Renovating Oakwell

If a wealthy benefactor came along next week and said that we'd be upgrading Oakwell, what would you want to see? Aside from Tv's being switched on etc.

I was thinking about the best way to update the West Stand: as much as I love it, it looks dated and I can't help but think it harms the atmosphere having the noise escaping over that little stand.

I'd like to see an interesting looking stand that fills in the corners on either end, keeping the noise from the ponty in and giving the ground an individual look.
I'd try to keep the little commentary box thing, perhaps making a new one on top of the new stand. Moving the tunnel back to the middle of the west stand would be great too.

A lick of paint in the concourses would also go a long way.

What do you lot think?

 

I'd want:

a new scoreboard
the East Stand concourse filling in at the top to make it warmer
the East Stand concourses and stairs area (except the posh stairs with the glittering floor ) painting

I only use the East Stand as a general rule so I have no opinions about the rest.

 

The East Stand stairs would be a great shout - maybe get some more pics of classic players etc in there

 

A renovated west stand with roll standing area. Lifts in all areas of ground and work done on general disabled access again everywhere. A nice paint job. Filling in East Stand.

 

west stand would ev to goer......even though i sit in there with the real fans it's grotty and ancient.....replace it with a new one called 'the real fan stand'.

underfloor heating warming my tootsies in the cold weather....maybe heated seats too.....and prawn sandwiches courtesy of Pat and Jase......swilled down with a nice free glass of chilled, vintage, sparkling red, beaujolis nouveau.

hth

 

I wanted to suggest lifts but I think it was said that they can't do that in the East Stand for some reason.

I can't believe I forgot to second the OP's suggestion of moving the tunnel back to the west stand, I hate that they come out of the side (especially the side next to the away fans!)

 

I was with thi until it got to the sparkling red reevy

 

Thought about this before, Follow ponty end round into west stand so cancer corner is filled in, tunnel back in west, dug outs like old Trafford, electronic advertising boards in front of east stand, first five 8 rows of ponty seats covered in black mesh, with flags place on it, or just one big long flag across them, rubber flooring throughout, knock down the flood lights, and build a massive social club where you don't have to be in a special click to get in.

 

Install a mezzanine in the east stand, create a fantastic children's area in one half complete with video games etc, use the other half to create a permanent and much larger redfearns bar. Fill in the windows and paint the concourse. That's the east stand done, one of the best in the area then.

Replace the west stand with a carbon copy of the east stand but with the benefit, due to the gradient of the area arohnd the ground, of having direct disabled access into the lower tier from grove street. The two areas used for the bar and children's area in the east would in this stand be used to create two large retail or leisure outlets to be rented out.

Fill in the corner between west and north with a copy of the dimensions stand with a tunnel in the centre of it facing diagonally (that's important) onto the pitch. Fill in the opposite two corners with identical stands but with a scoreboard on the front of them.

Remove the floodlights and install/complete the lighting rigs on top of the stands instead.

Do all that and we have the best ground in Yorkshire by far.

 

Laughing. There's no atmosphere to escape.

 

I think if money were no object lifts could be installed you're right about the tunnel though it's rubbish where it is.

I'd also buy Grove Street School and turn it into a community centre/social club thing with an overground walkway into the renovated West stand.

 

Rip lower seating out of West Stand, creating a safe standing area. Create a proper Redfearn's int East Stand. Leave the tunnel where it is at present, but extend it so that it ends with them coming out further away from the away end. That's summat they could fix tomorrow, the tunnel. Stupid ******* idea that was, having the first bit of noise the players hear being the away fans.

Floodlights are great, only change them if it's cost effective to do so.

Fill the remaining corners in.

 

Sparkling red wine? What sort of low life are you?

 

Or your favourite Pear Cider if they've run out.

 

Good point, well made.

 

The West Stand will outlive us all unfortunately, you're probably talking £15m at least to do a lot of what has been suggested, as fantastic as it will be it would take a very unlikely promotion back to the top flight for any real work to be done at Oakwell.

I think in about 2008 Don Rowing said we were going to use our cup money to do something with the West Stand but nothing ever happened, it'll just end up being condemned and left empty.

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East Stand could do with a lift, it's a right hike to the Upper stand.

 

Probs a 15,000 capacity cantilever west stand, rip all seats out east stand and make it standing only just to piss off some of the miserable ****s and shut down Redfearns.


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Why would you fill the windows on the ES in?

 

Rip the seats out of the bottom of the West Stand, have safe standing. Rip the seats out of the top of the West Stand, replace with wider seats, more leg room, get one of those blokes that goes around with hot dogs like they do in America, lick of paint, bit of a clean. Or just make it a glass fronted lounge. All enclosed so you can drink during the game. It'd be like watching it at the pub.