Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 10:46 am  

PrinterThe wrote:

Why would we sell an extra 20,000 tickets just because we were a few miles down the road? If moving to that location would attract a few more who live closer you could also assume some who are nearer Headingley wouldn't travel.

We wouldnt sell an extra 20k tickets just because we were a few miles down the road. Hence we would also need to reach people we wouldnt normally reach.

What cost would we incur to play there assuming that Leeds United aren't just going to give us use of it for free? Loss of corporate, food + drunk money also. And how much cash would you have to throw at a marketing campaign to attract a significantly higher attendance?

All added together the cost for what in reality is little reward makes the move questionable. One things for certain we wouldn't break 20,000 just because we played at a larger stadium.

We know the financials pay off when we play at elland road. In fact, we know the club will make enough of a profit from it that they once paid out £90k to open the top tier of the family stand. Regardless profit isnt the primary motive. It is a selling opportunity to get more people through the door once for these 'event' games, the profit coming when some of them stick and come to headingley when its completed.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 10:47 am  

I'm not sure but the joint stand needs to be finished asap in 2019.
So no more than 2 years from now.
Around 18 months would be my best guess.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 11:53 am  

SmokeyTA wrote:

We know the financials pay off when we play at elland road. In fact, we know the club will make enough of a profit from it that they once paid out £90k to open the top tier of the family stand. Regardless profit isnt the primary motive.

Profit has to be the primary motive. Playing away from Headingley without the right deal could be crippling just when the club needs steady income.

Let's not imagine 30,000 crowds which won't happen. In the real world it is a case of assessing how much more money a 15,000 crowd would bring at Headingley compared to the same at Elland Road. And I imagine they are pretty scary figures for the Leeds board.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 12:15 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

We wouldnt sell an extra 20k tickets just because we were a few miles down the road. Hence we would also need to reach people we wouldnt normally reach.

Who are these people we don't normally reach that would come just because it's Elland Road?

SmokeyTA wrote:

We know the financials pay off when we play at elland road. In fact, we know the club will make enough of a profit from it that they once paid out £90k to open the top tier of the family stand. Regardless profit isnt the primary motive. It is a selling opportunity to get more people through the door once for these 'event' games, the profit coming when some of them stick and come to headingley when its completed.

That was for a WCC. And what are these 'event' games? We have play run of the mill league games somewhere. If we have to play some of our Super 8 games there then we don't get to decide who are home fixtures are and they could well be against Catalans and Salford and you aren't going to get good crowds.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 6:57 pm  

PrinterThe wrote:

Who are these people we don't normally reach that would come just because it's Elland Road?

The ones who will attend big games at elland road but don't at Headingley. Plus any of the other 700k people in the city who currently don't attend Headingley.

That was for a WCC. And what are these 'event' games? We have play run of the mill league games somewhere. If we have to play some of our Super 8 games there then we don't get to decide who are home fixtures are and they could well be against Catalans and Salford and you aren't going to get good crowds.

We make them event games. Like we did with the WCC, like Wigan do with 'the big one' like Saracens do at Wembley.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 6:57 pm  

The Ghost of '99 wrote:

Profit has to be the primary motive. Playing away from Headingley without the right deal could be crippling just when the club needs steady income.

Let's not imagine 30,000 crowds which won't happen. In the real world it is a case of assessing how much more money a 15,000 crowd would bring at Headingley compared to the same at Elland Road. And I imagine they are pretty scary figures for the Leeds board.

The numbers you are talking about are tiny relative to the costs we are talking about.

The fact is that the club is going to lose a minimum of 2k fans for those games, and thats if we sell out what will essentially a stadium of the carnegie stand western terrace. It can guarantee itself that loss and hope the fans come back afterwards, or use that time to try and attract new fans.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 8:04 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

The ones who will attend big games at elland road but don't at Headingley. Plus any of the other 700k people in the city who currently don't attend Headingley.

But the ones like WCC's are GENUINE big games, not normal games dressed up in the fake tinsel of pretending to be big games which is what you're suggesting with regular league games.

SmokeyTA wrote:

We make them event games. Like we did with the WCC, like Wigan do with 'the big one' like Saracens do at Wembley.

Wigan's average attendance was 16k when they first did 'the big one'.....several years on there average has dropped to 13k in 2016 so clearly don't have a long term positive affect. They'll put in a lot of extra money wrt marketing and they'll get the reward for that at their stadium, but we wouldn't the reward because it's being held at another ground that's costing us and not getting stuff like the food, drink, hospitality bonuses. We'd just be throwing money away at a time we need to be smart with it due to the new stands, if we're going to splash cash on making event games out of league games then wait until we're back at a completed Headingley and try entice new fans to the venue we actually want them to come to week in week out, year in year out.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 8:27 pm  

Can I also point out one other possible issue. Who says Leeds United want us there? The relationship between those RL clubs who groundshare at the moment with football clubs isn't the smoothest and I think most of the football teams wouldn't mind having the RL sides out of the stadiums.

Before you say games of RL have been played there previously, yes but they were one off fixtures, not several league games every other week? Man United let the GF get played at Old Trafford, but do you think they'd have a RL team playing half a season there? Doubt it.

Decent possibility Leeds United are playing Premiership football by August, maybe they won't want RL games causing damage to their pitch.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 8:27 pm  

PrinterThe wrote:

But the ones like WCC's are GENUINE big games, not normal games dressed up in the fake tinsel of pretending to be big games which is what you're suggesting with regular league games.

hang on, didnt you tell us the WCC was pointless and should be scrapped. Now it is a genuine big game that simply cannot be replicated at SL level?

Wigan's average attendance was 16k when they first did 'the big one'.....several years on there average has dropped to 13k in 2016 so clearly don't have a long term positive affect. They'll put in a lot of extra money wrt marketing and they'll get the reward for that at their stadium, but we wouldn't the reward because it's being held at another ground that's costing us and not getting stuff like the food, drink, hospitality bonuses. We'd just be throwing money away at a time we need to be smart with it due to the new stands, if we're going to splash cash on making event games out of league games then wait until we're back at a completed Headingley and try entice new fans to the venue we actually want them to come to week in week out, year in year out.

Waiting until we are back at headingley would be incredibly dumb. Why play games in a half built ground, to low attendances, then when that ground is built and ready to go, move games to another stadium?

The fact is that playing it at headingley, whilst headingley is being rebuilt, will see us take a hit. it is unavoidable. Thats what makes it the ideal time to go to Elland Road.

Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Sun Apr 16, 2017 8:30 pm  

PrinterThe wrote:

Can I also point out one other possible issue. Who says Leeds United want us there? The relationship between those RL clubs who groundshare at the moment with football clubs isn't the smoothest and I think most of the football teams wouldn't mind having the RL sides out of the stadiums.

Before you say games of RL have been played there previously, yes but they were one off fixtures, not several league games every other week? Man United let the GF get played at Old Trafford, but do you think they'd have a RL team playing half a season there? Doubt it.

Decent possibility Leeds United are playing Premiership football by August, maybe they won't want RL games causing damage to their pitch.

Maybe like Old Trafford, The Etihad, St James' Park, The New Den, The Keepmoat, The Ricoh, The Galpharm, the Shay, Spotland, they do.