I see the above are building new 22000 capacity stadiums. Why do these clubs ambitous and we are quite happy playing in a ground holding 7500 ? I know 22000 is maybe OTT but 10 or 12 thousand would show a statement of our future intent.

Bigger catchment areas..............

Or shall we be like the 'loids?

Do we really need a bigger ground? Im not sure we do to be honest

Yes i noticed there capacitys are smaller than our ambitions At least passing wind goes unnoticed in big spaces

Not while were barely half filling the one we've got.

I reckon I'll open another forum for Mr Onaldo.

I'll entitle it : Preposterous Shit Spouting.

This topic always gets me thinking about who are loyal fans who have been through thick and thin with HUFC. if we build / extend to 10 or 12000, the only way it will fill is when we play the likes of Leeds, Forest etc etc. we do not have the fan base, to ever fill it. we are a small club and even if we were to reach the premier league will would get attendances of around 12000 (3500 - 5000) of which would be away fans.

It is ludicrous to ever put HUFC into a massive stadium like that. if we did we would end up like the loids, the players will be unenthusiastic about playing and the atmosphere would be worse than it is now.

Spot on

I do think the away stand should be doubled in capacity at least. That would stop the club missing out on large away followings in League One in future, of which there can be 10 or 12 clubs bringing many supporters if the League had teams in it such as Preston, Sheff Wed, Hudds, Oldham, Carlisle, Forest ,Leeds, Darlo, Bradford, Hull etc

We are well supported for the size of the town;

Hartlepool p98'000
Average attendance - 5000
So thats roughly 5% give or take.

On the same basis the following clubs should expect these crowds;

Forest - 35000
Darlington - 5000
Stockport - 8000
Walsall - 9000
Swindon - 13500
Northampton - 11000

I could go on but I'm bored now. The point is that based on catchment areas, we do ok.

What you are saying is that . if you reach the premiership your gates would be 7-8.5 k every game I can feel a ban coming best i shut up eh

Sorry was repyling to mr loyal blue

The majority of replies confirm what I already thought, Pools supporters are happy treading water in div1, are insecure because we are so small a club and town and basically just glad we have had an invite to the party. This is why I no longer attend games. This grateful to be where we are attitude must rub off on those running the club, therefore we get what we deserve.

Why is it every club in the country including clubs as small as Macclesfield have or are going to build grounds 10000 plus?

Are we right or is everyone else wrong?

We have a massive catchment area , as big as Burnleys if you include Billingham Peterlee etc and why not ,so thats no excuse. Its just the small mindedness over the years has made us the small club we are.

Ok, fine..............will you shut up now?

So you are whining about our capacity only being 7,500 yet you 'no longer attend games' You couldn't make it up!!!

As big a catchment area as Burnley you say!? Is that the Championship club who's gates are around 9,000 every week (about what we'd get in the CCC) one of the worst supported teams in that league. I fail to see your point, and you're actually wrong anyway Burnley has around 25,000 people less than Hartlepool without including Peterlee and Billingham (but why would you do that!? would Burnley include Accrington and Blackburn ) Billingham is a Boro stronghold and Peterlee Sunderland anyway.

If IOR buy the ground I'm sure within a couple of years the capacity at the Vic will be in access of 10,000 which any realistic person can appreciate is all we need at the moment.

i'm delighted you no longer attend games. kiss me where it smells ronaldo.

12000 would be big for Pools. The extra 4.5 thou would easily cover championship away gates if ever we got that high.
Yawn, I've already done a study of Sunderland's away gates when they were in league 2 and know what I'm talking about.

Every seat you build on top of 12000 will probably get used no more than once or twice a year.

There is of course the small matter of owning suitable land to build them on.

Are you Mr G Reynolds esq, build it and they will come

Simply it doesn't work like that

Macclesfield building a 10000 stadium, so fook, they WILL NEVER fill it, unless they play Man U every week, so why are they doing it?
Darlow built at 25000 stadium, it will never be full, so why did GR do it?

Ronnie, you have all the answers, so answer this.....

IOR lack ambition, who do you suggest will take over a club which doesn't even own it's own ground, averages gates of around 5000 and has a debt of around £5,000,000 and counting?

I think this is what you're referring to Mr Offshore, as seen in Issue 87 of Monkey Bizz:

Build it & They Will Come!!!!

F*** all will happen till the council get their finger out and sort out the ground sale...

When I did that slightly optimistic design, I did allow for further expansion......... and having only one toilet on the ground floor was a bit of a blooper too...but hey, it's only the away end..

yeah, but then we can say... we build a new stand and you can't fill it!

Seems to me that many clubs that build new stadiums then suffer a downturn in form for a while at least - Huddersfield, Stoke, Chester, Wycombe, yes even Darlo. Even following costly re-development of their exisiting grounds such as Ipswich, Norwich & Nottingham Forest.
I can see Southend, Colchester, Macc following suit as they have limited finances and a new stadium will impact upon this to the detriment of decent, quality palyers demanding high wages and transfer fees.

Like I said in my original post, 10 or 12000, so this Mr Reynolds thing is bullocks. Why is it then every other club in the land has a capacity bigger than they need? . You telling me we are trailblazers for once.

Hey just came up with a better idea , which would suit the majority, lets flog one side of the ground and reduce the capacity to 5000, after all thats all we get most games.

Our capacity for the Vic was much higher, the figure used is the figure the council give you. I think that the capacity could be increased by a couple of thousand at least. I believe all capacities should be decided by a national licencing authority with a common agenda.

right sell one side off maybe they could open a lidl(rink end)a bit like hull did with kwiksave