connachtexile wrote: I always thought somewhere out near Salthill/Devon Club would work

Another Pearse Stadium? :huh: It couldn't be good for us, it'd be a nightmare to get to on a Friday evening, especially from outside the county...

How are the greyhounds doing? Last I heard they weren't doing well. Is there any greenfield site in Galway for us to move to if we did have the money? I always thought somewhere out near Salthill/Devon Club would work as we could eventually make it into a larger sports campus for the entire city as well as synergising with the Salthill Devon club.

tend to agree with Sears. The drawings with the 2009 application were surprisingly basic. A new multi-use facility as part of the proposed new harbour would be nice

galway_gas wrote: planning permission for the proposed upper tier of the clan terrace was granted prior to the recent upsurge in attendances

AFAIK these pics are just mockups along the lines of what the branch want, intended for presentations and fundsraising (e.g. the pre-Quins lunch in London). There's nothing on the city council planning system for this.

The original planning permission for the clan stand (2009) was for for a 1300 person terrace and a tiny second tier with about 700 seats and some basic press facilities; the terrace as it currently exists fits those 2 combined. In the end the branch had to apply for retrospective planning for much of the development.

Recently Tom Sears has been speaking about the unsuitability of the Sportsground as a combined dogtrack/stadium. I wouldn't expect much more in the way of development until one or other party moves out.

planning permission for the proposed upper tier of the clan terrace was granted prior to the recent upsurge in attendances and imo is now outdated. it looks in the pictures like its only going to give us an extra 1800 seats. I hope they have - literally - gone back to the drawing board. I agree re having a temporary covered terrace at one end at least. There is a nice one in Scotstoun which has a running track going under it but I'm not sure how often its taken up and down.


www.3dgraphichouse.ie/index.php?page=_vi...ntnt01property_id=80

ConnachtCows wrote: I havent really thought about it, but the Clan Stand is nearly always full (according to tickets sold), and the main stand is pretty much full as well most games.
I know if I only went to games on the odd occassion, and I was stuck behind one of the try lines, getting drenched, I wouldnt be in a rush to go back. Covering those two ends, however temporary for the games would make a huge difference.

I think it would improve the atmosphere a lot if the pitch was enclosed by fans on all ends. There's very little noise out of the people in the main stand and are often drowned out by a few visiting fans. Anyone got any thoughts about why that is?

Lets kick the dogs out. Who goes to watch them these days :woohoo:

They would be no different to the existing lighting poles though so not a huge problem in my oinion.
The bigger problem with that imo is that is becomes cloudy and difficult to see troug h in time.

Another suggestion would be a roller shutter type set up prefeably moterised. It could go from ground up then and would only need s span of 1.5m and 2.5m high. It would obviously be in multi segments to cover width of terrace. Prob a bit ambitious i know but some form of shelter is needed to help make sportsground a stadium. Even a removable panel style fence to protect from wind

RonanL wrote:

Shelflife wrote: Some serious figures there over the last few years. An 11% rise on top of a 54%increase the previous year is no mean feat.

Its important now that Connacht dont lose any of these supporters <strong>and keep improving the facilities </strong>that are there.Its also important that they try to grow the fan base even more rather than just try to get more out of the existing fan base.

Facilities are key in my opinion. The Clan terrace has been a revelation, but it is often sold out so it's time for some innovative thinking with regard to covering the terraces at the ends. Main issue here is the dog track can't be obscured with a permanent structure. I've mentioned this before, but surely a hybrid solution could be engineered where a permanent base is put in place, and a removeable cover added for games. Something the ground staff can put up and take down in an hour or so, but sturdy enough to withstand the wind and rain we often get in the sportsground. If you build it, they will come.

For both ends behind the posts you'd probably be talking a single story covered terrace, and transparent polycarbonate panelling is probably the answer for the rear wall and roof, the weight bearing skeleton of the structure would be the biggest issue in terms of reducing visibility.

Agreed. I hate the main stand but got stuck there a few times. I'm a Clan stander and always will be If they put covering at the far end away from college road and made it a kid/family friendly area I think it could be a huge success. We've all seen the kids hanging out of the rails on the mainstand because there to small to see over. Cheap tickets with a covering where kids get preference for seating to have a good view and ask the players to make a point of going over there to say hello or thanks after a game would make it the place to be.

Query: Do the Branch have anything special for kid season holders? If I was a kid and I saw my friend with a special t-shirt because his parents were a season ticket holder I'd be very envious. Or a small cert saying your a member signed by a player. We should be getting these kids while there young!

I havent really thought about it, but the Clan Stand is nearly always full (according to tickets sold), and the main stand is pretty much full as well most games.
I know if I only went to games on the odd occassion, and I was stuck behind one of the try lines, getting drenched, I wouldnt be in a rush to go back. Covering those two ends, however temporary for the games would make a huge difference.

Shelflife wrote: Some serious figures there over the last few years. An 11% rise on top of a 54%increase the previous year is no mean feat.

Its important now that Connacht dont lose any of these supporters and keep improving the facilities that are there.Its also important that they try to grow the fan base even more rather than just try to get more out of the existing fan base.

Facilities are key in my opinion. The Clan terrace has been a revelation, but it is often sold out so it's time for some innovative thinking with regard to covering the terraces at the ends. Main issue here is the dog track can't be obscured with a permanent structure. I've mentioned this before, but surely a hybrid solution could be engineered where a permanent base is put in place, and a removeable cover added for games. Something the ground staff can put up and take down in an hour or so, but sturdy enough to withstand the wind and rain we often get in the sportsground. If you build it, they will come.

Some serious figures there over the last few years. An 11% rise on top of a 54%increase the previous year is no mean feat.

Its important now that Connacht dont lose any of these supporters and keep improving the facilities that are there.Its also important that they try to grow the fan base even more rather than just try to get more out of the existing fan base.

rossie wrote: Swifty- glasgow warriors reckon that their ave attendance for lge is 4541 which is significant to them as it puts them ahead of edinburgh for 1st time who are on 4521. Are they wrong or are you missing a match?

your right i got the edinburgh right above, i must of missed some big game???? ill double check every team later :S :sick:

rossie, are they including the heineken cup? my figures here are pro12 only. ill double check soon

Swifty- glasgow warriors reckon that their ave attendance for lge is 4541 which is significant to them as it puts them ahead of edinburgh for 1st time who are on 4521. Are they wrong or are you missing a match?