Welford Road redevelopment

According to the renowned portal of indisputable fact (yes I mean Wiki), Welford Road will be increased to 30000 ground capacity in readiness for the 2015 RWC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Rugby_World_Cup#Venues

However the Tigers website doesn't seem to have any proposals of ground developments. There used to be orgasmic architects' visualisations of how the ground will look when the Crumbie Stand is demolished (along with the NCP money-spinner) and the Aylestone Road end is redeveloped.

But since the building of the Cat stand everything has gone increasingly silent.

So what is happening?

They are due to redevelop the Crumbie this summer which will also see the installation of new changing rooms, state of the art medical facilities etc underneath it and a hotel and NCP car park (capacity tba but between 750-1,000 cars). There was some talk of maybe moving a game or two at the end of the season to the Walkers in order that there should be plenty of time for everything to be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season.

There is some wrangling over whether the terracing should be included in the redevelopment as if it is changed then the capactiy for the terracing has to be reduced because of health and safety (ignoring the fact that the terracing at Welford Rd has worked fine for decades) so the club are apparently trying to get round planning/H&S regs in order to maintain the standing area but redevelop the stand behind. Which will be a shame because apparently the noise is defeaning in the wooden roofed changing rooms when the fans start stamping their feet in preperation to KO and it is supposed to be intimidating for away teams and really psyches up the Tigers.

The sound of stamping feet in the Crubie is immense.

But it has to be recognised that it's a potential tinder box.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_City_stadium_fire#Fire#

Another wooden stand - Scary.

More than slightly different as the stand there was set on fire by a lit match landing on a large collection of rubbish underneath the stand. That couldn't happen at Tigers. The wooden floor and stamping feet is immense but the bench seats are not a good idea as they don't allow much room and it needs to be extended and that just can't happen in it's current fashion.

I thought they'd do the club house end this summer as the club shop has just had a major referbishment and combining the two would make sense but apparently they are gathering cash for the big money spinners of car park and hotel.

As if the Crumbie wasn't filled to the gunnels underneath with carelessly discarded tinder in 1985.

I these days worry more about electrical fire. But I still agree that so long as it's safe, the atmosphere in the Crumbie is (ironically) electric. Full of one-eyed Tigers hexing the ref.

The Crumbie is like the Shed. It'll be a shame when they disappear in favour of all seated stands. But I guess clubs have to make money.

It won't be all seated Bathmad, the standing area at the front will remain, it's the bench seating that is raised up behind it that will go. The board would have faced open rebellion from the fans (who hold the majority of shares) had the tried to remove the time honoured tradition of the players running through the standing crowd and onto the pitch. If anything they are trying to find a way to leave the standing area untouched when the take down the rest of it as that way they won't have to reduce the standing numbers.

bathmad wrote:The Crumbie is like the Shed. It'll be a shame when they disappear in favour of all seated stands. But I guess clubs have to make money.

Only the Shed doesn't have a big oxygenated air space underneath.

There is no need for all-seaters in rugby. But the elfin safety does worry me a bit.