*just to point out, I love Oakwell and would hate to see us move* Just watched that advert on the Nice website and it got me thinking... The basic infrastructure of their stadium is light-years ahead of our place and to get Oakwell up to that standard would probably take years and some serious cashmoneydollar. With the new owners putting a lot of weight into the match day experience and trying to encourage folk to get down early and stay late, do you reckon they might see a new stadium as a cheaper and easier option?
Yes bring it on Oakwell has lost its soul I love the place but it is a concrete shell with red seats with no facilities esp for youngens
It seems that there is a mix of teams who had old stadiums like ours - those that went for the new stadium approach - I'm thinking of Huddersfield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Derby, Middlesborough. And those that choose to improve their existing stadium - Burnley, Bradford, Dirty Leeds, Dee Dahs. Personally I'd much rather go to Huddersfields new stadium then Bradford or Burnley's "upgraded" one.
If I were running the show I'd probably seriously look at improving the current training facilities and sell off the carpark... Put a new stadium up elsewhere... Like I said, it's not something I want but I'm preparing myself for it...
I like Oakwell. 3 parts of it are decent and as they began redeveloping the ground around 25 years ago, it's pretty modern without being similar to the typical bowl shaped stadia that everyone seems to have. Only downside for me is parking at the ground.
Not when it's 3/4 new, and could easily be brought up to a much higher standard with investment. It's not like we're lacking in capacity, and even if we were, Oakwell could easily be made into a 35,000 capacity stadium if the need was ever to arise.
I'd hate us to move away from Oakwell. But anyone who thinks the new owners won't have already at least discussed it are very nieve.
If we're to move from Oakwell, it's not just the stadium itself that needs to be built. There's the training facilities (both indoor and outdoor), the parking facilities, transport infrastructure for entering & egress (we haven't got that now, so movement away from Oakwell ought to have it), there'd be no convenient access for fans who walk from the town centre to the ground. I'd prefer not to move our ground away from the town it represents, or have us play in what I believe would be a soulless flat pack stadium based somewhere on the outskirts of Barnsley. I accept others may think differently and fully respect their right to hold an alternative opinion.
I think they mentioned how much they liked the stadium. Realistically, why WOULD we be thinking about moving?