire that land back then and also the school, we would have had a decent footprint and been able to move away from the railway cutting.

That strip of land behind the bank would only have been useful if we were to demolish the Big Bank completely and replace it. With the height restrictions, it wouldn't be a bigger stand, but we could put proper facilities underneath that we cannot now. We can probably still do that anyway but the cost would be rather large I should imagine.

As Spoonz points out though, the OG had to be replaced, and that land has served its purpose in financing it.

 

[Spoonz Red E]

I don't have any strong opinions on how future generations of Grecians should redevelop SJP. My point is that by surrendering that land we have limited their options and the ability to expand over the long term.

Was it a price worth paying? If it meant empowering those who want to relocate from SJP, then I'm really not sure.

I don't want to move from SJP either.

The Old Grandstand was reaching its expiry date and the away end was an embarassment.
The Club had used up its entitlement to improvement grants on the main stand and the Big Bank.
There would have been an imminent funding crisis if nothing had been done.

Here's another aerial shot of SJP as it was.



I still say there wasn't an option to have used the space for a stand further back due to the width restriction.

There are some other courses that could have been followed provided they could have been funded.

It could have been left as car parking and the Fountain Centre car park used for some new build.

It could have been used to build an 'alternative St James Centre' and free up space to expand the IP Office stand but the main limiter on that is the housing in Stadium Way.
You'd still need an external safety strip alongside the ground.

That said I still think there are expansion options with what we have.
There could be a possibility of a two tiered Main Stand built on a deeper footprint than it uses at present if the St James Centre is demolished.
The Big Bank could even now be rebuilt with space created underneath. Maybe a bit taller than it was due to the Student flats being taller still.
There is also footprint for a bigger stand at the away end - again with space underneath.
Both the Big Bank and the Away stand rebuilds could utilise what is now corner space.
With a deeper, two tiered Main Stand and the other two rebuilds there could be office space, shop, bars etc incorporated underneath to compensate for the loss of the Saint James Centre.

The Well Street side 'gap' could have a two story triangular build to give better options and still retain the facilities we have there at the moment.
(Media centre? Ticket booth? Bar?)

 

[Dannyred]

I don't want to move from SJP either.

The Old Grandstand was reaching its expiry date and the away end was an embarassment.
The Club had used up its entitlement to improvement grants on the main stand and the Big Bank.
There would have been an imminent funding crisis if nothing had been done.

Here's another aerial shot of SJP as it was.



I still say there wasn't an option to have used the space for a stand further back due to the width restriction.

There are some other courses that could have been followed provided they could have been funded.

It could have been left as car parking and the Fountain Centre car park used for some new build.

It could have been used to build an 'alternative St James Centre' and free up space to expand the IP Office stand but the main limiter on that is the housing in Stadium Way.
You'd still need an external safety strip alongside the ground.

That said I still think there are expansion options with what we have.
There could be a possibility of a two tiered Main Stand built on a deeper footprint than it uses at present if the St James Centre is demolished.
The Big Bank could even now be rebuilt with space created underneath. Maybe a bit taller than it was due to the Student flats being taller still.
There is also footprint for a bigger stand at the away end - again with space underneath.
Both the Big Bank and the Away stand rebuilds could utilise what is now corner space.
With a deeper, two tiered Main Stand and the other two rebuilds there could be office space, shop, bars etc incorporated underneath to compensate for the loss of the Saint James Centre.

The Well Street side 'gap' could have a two story triangular build to give better options and still retain the facilities we have there at the moment.
(Media centre? Ticket booth? Bar?)

I didn’t want to move from SJP until a couple of years ago but now think if the club are going to be ambitious (been waiting years ) then a new stadium that can be used 7 days a week is needed to help bring cash in when the player sales dry up.

 

[DB9]

I didn’t want to move from SJP until a couple of years ago but now think if the club are going to be ambitious (been waiting years ) then a new stadium that can be used 7 days a week is needed to help bring cash in when the player sales dry up.

Out of interest, How many football stadiums are used 7 days a week? I genuinely have no idea.

 

[Spoonz Red E]

Out of interest, How many football stadiums are used 7 days a week? I genuinely have no idea.

Not many I'd warrant although Danny is right to point out that non matchday income is important.

Pre-Covid we did have a fair few events on during the week (conferencing, trade shows, recruitment, business to business)

In London I lived near to Selhurst Park and then Highbury.
Selhurst integrated a Sainsburys supermarket but otherwise seemed to be a dead building our of football.
I did the sound system for a few events at Highbury in their function rooms but didn't get the impression that it was busy the whole week.

Although the Chiefs do conferencing I think it's the hotel that they will be relying on to be the golden goose.

 

[RedPaul]

I didn’t want to move from SJP until a couple of years ago but now think if the club are going to be ambitious (been waiting years ) then a new stadium that can be used 7 days a week is needed to help bring cash in when the player sales dry up.

I'd have said our current model of investing in youth coaching has paid far more dividends than trying to grab a slice of the corporate pie. As others have mentioned, Exeter as a regional capital isn't short of such facilities.

Exeter City though, as one of only 3 professional football clubs in the South West and covering a huge hinterland across Mid, North and East Devon as well as Somerset and West Dorset plus a glowing reputation for developing players and providing a pathway to the top of the game, is brilliantly placed to keep the churning out the talent. I'd rather keep investing in coaches and training facilities to keep this established show on the road.

 

[DB9]

Not many I'd warrant although Danny is right to point out that non matchday income is important.

Pre-Covid we did have a fair few events on during the week (conferencing, trade shows, recruitment, business to business)

In London I lived near to Selhurst Park and then Highbury.
Selhurst integrated a Sainsburys supermarket but otherwise seemed to be a dead building our of football.
I did the sound system for a few events at Highbury in their function rooms but didn't get the impression that it was busy the whole week.

Although the Chiefs do conferencing I think it's the hotel that they will be relying on to be the golden goose.

Although we need non matchday income and having it 7 days a week would be great, We don't need a new stadium to do that, SJP is perfectly adequate.

 

[fred binneys head]

I didn’t want to move from SJP until a couple of years ago but now think if the club are going to be ambitious (been waiting years ) then a new stadium that can be used 7 days a week is needed to help bring cash in when the player sales dry up.

How many conferences would you need to have per week in order to repay the cost of the stadium? I’m not convinced the economics work but without knowing how much a new stadium would cost, where it would be situated, how much we would have to stump up as opposed to others, what the demand is for 7 day usage, etc it’s impossible to form an educated view.

My gut says a new stadium is a no-go for several reasons, but a lack of ambition isn’t one of them.

 

[Martin Lawrence]

Although we need non matchday income and having it 7 days a week would be great, We don't need a new stadium to do that, SJP is perfectly adequate.

It is not SJP that is the problem, it is the capital expenditure that is required to improve what we have to make it more profitable in the future.

Much of our stadium was badly designed and has been developed in parts when funds allowed. This has left us with facilities that dont necessarily enable us to maximise profits. We have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, with the improvements in conferencing, the Grecian centre etc. However, SJP and its footprint will always be limited. I suppose the question is, do we accept this, or do we look at our options?