Article Taxonomy: Stadiums

Football stadiums

Chelsea outbid Spurs on Wembley hire

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Chelsea have offered around £11m a year to use Wembley as a temporary home while Stamford Bridge is redeveloped.   They want to play there for three seasons from the start of the 2017-18 campaign.

They appear to have outbid Tottenham Hotspur who will need to leave White Hart Lane for two years in 2017 as their new stadium is built.   They are thought to have offered Wembley about £8m a year.

The Wembley board has not yet made a decision yet on whether to rent it to a team which could have knock on effects on other sporting and music events that bring in the cash.

Stockport stadium secure

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Stockport County’s future at Edgeley Park is secure after Stockport Council agreed to buy the ground to avert a risk of demolition.   Owners Cheshire Sports were understand to have received an offer for the stadium leading to fears that it might be bulldozed for development.

It’s costing the Council £2m, but the mortgage should be covered by the rent paid by the club.  

Olympic Stadium cost grows

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The cost of converting the Olympic Stadium for football has grown.   The final bill has now risen to £272m, most of which will be met by the taxpayer.    The total cost of the stadium will be £709m, whereas Wembley was built for £798m in 2007 and the Millennium Stadium cost £121m in 1999.

Chelsea advance stadium plans

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Chelsea are advancing their plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge through a series of meetings with local businesses and residents. They abandoned the idea of moving home after difficulties with three alternative sites around London including Battersea and Earls Court.

At the moment the capacity is 41,623. Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium has a capacity of 60,000 giving them £30m more a year in ticket income than Chelsea.

Underhill sold

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Barnet’s historic ground at Underhill has been sold.   This means that the club cannot return to the London Borough of Barnet, although they are more than satisfied with their new facilities.

The club has had a difficult relationship with the local council for the last twenty years which they put down to changes of political control.

Bristol Rovers sue Sainsbury’s

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As Bristol Rovers prepare for a play-off final that could return them to the Football League after one season, they are also appearing in the High Court to sue Sainsbury’s.

The supermarket chain was going to bulldoze the Memorial Ground to build a supermarket.   However, with the changes in the retail sector, they have pulled out of the scheme.   They claim that it is because they are unhappy with conditions in the planning permission that restrict the number of trucks that can deliver at night.

Sky Blues consider Rugby stadium

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Coventry City have been in talks with planners in Rugby about possible sites within their area for a new stadium.  However, as the sites are in green belt land, the talks will need to be concluded by September before the local plan is submitted.

The Sky Blues have apparently ruled out a new stadium within the boundaries of Coventry.  The Ricoh Arena is now owned by Wasps rugby football club.

New Spurs stadium could stage NFL

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Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium could host American football matches.  Plans for the new stadium show a much larger changing room in the East Stand.  A typical ”locker room’ must accommodate 53 players and 15-20 coaches, far more than for a football team.

Wembley has hosted at least one NFL match a year since 2007.  There will be three more games there in October and November.   Jacksonville Jaguars have an agreement to play a home game at Wembley every year from 2013 to 2016.   The Football Association is thought to collect about £3m per game.

MLS faces political challenges

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Major League Soccer in the United States is facing increasing political challenges.   Taxpayers are increasingly unwilling to fund new stadiums.   Even if direct subsidies are not needed, tax breaks often are.