WHAM Stadium (face lift) Improvements

[mab]

What are your thoughts on the Improvements (upgrade) of the WHAM Stadium,whats you see as 1st Priority followed by your thoughts on the mager Ground Improvements you would like to see happen (first) next For me Priority has to be the Toilet facility for both home and away fans need to be overhauld ASP. mager improvemets for me would be a new whinney hill stand in corparating the changing rooms,Has this is the least used at the Stadium could be up and running befor the end of the season

[baldy]

Abit of an article about it...

Andy Holt draws up big plans to boost Accrington Stanley in the future (From Lancashire Telegraph)

[Exile on Spencer St]

Agree with your suggestions, Mab.
I'd refine your first one further, if necessary, and say upgrading the ladies' toilets should be the top priority. Men will pee up any lamppost but our better halves rightly demand more civilised standards and, given that lots of mums may be persuaded to bring their kids, making sure they are not put off coming again is vital.
Whinney Hill side is also an obvious location for modest new construction. It'll upset the neighbours but some of them have been watching games from their conservatories and bedrooms for years without the club moaning about it.

[DAV007]

Exile is correct,
Men's toilets are acceptable
Never been in the ladies toilets but if they need work then do it

Personally I would prefer the club to add a 2nd catering van behind the Clayton end ideally selling something different from the other.
Hopefully it would be on the same terms as the other can where the caterer takes all the risk from a postponed game.

[baldy]

I think it's important next season (If the contract is only a season long) that we have our own caterers instead of outside contracts coming in...They must make a killing!

Hopefully we can develop the cowshed and make better hospitality and offiice space that could generate more revenue...How many times a year is the club house used? Need to get people using that more!

Andy Holt obviously sees something in Stanley that can work just needs abit of "tough love" and our backing!

[Redraine]

Originally Posted by DAV007

Exile is correct,
Men's toilets are acceptable

No they certainly are not, on the ClaytonEnd at least. Always smelly, barely enough room to squat for a number2, and no hot water and even the cold taps run dry. I don't know about the away end but I'm not sure the Morecambe fans are joking when they say "a new light bulb would be good"

[winstanley asfc]

I'd love to see the Whinney Hill cowshed demolished one day to be replaced with a new stand, but maybe that's expecting too much. A lot less ambitious,i'd like to see the main stand's roof painted. The paint has faded and it's covered in green mold.

[accybeme]

men using a theodolight in the car park adjacent to Livingstone Road is there money being spent there

[Exile on Spencer St]

Originally Posted by accybeme

men using a theodolight in the car park adjacent to Livingstone Road is there money being spent there

Maybe they're prospecting for gold, or gas

[Revived Red]

Originally Posted by DAV007

Men's toilets are acceptable

Not at all acceptable, especially for children. Everyone keeps referring to the importance of persuading children to come to the Wham. Is anyone thinking about the facilities for children at the ground?

[smobile]

Originally Posted by Exile on Spencer St

Maybe they're prospecting for gold, or gas

Shale Gas Maybe ?

Change of name to Fraccy Stanley

[yonmon]

Originally Posted by Revived Red

Not at all acceptable, especially for children. Everyone keeps referring to the importance of persuading children to come to the Wham. Is anyone thinking about the facilities for children at the ground?

In fact I would go to say 'totally unacceptable !!' .....For everyone from 2 to 92 ??.
There is always a certain loss of dignity felt as one becomes embroiled in the struggle to gain entrance to the Men's Toilet in the Main Stand...let alone the crush inside as an attempt is made to use the facility !.
The sooner these antiquated premises are replaced by more civilised arrangements the better.
And, as RR says, it is most definitely not a place for youngsters to visit !.

[maccawozzagod]

Playing catch up on various threads and I can't remember what I've read and where. I think somebody mentions on this thread though about 'we seem to revel in tinpottedness'

I entirely agree, but don't think that it is a bad thing if done right. There is a vast difference between tinpot and scummy. The toilets are scummy - the ground is tinpot.

With the best will in the world we aren't going to have the big shiny stadium and we don't need one. What we need is something that is comfortable for the fans that we have, and something that enables us to maximise what we already have.

First rule of customer building? Look after the ones you have. It should be easier to retain customers than continually find new ones.

Priority

Improve the Bogs
Fix the leaking roof on every stand (except maybe the Cow shed)
Find some way of providing shelter on the concourses so that people can spend money there pre-game and at half time

Secondary

Find a way of taking money off people other than on the gate, programme and 50-50 draw.
Can we do our own catering? has anybody looked into this in recent years? Many clubs seem to use the pre-cooked, wrapped in tin foil type of fayre. Surely this is as simple as ordering, putting into warmy contraption and then selling for a vast profit?
If catering is beyond us then can we have some kind of additional provision where crisps and chocolate and pop is available for the kids? Even just a brew shed. Often I have fancied a brew rather than a beer but I'm standing in line for 15 minutes to pay two quid or whatever for a cup of warm water.

Thirdly
Now we get to the major builds. Once we've looked after the existing customers we can start to look at bigger things. Any kind of development of the cowshed would be primary. If we were to make a big push on attracting families where would we put them? The main stand doesn't have enough room to section a decent area off as 'family area'. Anywhere near the dug-outs is too close to some choice language, anywhere near to the changing rooms is too close to the away fans and any intimidating behaviour. I'm not saying that kids can't go in the main stand at all, but there simply isn't room to target a big push on families. The Clayton End is where the action is, but as a father of a young child I'm not entirely sure I want him in amongst some of the songs and the bad language of many. Yes they'll hear it where ever they go, but I wouldn't bet on families returning when they are in immediate earshot.

Any development of the Cowshed should be done with 'Family Stand' as the primary objective.

[Red-Osbornello]

Originally Posted by maccawozzagod

Often I have fancied a brew rather than a beer

WHEN?!

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by maccawozzagod

Playing catch up on various threads and I can't remember what I've read and where. I think somebody mentions on this thread though about 'we seem to revel in tinpottedness'

I entirely agree, but don't think that it is a bad thing if done right. There is a vast difference between tinpot and scummy. The toilets are scummy - the ground is tinpot.

I agree to a certain extent. The 'tinpot' title needs getting rid of, but not to the extent of the reason why I no longer go and see my lifelong team, too much corporate feel. The club needs to retain the friendly club title, but without going too far up the corporate ladder. On the other hand the corporate side is where the money is in maintaining football these days. It's a very fine line between the two.