They've just put the finishing touches to a new 12,700 capacity RUGBY stadium here. I've been to see it and it is a thing of beauty. None of your box kit rubbish here.
Don't you think a similar size and design would do really nicely for Pools?

Montpellier rugby club is no better supported that HUFC, in fact it's a bit of a new kid on the block (this town is not a traditional hotbed of the sport even though it's in a strong rugby region).
Apart from that, there are far fewer well attended matches (13 premier league games to be exact). So if it's good enough for them I say it's good enough for us!

Only if I can stand up down the side of the pitch like I do now.

An all seater stadium would take some of the shine off the match for me like.

Now that looks OK...however we'd end up with a sheet metal and breeze block celbration of the banality of design.

I have to admit a weakness for some of the off the wall aspects of French design. That stadium looks fantastic to me.

Well yes and no, it looks a bit like they couldn't afford to put the wavey roof all the way round the stadium. One plain jane square stand and three with a bent roof.

Also, the second picture, what's going on the plain square roof? It looks like its off outside the stadium.

We need a bigger away stand to get our money back from the evil Bates and his pals. Otherwise, I'd rather than have a nearly full house than the atmosphere of a funeral parlour (with respect to genial Gerald Martin) which applies to most of the grounds we have visited in the last two years including one nearby.

The first picture is in fact an artist's impression. In the second it's still under construction. I can assure you that when you are in it it is one classy stadium.

Maybe the pictures below give a better idea of the design. The roof that goes off the end shelters the roof bar of a brasserie which is still under construction.

will it be like a lot of other stadia in this country once you close up the corners the pitch goes to pot

prem clubs can afford to lay them twice a year but who else can?

Maybe that's the reason three of the corners are dipped.
Even with the stands in almost complete shadow the pitch is receiving 100% sun here...

Whichever way you look at it you have to admit is has far more character that your riverside reynolds of light. I'd be excited if Pools came up with that. They won't of course, but this one'll do me for my own Saturday sport.

reminiscent of the american stadia
that is a better shot

Lets do away with behind the goals like this I reckon....

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_me ... ipal.shtml

Think it's mad? Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura counter-argued with a statement of large stature; moving his hand from left to right and vice versa, he said: "According to me football (football) is watched like this!".

Wow. If anyone was looking for weird stadium contestants I think we have a winner!

This world stadiums is a cracking website, have a look at this page for inspiration, or not!

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_me ... iums.shtml

We do build / commission some bloody awful boring grounds in this country like.

I think I've found the one we're really getting on that site.

They're certainly on the ball aren't they:

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pi ... noir.shtml

i was working in manchester today and the lad i was driving over with wanted to see old trafford

so i pulled off the m/way

and took him to the Shay and said thats the only ground you're gonna see today - he wasnt best please so threatened him with stockport (which aint that bad really) as well

the shay is all metal structure on the old side away end and looks like they being a new stand

but it still looks shite like

mind that twatting M62 was bloody murder today wasnt it

The old stadiums are the best, the best stadiums in the country are the likes of Hillsborough, Anfield, Elland Road, Villa Park, history and tradition. The new stadiums are shite. Hpefully Pools will never move from the vic, we could easilly have a decent sized ground where we are. The best stadium in league one is the one in Birkenhead......

For those who have never been to Swansea, you're in for a treat on Saturday. It's like a nuclear bunker with the lid off. I've never seen so much poured concrete since the Kray Twins and the Richardsons were in business.

Mr Head, do you happen to have any sort of budget cost for that stadium and how did they raise the cash if they have little in the way of attendances??

I think it looks fantastic for a little club like that.

closed for us on way back so did rochdale to halifax to bradford (A58) and may as well killed myself - as every other fooker did the same - gutted.

and then whipped over to leeds/bardord airport and then harrogate to thirsk A61 and some poor twat had met a wagon and crush - sat for an hour+

hpool to manc via the shay 2 and a bit hours

manc to hpool via the busy A58 and a bad crash - 5 hours

sick as

Aha there's the rub. The construction has been heavily subsidised by local and regional government as part of a broader district redevelopment called "Ovalie".
The idea was to develop a new housing estate but to make sure it had a centre point and a soul. The rugby club needed a new stadium, the old one being hopelessly deficient, so they put two and two together and came up with this scheme. Local government here are only to willing to cough up money for sport and culture and plough it merrily into developments like this, happy in the knowledge that it will benefit the town socially.
If you look at Montpellier's football ground (which incidentally is where the rugby world cup games were played due to its bigger capacity), the area around is pretty bleak. When the game is over all you want to do is get away quickly in case you get mugged.
If you look at the new rugby ground, by contrast, you can have a meal before or after the game or even when there's no game on, go for a drink, go shopping, go to the gym, and other things besides. And when I say go for a meal I don't mean in some kind of boxed-in carvery canteen. It's a luxury brasserie which is an attraction in itself.

Anyway, in answer to your question: 59 million euros. 42 million quid. Still not cheap even at French prices eh?

OUCH!

agree totally Mr Ripper if i had to sit at games maybe i would stop going to pools going to away games is a miss for me now for that reason.

I its a shame that you've got too pay for two seats like

Does the No.6 bus go all the way to the M62?

thats right pick on the fat kid.

as well as to batley and sheffield whilst i had 5 hours to kill yesterday.
and some of the passengers were still complaining when we got to south fens 11 hours later
no bloody sense of humour these coffin dodgers

Didn't Spurs (I think) play a European match last season there?

Well no but with all the potential it holds maybe the payback, monetary or in terms of environmental improvement isn't so daunting.

Now if only our council would invest say............1/10th of that....... Maybe GIVE the ground away to some keen investor......

Jesus, there's a flying pig!!!!

Didn't the Teesside Development Corporation build the borers ground...?

Probably but as you know we're the poor relations.