41 replies to this topic

[Dave T]

It looks very nice, will be nice if all the touches are there from day 1, it will be the best dedicated RL stadium in the country by some distance, although I must admit that the conference facilities and reception area look much fancier than the actual seating areas.

[saintsbird]

Its about bloody time you joined the rest of us with one these new fangled daft names!

Well I am glad we dont have an animal at the end of it.......apart from Jammer!

[EastLondonMike]

think the new badge is nice enough, and certainly marketable.. but not liking the name.. st. helens is such a nicer name than saints RL, just like Wakefield Trinity is so much nicer without the 'wildcats' moniker on the end.. same goes for Wigan.. it clearly never occured to the 'marketing' men at so many rugby league clubs that to adopt a nickname doesnt mean incorporating it into the actual title.. sad.

but that aside, the stadium looks great.. and think this will take saints to a new level on the field aswell as off it. Mcmanus is very very good with money. i wonder what chance a future role at the RFL?!..

[3owls]

Were the fans consulted at all regarding the number of seats? Over 10,000 in a capacity of just 18000 seems a lot to me. I don't know what the split is at warrington but for me they've kept a good atmosphere there which is largely down to decent sized standing areas. Also, where abouts is the site for the new stadium, it's not stuck on the edge of town with ###### all around it is it? Wigan, hull, warrington and huddersfield all have pubs etc within easy walking distance which adds to the match day atmosphere for me.

[Whacky Llama]

Were the fans consulted at all regarding the number of seats? Over 10,000 in a capacity of just 18000 seems a lot to me. I don't know what the split is at warrington but for me they've kept a good atmosphere there which is largely down to decent sized standing areas. Also, where abouts is the site for the new stadium, it's not stuck on the edge of town with ###### all around it is it? Wigan, hull, warrington and huddersfield all have pubs etc within easy walking distance which adds to the match day atmosphere for me.

No need to worry, there will be a bridge connecting to stadium site to the town centre plenty of drinking to be done in St Helens on the way to the ground, the Stadium also has a sports bar

The stadium will hopefully get a healthy amount of world cup action in 2013

[ParisSurtout]

I am impressed.

I am sure that the management and supporters of Toulouse will be impressed when they come to play there in 2012.

My only concern is with the elevation. I always like to get an elevated seat so that I can get a panoramic view of the playing field.

Of all the English stadia KC stadium does that best for me. Wiigan and Galpharm are not bad, though not as good as KC. Of the French stadia Ernest Wallon, Aime Giral, and the top of the main stand at Gilbert Brutus are all good. But I got the impression that the new Saints stadium elevation may not be that good. I hope that I am wrong.

Forcing the visiting sides' fans to stand on a terrace behind the posts is a good disciplinary move.

Edited by ParisSurtout, 27 July 2010 - 12:41 AM.

[no13benny]

Looks good, change in logo is ok, at least it features the old one, and name tho? Maybe they've seen Harlequins RL and Crusaders RL and thought, wow, they're having great success with those brands, we should follow suit. Behold, Saints RL!

[Odsal Outlaw]

Looks really good. I think most teams will be a bit jealous! Not sure about the new logo/name, but sure it will grow over time.

Only criticism I'd have is the capacity. 18k seems a bit on the low side. Would 20k+ have been better? I guess if there is room for expansion down the line then fair enough as better to have 15k in an 18k stadium that wandering about in a 25k in terms of atmospere. Prob due to the capacity but it makes stands look a bit small! Looks more impressive from outside! But thats the only real criticism.

[Whacky Llama]

Looks really good. I think most teams will be a bit jealous! Not sure about the new logo/name, but sure it will grow over time.

Only criticism I'd have is the capacity. 18k seems a bit on the low side. Would 20k+ have been better? I guess if there is room for expansion down the line then fair enough as better to have 15k in an 18k stadium that wandering about in a 25k in terms of atmospere. Prob due to the capacity but it makes stands look a bit small! Looks more impressive from outside! But thats the only real criticism.

Saints had the option of a larger capacity stadium but decided to go for quality not quantity, the facilities the stadium has will allow the club to use the stadium all year round. With the new stadium and the new training facility that's getting built it's been a great week for Saints fans.

[Dave T]

Were the fans consulted at all regarding the number of seats? Over 10,000 in a capacity of just 18000 seems a lot to me. I don't know what the split is at warrington but for me they've kept a good atmosphere there which is largely down to decent sized standing areas. Also, where abouts is the site for the new stadium, it's not stuck on the edge of town with ###### all around it is it? Wigan, hull, warrington and huddersfield all have pubs etc within easy walking distance which adds to the match day atmosphere for me.

Warrington does have a lower percentage of seats, although that is down to a smaller overall capacity. The thing is that at Warrington it is now pretty difficult to get a seat, most games have limited seats available, with season tickets taking up most of these.
My season ticket is now for the seats where that would never have happened at Wilderspool. Saints will find that sitting down will become more and more popular, and it is wise to have plenty of seats.

There is still plenty of standing room available, but I suspect many people don't bother sitting in the stand at KR due to the appalling view and comfort levels.

[Dave T]

Saints had the option of a larger capacity stadium but decided to go for quality not quantity, the facilities the stadium has will allow the club to use the stadium all year round. With the new stadium and the new training facility that's getting built it's been a great week for Saints fans.

I do think that is a bit of spin tbh. I'm sure the club would have been happy to have an extra couple of thousand, however probably decided that based on averages, and size required for some big RFL events, that 18.5k is adequate and will retain the atmosphere.

Even basic grounds have facilities that can be used all year round.

One of the things I will be interested in is the Cafe Bar, whether they can make this pay. I know when Warrington built theirs they decided not to have a fan's bar, much to the dismay of many fans, however I expect that Warrington had a lot less space available on theirs.

It will be interesting to see if they can maximise the use of this or if it becomes just a matchday bar.

[Whacky Llama]

I do think that is a bit of spin tbh. I'm sure the club would have been happy to have an extra couple of thousand, however probably decided that based on averages, and size required for some big RFL events, that 18.5k is adequate and will retain the atmosphere.

Even basic grounds have facilities that can be used all year round.

One of the things I will be interested in is the Cafe Bar, whether they can make this pay. I know when Warrington built theirs they decided not to have a fan's bar, much to the dismay of many fans, however I expect that Warrington had a lot less space available on theirs.

It will be interesting to see if they can maximise the use of this or if it becomes just a matchday bar.

Probably is spin, I don't care we will have one of the best Rugby Grounds in the world (getting the hang of spin)

If the club sells food and drink at reasonable prices there is no reason why the sports bar won't pay its way, Saints will need to make sure that they employ the right people at the new ground to make it a success as they will have services to offer that they haven't been able to on this kind of scale before.

[Dave T]

Probably is spin, I don't care we will have one of the best Rugby Grounds in the world (getting the hang of spin)

If the club sells food and drink at reasonable prices there is no reason why the sports bar won't pay its way, Saints will need to make sure that they employ the right people at the new ground to make it a success as they will have services to offer that they haven't been able to on this kind of scale before.

Agree with that, this will be completely different to the operation you run from KR.

You will probably find that it is contracted out, certainly the hospitality sections.

I think the sports bar will be great on matchday, but it will be interesting to see whether they can get people in to watch matches on a Friday and Saturday night. As I say, there was extensive debate about the Warrington stadium and whether it should have a fan's sports bar like this, and personally I felt it was a touch too far out of town to get the normal weekend crowds, and would simply become a matchday bar. It will be interesting to see how it works at Saints.

[ParisSurtout]

Probably is spin, I don't care we will have one of the best Rugby Grounds in the world (getting the hang of spin)

If the club sells food and drink at reasonable prices there is no reason why the sports bar won't pay its way, Saints will need to make sure that they employ the right people at the new ground to make it a success as they will have services to offer that they haven't been able to on this kind of scale before.

You mean people who speak English better than they speak Dari or Hindi? I hope so.

I am also concerned that they don't try to force very spicy curries on us, disguised as food.

Some us will be quite happy with baguettes with poulet, or jambon et fromage, and also croque monsieur.

[nec]

You mean people who speak English better than they speak Dari or Hindi? I hope so.

I am also concerned that they don't try to force very spicy curries on us, disguised as food.

Some us will be quite happy with baguettes with poulet, or jambon et fromage, and also croque monsieur.

Have you been to st helens? Ever?

[ParisSurtout]

Have you been to st helens? Ever?

No, but I have been to Wigan often. I have even slept in Wigan for two nights in a row.

That was close enough to St Helens for my liking. Nothing against the Saints fans. I love the adventurous ones who come to France to see the Catalans. We had a great time together. But given the disgraceful state of Nose Leigh Road, I have never had a reason to go to St Helens.

Edited by ParisSurtout, 27 July 2010 - 02:46 PM.

[nec]

No, but I have been to Wigan often. I have even slept in Wigan for two nights in a row.

That was close enough to St Helens for my liking. Nothing against the Saints fans. I love the adventurous ones who come to France to see the Catalans. We had a great time together. But given the disgraceful state of Nose Lee Road, I have never had a reason to go to St Helens.

I only ask because there are very few urban areas in the UK with a lower ethnic minority population. You may complain about Scouse accents and poor grammar, but inability to speak English through not being a native speaker is unlikely

[Play Ball]

What's with the Rugby Union book in the Boardroom? Surely they could have had a Saints book.

[foozler]

What's with the Rugby Union book in the Boardroom? Surely they could have had a Saints book.

I did wonder whether Ray French had left it there by mistake.

I pointed this oversight out on a redvee thread the other day and was told to stop moaning, accused of being negative and that apparently it only appeared to be 2 Union players contesting a lineout. Couldn't be clearer to my eyes.

Subsequently I have been reliably informed that the offending website designer has been shot and that a more appropriate book image is being sorted out.

Other than that it looks very good. I would like to think that they have allowed for future capacity expansion in the configuration of the ground; I'm sure a load of people, both locals and away fans, are put off going to watch Saints simply because of the poor standard of facilities at Knowsley Rd and would expect attendances to rise.

Not convinced by the rebrand, I would prefer to keep the proper name St Helens RLFC and limit the Saints RL to T shirts and the like. Can't imagine Man United will be renaming themselves Red Devils FC anytime soon, or Everton FC becoming The Toffees FC etc etc.

(grabs his flatcap and exits).

Edited by foozler, 28 July 2010 - 01:23 PM.

[Dave T]

I did wonder whether Ray French had left it there by mistake.

I pointed this oversight out on a redvee thread the other day and was told to stop moaning, accused of being negative and that apparently it only appeared to be 2 Union players contesting a lineout. Couldn't be clearer to my eyes.

Subsequently I have been reliably informed that the offending website designer has been shot and that a more appropriate book image is being sorted out.

Other than that it looks very good. I would like to think that they have allowed for future capacity expansion in the configuration of the ground; I'm sure a load of people, both locals and away fans, are put off going to watch Saints simply because of the poor standard of facilities at Knowsley Rd and would expect attendances to rise.

Not convinced by the rebrand, I would prefer to keep the proper name St Helens RLFC and limit the Saints RL to T shirts and the like. Can't imagine Man United will be renaming themselves Red Devils FC anytime soon, or Everton FC becoming The Toffees FC etc etc.

(grabs his flatcap and exits).

Good to hear - quite right too!


I don't think that Saints will need a higher capacity any time soon. I think they have been pretty sensible with the capacity, and is ideal for some of the RFL games.

Clubs should only look to increase their capacity if they sell out pretty much week in week out. Not because 2 games a year could get a bigger crowd, yet otherwise there are thousands of empty spaces.

Wigan are leading the way in marketing and getting the crowds in and offer very reasonable prices, yet even they would only have had 3 sellouts in a ground the size of Saints' this year, and two of those games had plenty of effort in.

18,500 is a good capacity for a Rugby club of either code, and even with 12k in will probably be a very good atmosphere.