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Championship stadium requirements
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Is the Lamex eligible for Championship footy or would any upgrades be required?
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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I think there's an interesting, quick, and probably cost-effective solution to the seating quandry if we go up.
Most PL clubs and quite a few Championship clubs have safe-standing sections. Instead of turning the East Terrace into a seating stand, we could convert it, over the space of the summer, to safe-standing. This would put us in full compliance with the Championship requirements (I think).
I think IF we went up (and god it's far too early to even be thinking about the play-offs let alone promotion) we would be straight back down but the experience and money it would give us would be huge for the club and honestly, with us pulling in 4k crowds now and cementing ourself as a League One club (or at the very least an established FL club) converting the East Terrace, regardless of where we are next season, makes sense.
If we go up then make the conversion over the summer. It shows ambition.
If we don't go up then spend a few more years in League One but set out a timetable for conversion by the start of the 2028/29 season.
I say this as someone who has only ever been on the East Terrace for league games (I've been in the West a handful of times over the past 20 years). The idea of changing it feels like losing a family member, but ultimately, now the North has been done and bedded in, it is the black sheep of the ground. Safe-standing preserves some of it's character while bringing it into the 21st century.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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You say the finances would be great for us but if you look at the few clubs that are similar in size to us that have made it to the championship, they quickly seem to disappear from the face of the earth! Scunthorpe, Yeovil, Southend...
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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In fairness those were pretty much all down to some breathtaking mismanagement by their owners (particularly Southend).
As long as Wallace didn't go absolutely bonkers I think we'd do quite nicely out of it.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Just like winning builds momentum, so does losing. We could easily do one of those clubs and go into freefall. Still I'd take a year of getting battered everywhere to experience it once.
We'd just have to do what we always do and be very sensible with player contracts.
It's still a long, long way off and we have had a very favourable start to the season so merely a pipedream atm anyway.
Edited by RockyBottom at 15:25:28 on 23rd September 2025
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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None of those clubs have King Wallace at the helm!
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Even if by some miracle we did go up, we'd almost certainly be straight back down. You have time to implement anyway changes don't you?
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Presumably safe standing would reduce the overall capacity of the stadium?
The East is pretty dead these days already so don't see it being a massive problem, though the sight of a long terrace is something you don't see much these days so for that reason would be missed.
(I join this conversation with no real belief we will be going up by the way 🤣)
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Safe standing would have the same affect on capacity as seating would, it just means people who want to stand all game, like me, still can do that
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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"The East is pretty dead these days"
Really?
I would say the opposite.
Edited by Telboy at 13:55:37 on 22nd September 2025
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Unfortunately I’ve only attended the Wycombe game so far and I forgot the “Barmy army” was a thing until I heard the first chant in the 90th minute.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
Views: 5922
Doesn't look or sound it from the North.
Looks totally empty other than the very centre and never hear any songs or any noise coming from it.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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It does seem better than it appears from within.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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I imagine it would drop us back down to the 7000 mark which isn't too bad honestly. Sprucing up the East Terrace might push us into the mid 4000s for more games.
I've always wondered if we could extend the East Terrace back and up, over the parking/road behind. Even if we could add 30% more to the stand it would certainly made a massive difference to the ground.
A downside of the North stand is the West just now looks ridiculously low slung. Would be amazing to have a bigger safe-standing terrace right across the East side of the pitch.
I imagine the morale affect on both teams, coming out to face that rather than what is there now would be quite something as well.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
Views: 5523
If we continue to grow then rather than moving I'd love to build something bigger on the East, but would be sad to lose what is probably the most characterful part of the ground. If the long terrace could be kept (even as safe standing) with seats above it, that would be cool. We be good to keep the iconic camera gantry bit, but not sure how that would be possible. Perhaps it could be relocated onto the North East corner and hired out as a kind of VIP box style thingy.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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If the east had to change i hope theyd just extend it back a little dor even more terracing. If they had to make big changes the west stand is totally tin pot. Make that stand bigger and incorporate a multi storey carpark into it as would go over the old one
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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On the car park thing would be a non starter as if nothing else would not get planning permission.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Aren’t we sub 7000 capacity already?
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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~7300.
But North Stand still doesn't have full sign-off, so in reality (plus lost some seats in the away stand for the camera) is about 7k (Orient at home in our L2 promotion season was 6,989).
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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My guess is we'd need to commit to putting more seats in within a couple of years.
Mind you, we might just not bother on the expectation we'd be straight back down.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Capacity is fine as the EFL minimum is 4,000 covered or 5,000 total, and that applies from L2 entry onwards.
I think the ask is for 2,000 away seats but you have a while to move to that.
A commitment to move towards all seater (or rail seating) is all you need.
I assume we'd still hit 5,000 if we converted the East but it'd be tight.
Plus enhanced officials and subs seating (bigger benches), TV production facilities and a few other bits, nothing massively expensive compared to the increased wage demands that come with the extra Sky money.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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I thought you were only allowed to have 3 seasons in the championship or Premier league before you had to have all seater? And they don't have to be continuous, so Peterborough have had the odd season up there over a long period, but finally had to put seats in their last terrace before the 23/24 season:
https://www.theposh.com/news/london-road-rail-seating-update
So we dont even need to start thinking about doing anything until we've completed 2 years in the championship
In terms of capacity, main stand is 2,000 and the North and south are 1,400 each give or take, so we already have 4,800 seats regardless of how many the east would be with rail seating
Edited by AndyC at 10:22:38 on 22nd September 2025
Edited by AndyC at 10:24:27 on 22nd September 2025
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Correct, it is three cumulative seasons, not consecutive.
Main Stand is 1800, but otherwise yep.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Where is that stipulated? I thought it was the case but couldn't find it in the EFL handbook, albeit I haven't read all 350+ pages.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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I read an article about it on the Sports Ground Safety Authority website.
Because I am a fucking dweeb.
Not even joking. About either part.
Edit: Here /sgsa.org.uk/regulatory-support/sgsa-licence/all-seater-policy/
Edited by Chuds at 17:33:30 on 22nd September 2025
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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I used to subscribe to their updates and get every issue of the Green Guide (and the Purple Guide)
And go to conferences and on couses to hear them present stuff.
And for a qualification I wrote a comparison between UK and Italian/Spanish approach to sport and music festival safety and security. Work got funding and sent me to Rome and Madrid for research pre London 2012.
Top dweebing.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Crikey, you are Dwayne Dibley.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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If Bournemouth are allowed in the Premier League, we'll be just fine in the Championship.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Didn't Wallace mention something about being able to add a second tier to the East Terrace/stand?
If so, a two-tier East Stand fitted with seats would make it similar to Kenilworth Road which was deemed good enough for the Premier League.
Not a lot of point in doing any of this while still a League One club unless the average league home gate goes above 5000 (excluding away end) which is a way off at the moment.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Yes he did at the last fans forum but only when we can afford to.
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Probably just build a 20,000 seater bowl new stadium once we get to the Championship. 🤣
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Re: Championship stadium requirements
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Why? We'd need to build a 50,000 all seater when we get to the Premier League the season after
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