West stand

Fulham did a good job renovating there old stand I'm sure we could get a similar job done on ours.

 

Sorry but affection aside it isn’t fit for purpose.

Let’s be honest,it’s costing as much to keep small parts of it open as the repayments on a loan to build a new one would be. The loan could even come from the owners, not the bank.

It needs to be sorted long term. No new fan will ever be attracted to sitting in it, other than going with grandad maybe.

People used to love the old brewery stand. It had to go.

The west stand should have been done 20 or so years ago when the rest was sorted, the east was finished 25 years ago, the rest followed, and the fact it has been left is more to do with the club’s financial status for the last two decades (and circumstances re the school and houses on grove street).

It is a relic and needs to be gone. If it could be rebuilt or replicated at the bottom of the car park or wherever and host a clubshop and/or non-matchday hospitality then fine. But it doesn’t belong at the side of a professional football pitch - certainly not one at the top end of the third tier, likely to be second tier in the relatively near future hopefully and maybe even with ambition to get back to the top division. I know some like it, but would you stop going if it had been replaced? Do you only come to see the stand?

New shiny facilities might attract new shiny faces; if we happen to have a decent side that year they might never stop coming.

I have no obvious affinity to Barnsley as a town. It was a quirk I started coming to games as a child, my mum married a bloke from Wakefield who was a fan, in turn his dad used to be a steward which attracted him.

I never stopped coming. I had issues with my former step father, it was a long time ago but he left me with this club as a legacy, one thing at least I’m grateful for. It’s a proper club, and it’s a great club to support. I’ve spent mounds of time and money doing so and will continue to. But I won’t spend a copper coin in the west stand.

I’ve sat in the west, but not for well over a decade. I’m not even convinced it’s safe.

 

Speaking of the history of oakwell what is the oldest photo that anyone has? Any that show the original stands? And by original I don't mean just a 1980 photo of the brewery stand and the current West

 

In terms of renovating it, and I could be mistaken, would there potentially be an issue with sight lines from the upper tier of the West Stand. The upper tier seems to stop well short of the goal line towards the Ponty End (is it the same towards the away end?? Ignoring the pillars that are currently there, are some of the seats towards the gable ends of restricted view, which without lengthening the structure would be restricted again? Unless the gable ends were left open, somewhat defeating the object.

I really get the attachment and historical context of the stand, but I also felt the same about the old Ponty End, so from a personal perspective, I think it would make more sense to build a new structure, albeit I say that with a bit of a sigh. My own preference would be to look at something like Preston's newest stand, single tier with exec boxes and so on.

Does anyone think it would be worth looking at including facilities that would possibly make it usable on non-matchdays, accessible from the street - bar, restaurant etc? The company I worked for until end of July 18 took a couple of units in the external concourse of Brighton's AMEX stadium and developed a health clinic used by sport physicians/physios, GP's. Access was available for private and NHS patients and gave the latter access to Xrays, Ultrasound scans, doctor appointments etc. Might be completely impractical but trying to think laterally. The out of town centre location may be a limitation?

 

I thought Peterborough's main stand looked good. Something with a bit of character. Given that, should the owners choose to rebuild, money won't be quite as all encompassing a factor as previously it should be possible to replace the West Stand with something fit for purpose but architectural nods to the original.

 

Surely the top tier could be replaced with modern seating and press facilities/directors box etc. plus a cantelever roof without the expense of a totally new stand?

 

Whatever happens, it would be good to get the players' tunnel on the halfway line again. It's far more convenient for players who get sent off. And it prevents our lads of having to walk off under a barrage of abuse from the away fans.

 

Oldest one I've seen available is via the link below to britainfromabove.org.uk. There may be some in some of the books about the club (e.g. Oakwell Saints Go Marching On). The original structure was relatively short, possibly 30 yards either side of the old players tunnel and as you say in other posts, has been added on to over the years.

www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EAW047420/download

 

What has been done is basically maintenance & was without needed , even the toilets had covers put over them . I would like to see a new roof put over, which covers all existing seating & the concourse , toilets & refreshment bars brought into the 21st century .

 

What's the standard of the maintenance work? It looks awful from afar but does it look as bad up close?
The problem with the roof is I can't see how you can extend it without losing the very thing people want to maintain

 

I'll have to buy the book. I've seen a photo of the smaller West stand once before but can't remember where.
Also any idea why the east stand was called the brewery stand when two stands had it on?

 

I don't see any reason why they can't use the old tunnel now anyway. Planning permission recently submitted for the media shed shows that a corridor goes all the way from the tunnel to the end of the west stand. The players wouldnt have any further to walk than thry do now

 

I can only think that it was because the actual Barnsley Brewery was behind it, in the same way the Pontefract Road End was so called.

 

A very good point

 

It looks o.k to me , regarding the roof I am no construction engineer but I was thinking of a cantilever style roof & replacing the seating in the upper section , as I say , I am no engineer so I do not know if this could be done, but it is what I would like to see .

 

See my post above. The west stand is technically only the rear part.

 

I'm no engineer either but I'm sure it could be done. But if it the roof was replaced and the upper tier seating replaced what have you retained? The cladding on the back of the stand and some posts in front of seats

 

This is a great wind up, bravo!!

 

Just downloaded that and, zooming in, it was interesting looking at it in detail. I had forgotten about the "paths" that led from the turnstiles and the two exit gates up to the back of the Ponty End. They were just slag heaps, just like the back of the Kop beyond the terracing. No consideration for H&S in those days. If it was wet you slithered down it, carried by the weight of the crowd (when we had one!)

 

Believe it or not the architect who designed the east stand is my next door neighbour. He's retired now but I'll have a word when I next see him. I do know there have been numerous discussions on the future of the west stand, but finance was the overriding snag for years.