Proposed QPR Stadium in White City

B890bT said:

Article in the Times today suggesting that QPR are planning a replacement for Loftus Road somewhere around the White City area:
-36000 seats, almost double that of Loftus Road
-Retractable roof for use as a concert venue
-£180 million pre-evaluative cost
-Part of a bid to make QPR " A global brand"
Also confirmed on twitter by chairman Tony Fernandes yesterday with plans to fully publicize the proposal on Monday, according to the twitter statements it would appear the club has already drawn up plans/ renders.

Here is another link an uninformative article backing up the suggestion that this is in development http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/fernandes-reveals-qpr-stadium-progress-155231342.html

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Good news.

Though the idea that a 36K stadium would help QPR to become a global brand is a bit far fetched!

JimB said:

Good news.

Though the idea that a 36K stadium would help QPR to become a global brand is a bit far fetched!

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very true, not me that said it though, fernandes is probably being a little too ambitious though that said Loftus Road is one of the worst grounds in the PL in my opinion and possibly ( will need to check this) the smallest?

B890bT said:

very true, not me that said it though, fernandes is probably being a little too ambitious though that said Loftus Road is one of the worst grounds in the PL in my opinion and possibly ( will need to check this) the smallest?

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I like Loftus Road. Fantastic little stadium. Very intimate.

But QPR have to move if they are to go to the next level and consolidate their position in the PL.

And I don't mean to mock Fernandes for being ambitious (I bet that West Ham fans are pissed off that he was denied the opportunity to buy their club!). It's just that it will take rather more than a modestly sized stadium (however well appointed) to do it!

JimB said:

I like Loftus Road. Fantastic little stadium. Very intimate.

But QPR have to move if they are to go to the next level and consolidate their position in the PL.

And I don't mean to mock Fernandes for being ambitious (I bet that West Ham fans are pissed off that he was denied the opportunity to buy their club!). It's just that it will take rather more than a modestly sized stadium (however well appointed) to do it!

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Buying a west London Football club seems a bit unimaginative plus that part of London is not short of clubs trying to attract fans. Pity he didn't buy one of the clubs in Nottingham, Bristol or Sheffield. Much bigger potential for expansion and at least have a city name to promote worldwide than a small area of one city.

Don't underestimate the '2nd tier' London clubs, they have a lot more potential than many think. London is almost 16x bigger than the cities of those 3 clubs you mention - a small slice of a huge pie is still a lot.

QPR might be located in the same borough as 2 other clubs, but the fanbases are spread out. QPR's core support is strung along the A40 and M40 - Greenford to High Wycombe - and traditionally some inner NW areas like Kilburn were hubs. Fulham's support is mostly in SW London tbh and Chelsea's are sprinkled around.

Dr Pepper said:

Buying a west London Football club seems a bit unimaginative plus that part of London is not short of clubs trying to attract fans. Pity he didn't buy one of the clubs in Nottingham, Bristol or Sheffield. Much bigger potential for expansion and at least have a city name to promote worldwide than a small area of one city.

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They can buy into United for me, would never want Wednesday turning into some rich guys play thing. To be seen as a team buying success it doesn't deserve e.g. Chelsea and Man City I'd hate it as it's slowly destroying the heart and soul of the beautiful game. Yes it adds excitement and brings better players to the English game but it's ruining it's history.

I think it will be good for QPR to get a bigger ground to help them develop as a club just hope they'd do it gradually and not go and splash ridiculous money on players for a club of their stature.

They'd probably just build a smaller version that could be expanded quite easily like Brighton have done.

I'd be concerned about putting in a retractable roof tbh, dismantling and replacing it would be expensive making future expansion costly, unless cheaper versions and methods now exist. Too many clubs only look at the next 10 years, not the next 25. The Unigate site (one of the 3 apparently) is also quite small and boxed in by 2 rail lines east and west and the Westway to the north. Should go to the BBC site or Old Oak Common.

Briggsy said:

I think it will be good for QPR to get a bigger ground to help them develop as a club just hope they'd do it gradually and not go and splash ridiculous money on players for a club of their stature.

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sadly I don't think there is a foreseeable end to the ridiculous spending in european football with more and more clubs being bought by eastern owners (PSG the latest example). An 18000 seat stadium is nowhere near enough if QPR are to stay in the BPL, a renovation of some sort might be welcome but new stadiums and bigger stadiums can draw a wider fan base, just look at Brighton, consistently sold out throughout the season to the point that the AMEX is currently under expansion

^^ I guess London Wasps would be the most likely, especially as they've played matches at Loftus Road in the past. Quins own their stadium, but all the other clubs with 'London' in their title currently groundshare with football clubs, and the stadiums they play at are located outside of London. Could be a great opportunity for one of them to move back to the capital.

36k is a realistic figure for QPR long term. The worldwide brand is a bit ambitious, by no means are QPR ever going to become one of the worlds greatest teams unless they are given similar levels of investment like Man City's which even for Fernandes and his billions and what he's already invested into QPR I can see it being pretty slim.

Fernandes saying it'll have a capacity of 45,000:

QPR fans. We are not ready to announce stadium. But making good progress.

Will not be a bowl. Will keep the atmosphere. Will be 45k capacity. Will be in West London. Narrowed down to 2 places.

I hope we can announce full details within the next 2 months. But as you can imagine this is not easy but tremendous work has been done.

Our major announcement today is at 3 o clock and what the shareholders of QPR believe is a statement of Intent for the future.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2170830/QPR-reveal-plans-new-45-000-stadium.html

mrddavies said:

36k seems too ambitious to me, theres no way they would get those numbers unless it was maybe a £5 to get in against man utd.

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It's 45K according to the post just above yours.

And, yes, that is very ambitious for QPR.

But they are based in a densely populated, relatively prosperous district in the biggest metropolitan area in western Europe. If QPR have got serious ambitions to grow, good for them.

Just to add, as I said on the other thread in the stadiums section of SSC, once this and Spurs' and Chelsea's new homes are built, London will have an incredible selection of stadiums.

i dont think 36k is overly ambitious...we could have sold 20k season tickets but had to cap that figure at around 11k...are are in a heavily populated easy to get to part of London(3 train lines and stations within walking distance)right next to the M40.
i had to give up my season ticket last year,and struggled to get tickets on a match by match basis..as for taking guests..over the past few seasons this has got harder and harder..and when i have managed it,me and my guests have not been able to sit together(i'm only talking 2/3 people,not a coach load)
the Briatore regime and hike in prices put a lot of people off,plus a poor season,the sacking off the Manager and general chaos didnt help.
Fulham have shown what can be done on the back of a small/loyal support,with sensible pricing and room for away fans and walk up support.
We have 67k on a database of people who have applied for tickets in home area's..more and more tourists coming into London want to see Prem footy,but getting into Arsenal.Spurs and Chelsea is almost impossible for the casual fan/tourist
With the development of Westfield,Crossrail,and the proposed transport hub up at Old Oak Common,the area will become more attractive to visit,as wella s easier to get to.
Plus,there is a need for an indoor stadium with a 35-45k capacity,for other sports,concerts etc.Earls Court is closing,the 02 is on the other side of London and only has a 20k cap...