BLACKPOOL | Bloomfield Road Redevelopment | 14,000+ | Phase Two U/C

[Noostairz]

"BLACKPOOL FC today (08 July 2008) finally announced plans to begin building a new south stand. The club says work will 'commence immediately'..." [more]

"Work on the new south stand and south west corner at Bloomfield Road is already under way. It is expected to cost in the region of £3m and will add 3,500 seats, increasing the capacity to more than 14,000. Work will take a minimum of 40 weeks and the club hope it will be ready in time to stage a game at the end of the coming season..." [more]

"The previous South Stand was demolished in the summer of 2003 and the area at the Bloomfield Road end of the ground has been vacant ever since - to the fury of many fans who questioned the ambition of the club's owners... Blackpool Council leader Coun Peter Callow said: 'I think the fans have been very patient, but I'm sure they will welcome this. 'As a council, we are trying to regenerate this area and this certainly helps. 'I would urge the club to complete the stadium.'..." [more]

LATEST: "THE Seasiders' decision to push ahead with the redevelopment of Bloomfield Road will mean paying for more than just a south stand. Chairman Karl Oyston explained: 'The club has got planning consent for a 16,000- seater stadium, but if the capacity goes over 12,000 the club has to contribute to some highways junction improvements. That's not something that particularly had a bearing on the progress of development. It's normal practice..." [more]

Back in the day (note: a young Noostairz stood on that South Stand - it was rubbish):



2002-03, North and West Stands redeveloped, old South Stand still... er, standing:



2003-onwards, old South Stand demolished, temporary East Stand in place:



2008-09, new South Stand and south-west corner under construction...

[Noostairz]

The West and North Stands taken from the temporary East Stand - note that big load of nothing to the south:


Yep, it's a bowl, or that's the eventual plan, but for a club like Blackpool there aren't many options really: money's tight, attendances small - they can't realistically go fannying around trying to make some bold architectural statement.

Having been there myself this overall redevelopment was long overdue. Not surprised the fans are all for it (phase two). Good news. Shandies all round.

[matthemod]

Are there any designs/renders floating about on the net about what the new stand will look like? Altho saying that if it is just another bowl i'm sure it's not going to be too unbelievable.

[JamesWales]

They should have left it as it was in 2002/03 with some terraces.
Oh I forgot! We are football fans, we have no rights whatsoever!

One more bland, dull, soulless all-seater identiket hellhole please! And don't forget to put ticket prices up 20% while your at it! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Noostairz]

yes but for what, james? to slip on piss-strewn crumbling concrete terraces set back from a north-shifted pitch?

what do you want blackpool to do? adapt antiquated stands at massive expense in order to appease the odd traditionalist or two, or invest money in the squad and hook their fans up with a modest stadium complete with toilets and a place to have a punt and a pint?

last time i stood at bloomfield road it wasn't about worrying about how old it looked, it was about watching the seasiders play a game of football and being arsed off at halftime that the facilities weren't in place for a quick pie and a piss!

surely there's a line to be drawn between architectural snobbery and sporting/financial reality, especially when it comes to smaller clubs?

[JBinCalgary]

always liked bloomfield road... close to home in fleetwood

[JamesWales]

Originally Posted by Noostairz

yes but for what, james? to slip on piss-strewn crumbling concrete terraces set back from a north-shifted pitch?

what do you want blackpool to do? adapt antiquated stands at massive expense in order to appease the odd traditionalist or two, or invest money in the squad and hook their fans up with a modest stadium complete with toilets and a place to have a punt and a pint?

last time i stood at bloomfield road it wasn't about worrying about how old it looked, it was about watching the seasiders play a game of football and being arsed off at halftime that the facilities weren't in place for a quick pie and a piss!

surely there's a line to be drawn between architectural snobbery and sporting/financial reality, especially when it comes to smaller clubs?

It's not a case of supporting crumbling old terraces, it's a case of respecting choice and not forcing fans to sit down when some would prefer to stand. Survey after survey shows a high percentage of fans (typically 25-50%) prefer to stand, so why not let individual clubs decide?

We need to move on, terraces pre 1989 were totally wrong, but new grounds post that time are wrong too..lets adopt a tolerant stance and do as they do across the channel and give fans choice.

[Noostairz]

ah, okay. fair enough. if your issue's with standing - different story. and giving the fans that option in a designated, controlled area of the stadium - there's a strong argument to be made there, totally agree.

i thought you were on about retaining the old stands and sticking plastic orange seats in them.

[Accura4Matalan]

Standing or no standing, SOMETHING had to be done with Bloomfield Road before it just simply fell down. Before the north stand was replaced, it was out of use for several years (with the roof taken away). The rest of the stands were just sheds. Matches were quite often postponed because there were concerns about the stands blowing down in high coastal winds.

Yep, it's a bowl, or that's the eventual plan, but for a club like Blackpool there aren't many options really: money's tight, attendances small - they can't realistically go fannying around trying to make some bold architectural statement.

I'm quite surprised they didn't go for something a little more radical. Although still relatively small, Blackpool are yet another example of a British club that has landed a wealthy foreign owner.

[matthemod]

It's just the cost involved thats the issue, and Blackpool's status in the league. They're not the biggest of clubs i'm sure some of their fans would admit, and why gamble on building the extravagant, bold design ground that can fill 28'000 *cough darlington* and fill it with 12'000 (i'm not certain of Blackpool's average attendance).

The Bowl is just a cheap, effective (as in views from the stands) ground to build.

[Chris H]

Exactly.

'Darlo' are two leagues below the Tangerines and play to a virtually empty stadium each week. Ridiculous. At least with a 14-16,000 capacity, Bloomfield Road Stadium will at least seem a lot fuller even with relatively small crowds. The finances simply are'nt there for anything bigger than this anyway.

The longer the team stays in the Championship with its higher revenues than Leagues 1 & 2, the better.

[Zim Flyer]

I'm in Blackpool at the end of November for a week, so will try take some pictures of any ground work on the site.

One thing I did notice earlier this year when my bus went past the ground, is on one of the new stands, it's exterior is showing signs of rust already.

[Noostairz]

nice one zim. a spy on another forum spotted activity on site earlier in october, so there should be something worth photographing.

[Chorley Boi]

nah theres not bin much activity in a few weeks

[Chris H]

Are they going to continue to extend the stadium to allow for a bowl effect (ie, another filled corner) or leave it looking like Stoke's Britannia Stadium, like two separate stadiums in one ?

[Zim Flyer]

Originally Posted by Chris H

Are they going to continue to extend the stadium to allow for a bowl effect (ie, another filled corner) or leave it looking like Stoke's Britannia Stadium, like two separate stadiums in one ?

Yeh the plan eventually will be to fill it in completely.

As regards progress there is some building activity on there at the moment so it's looking good this stand is actually going to be built.

[Zim Flyer]

A brief update from the Gazette, piling machines have arrived and the new stand is expected to be ready for the 2009 - 2010 season:

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sp...-be.4689607.jp

[leftarmoccasional]

My understanding is that the seating layout in the new South Stand will mirror that in the North Stand. The building as a whole will be slightly taller than the other two stands to allow for an extra floor of office space. The original stadium plans were amended around 2002 to facilitate this. The new stand will also have wider concourses and incorporate a fans bar overlooking the pitch.

The rust on the existing 2 stands is a source of irritation for many supporters. By the time it first appeared, 12 months or so after completion, the builders (Ballast) had gone bust, so there was little the club could realistically do. The steel had apparently not been galvanised.

I would have thought a little architectural flair would not have been out of the question, even for a basic ‘bowl’ stadium as the new Bloomfield Road was intended. A few extra (or even fewer) rows of seats on one of the stands would have provided some welcome variation in appearance, for example. The original design of the stadium isn’t bad in itself. With some imagination and of course money, it could be made into a very tidy, cheerful looking venue. Particularly with the council backed landscaping, currently ongoing, adjacent to the West Stand. Unfortunately, the club’s owners seem reluctant to ‘push the boat out’. The fans have recently been asked to sell raffle tickets in order to fund signage for the West Stand…..nearly 7 years after completion. The fact is that after so many years of ambitious talk and broken promises, the Blackpool faithful will be grateful for whatever they end up with.

Work on piling for the new stand began two weeks ago.

[Wolds Mariner]

I went to Blackpool and sat in that lovely golf-style stand for away fans five years ago and said then that it would be an excellent ground when completed. I don't know why it's taken so long but I'm pleased that things finally seem to be moving up there. I'll have to go back when it's finished.

[BS3_RED]

So are they planning on putting away fans in the new stand next season or are they going to keep us in the golf stand instead?