Increasing capacity at the Skydome?

[Claret & Blue Army]

In Andy Buxtons programme notes today he mentions that the Blaze management are exploring the idea of increasing the seated capacity at the hallowed Skydome for next season.
Is this necessarily a good thing?
And where could extra seats fit?

Over to you guys

[covunistudent]

Well I reckon there could be a block 16, if space allows.

The Blaze chairman was on Radio WM during the Cardiff Devils cup final home leg match (listened to it on the radio,) and he said he reckoned another 1,500 more season tickets could be sold (taking the overall capacity to 4,200.

[Claret & Blue Army]

I was thinking if they got rid of the bar area to take seats in but built a kind of annexe onto it for refreshments that could increase the capacity. Obviously the refreshment area is also too small as it currently stands to adequately cater for the demands each weekend at a game so a new area could be built with this is mind

[Rich]

I think that if Blaze keep going the way they are, in 3 years time the only way to guarantee yourself a ticket for games will be to get a season ticket.

As for increasing the capacity now though I don't know. The atomosphere would be prety bad if you had 4000 seats and only 2500 fans at the game. Anyway who needs seats. The Sky Dome needs some more safe terracing.

[JP]

I'm all up for more seats at the Skydome, they could get rid of the 'bar' and get a few over there.

[Claret & Blue Army]

Covblaze16 said:

I'm all up for more seats at the Skydome, they could get rid of the 'bar' and get a few over there.

This would be my choice as the bar is inadequate for the crowds we get now so an add on (Not sure where though might be an idea and it would free up an area for additional seating

[Carpo]

This is what i'd do.

- Keep Changing rooms 1+2 as they are (Current away changing rooms on blaze nights)

- Remove the bar.

- Build blocks 16+17, leave a tunnel to changing rooms 1+2, and build changing rooms 5+6, under blocks 16/17.

- Extend Zamboni shed/maintance locker/skate hire out.

- Build overhanging bar + additional executive box. Do it 'Lee Valley Style', with overhanging tables to watch the game from (charge say £80/£90/£100 per table of six (i'm thinking entertaining clients without having to go for the full cost of hriing an executive box (no food but employ a person to provide service to the tables)

Total Capacity:

Existing Seating (inc Exec boxes): 2260
Plus 300 new seats =

2560 seats.

Standing round the arena to reduce from 500 to 300.

= 2860 total.

+ Additional Exec Box, plus Table seating plus standing in the bar = 150

= 3010 total at full capacity.

====

In an ideal world, i'd love to see that. Big enough, but not so big that it would kill off the atmosphere due to the 'NIC syndrome (i.e. none of the people in nottingham knowing that you can get tickets to the when they 'moved' from the Ice Stadium to the NIC)

[payette]

Why not put some seats where the old clock was? They don't use that for anything, only the old Christmas tree, and move all vending machines in to the under block food things. Build a thing over the top of the zamboni thing and put some seats on top of the bar so it'll make 16/17/18 blocks. Is that a good idea or not?

You really need to improve your grammar.

[King Rich]

I agree with Carpo, and I'm sure many other people share the same view. There needs to be some kind of expansion in the next few years at the most, but it can't be expanded too much.

Why not get rid of the dancers that nobody watches, and consequently their little room behind the vending machines?

I don't think it would be good to have vending machines only at one end of the arena... we need some at each end.

[Rich]

Yeh know disrespect intended to the Crew because I am sure they work really hard to entertain us but fans seem to have lost interest in them probably due to the big improvment of the quality of hockey on the ice and also I have heard a fair few people talking more about the dancers at the back of block 2 (who actually pay to get in) rather than them talking about the Crew.

[Carpo]

King said:

I agree with Carpo, and I'm sure many other people share the same view. There needs to be some kind of expansion in the next few years at the most, but it can't be expanded too much.

Why not get rid of the dancers that nobody watches, and consequently their little room behind the vending machines?

I don't think it would be good to have vending machines only at one end of the arena... we need some at each end.

Just to say, doing anything that would reduce the amount of changing facities in the Arena would never ever in a million years get approved. Remember that it's not just the blaze that use the Skydome, 12 other hockey teams plus figure plus dance do....

[King Rich]

Still.... if you get rid of that one, there's enough for two hockey teams. Is that not the maximum we'll ever need?

[Carpo]

King said:

Still.... if you get rid of that one, there's enough for two hockey teams. Is that not the maximum we'll ever need?

Nope. You ever been to the Skydome on a Junior night?

You need to have ideally four changing rooms, plus one for the refs, as the two teams on at 6pm have to change while the 4:15pm game is going on.

At it stands we only have Changing rooms 1, 2, 3+4 (the refs go where the crew go on blaze match nights..) so we haven't got four changing rooms for the teams!

EDIT: Which obviously makes it a pain in the arse at times.... So less changing rooms is a definate non-starter.

[Claret & Blue Army]

I'm sure the management of the Skydome would look into all the permutations of what is needed but would surely be happy with the idea of increasing the potential number of people through the door be it for hockey or other events

[naffer]

Don't know what is possible or practical but fire regulations access and egress would all come into it surely .
I would imagine a small scale addition is what the blaze are looking at probably 3,200 tops.