RDS redevelopment

[Flash Gordon]

Revenue from terrace spaces is actually higher than seats - the Football Supporters Federation in the UK has done a study on this

Fair enough, hadn't seen that! Certainly better for pint sales in my experience!

[Oldschoolsocks]

Revenue from terrace spaces is actually higher than seats - the Football Supporters Federation in the UK has done a study on this

Because you can fit more bodies per square metre, enough to offset the price difference?
Interesting.

There's a range of factors to consider. 1 how many people are on the terrace vs seating. Dave gave the figure of 1.8 per seated fan.

How often is the venue sold out. Basically it doesn't matter much if the you can fit extra people in on the terrace if there's empty seats.

How many terrace dwellers would go to the match if the terrace isn't there. Whether they are there for the terrace atmosphere or because its cheaper means that having a terrace probably contributes to ticket sales.

What effect do terrace have on concession sales is a valid point in many comparisons but doesn't really matter to us as iirc Leinster doesn't get any concession sales at the rds.

Generally a terrace is a better generator of revenue than seats but not always.

TLDR, basically what DC said so?

[The Doc]

How many terrace dwellers would go to the match if the terrace isn't there. Whether they are there for the terrace atmosphere or because its cheaper means that having a terrace probably contributes to ticket sales.

This terrace dweller chooses the terrace - nothing to do with price. It was the natural migration from the far terrace of Donnybrook

[hugonaut]

Revenue from terrace spaces is actually higher than seats - the Football Supporters Federation in the UK has done a study on this

It is counterbalanced with having to provide more toilet spaces and wider circulation areas for more people. Stadium design is a tricky balancing act.

[The Doc]

Revenue from terrace spaces is actually higher than seats - the Football Supporters Federation in the UK has done a study on this

It is counterbalanced with having to provide more toilet spaces and wider circulation areas for more people. Stadium design is a tricky balancing act.

That's where the RDS has a real advantage - and why I like it. They have plenty of space available. Thomond is pretty tight and they would find it hard to expand the game-day. But the RDS - even as it is now, has plenty of space that they could do more with - longer pre or post match activities etc (in fairness they have started doing more stuff this year). I was at Clermont last week and (like all the French clubs), they have a much longer game-day than we do in Ireland. And I think it helps with the atmosphere.

[Serb]

...or just pay the very reasonable subscription for what's a decent newspaper.

Is it not €3 a week? €156 a year for what they offer is far from reasonable, it’s an absolute rip off imo. More expensive than Netflix, Spotify, URC TV etc

[johnf]

Whats happening about the RDS development?Thanks

[Ray Donovan]

I'd say you could come back here in 5 years and ask the same question. Development was supposed to start 7 years ago.

[ustix]

Change comes dropping slow

[the spoofer]

Mick Dawson mentioned that he expected news early in the new year so we should hear something in the next couple of months.

[mildlyinterested]

Mick Dawson mentioned that he expected news early in the new year so we should hear something in the next couple of months.

[suisse]

Stadium reconstruction is a ballache in Ireland. Even the sketches released to the public from some random competition nearly a decade ago were farcical. It was clear from then that they were miles off even getting s digger ready.

The RDS is a piece of sh!t stadium. There was a time when I would really look forward to bringing someone to a Leinster game. Then they'd come on a freezing cold evening, sitting on temporary seating behind the goals as the only noise comes from kids stomping their feet running up and down. You can see it in their eyes; is this dump really your home stadium?

It is completely unsuitable for an apparent global leader in that sport.

[ronk]

It is, but it's a super location just off a main road but not blocking traffic, in an area teeming with pubs, hotels and restaurants, with loads of fans who live nearby, public transport and approachable from multiple directions.

The biggest barrier to development is the fact that there's a big, modern stadium available around the corner and it's slowly becoming more important. Leinster could play 5 HC games in Aviva this year and 1 in RDS.

The economic case has to stand on making money off the smaller games. That worked for Musgrave, but probably only because of concerts if it really does at all.

Old Lansdowne Road was a dump, but it was treasured fondly.

[erskinechilders]

The purchasing of the church in the corner of the stadium behind the grandstand could be crucial to developing matching stand on both sides of the pitch, even allowing for the temporary North & South stands.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/202 ... ge-for-4m/

The article states they plan to integrate the site into the RDS.

https://grimshaw.global/projects/sport/ ... velopment/

[Flash Gordon]

Stadium reconstruction is a ballache in Ireland. Even the sketches released to the public from some random competition nearly a decade ago were farcical. It was clear from then that they were miles off even getting s digger ready.

The RDS is a piece of sh!t stadium. There was a time when I would really look forward to bringing someone to a Leinster game. Then they'd come on a freezing cold evening, sitting on temporary seating behind the goals as the only noise comes from kids stomping their feet running up and down. You can see it in their eyes; is this dump really your home stadium?

It is completely unsuitable for an apparent global leader in that sport.

I hear what you're saying and it's also a poor enough venue for show jumping and concerts. From a Leinster point of view the alternatives are make the best of what we have, build our own stadium and that would have to be in a different location clearly and possibly not one close to where we are or alternatively make a ballsy call and move to the Aviva which is a great stadium but even though we are the best supported team in the Champions Cup, our average gate is still only half it's capacity so it'd be bottom and premium tier only. A real shame we could never make Donnybrook work.

[ronk]

The lease extension in the RDS effectively kills off any alternatives to development.

In the current calendar it would only take moving 1 match to Aviva to remove HC games from the RDS which would allow for the cap on season tickets to be set at RDS capacity (which would be absurd), what would also be allowed would be to sell an entire stand to season ticket holders.

It would also allow a Leinster Aviva season ticket. Which I now think it something that Leinster should be moving towards. I didn't like it when Munster did it with Thomond, but that was very different.

[Flash Gordon]

The lease extension in the RDS effectively kills off any alternatives to development.

In the current calendar it would only take moving 1 match to Aviva to remove HC games from the RDS which would allow for the cap on season tickets to be set at RDS capacity (which would be absurd), what would also be allowed would be to sell an entire stand to season ticket holders.

It would also allow a Leinster Aviva season ticket. Which I now think it something that Leinster should be moving towards. I didn't like it when Munster did it with Thomond, but that was very different.

You could structure your season ticket offering differently but you're right, the signing of the lease has been done. That being said, when the construction work happens we will be moving to the Aviva for the duration.

[blockhead]

A simple thing like covered stands at either end would encourage a lot more daddies and mammies to bring the kids.

[D4surfer]

The purchasing of the church in the corner of the stadium behind the grandstand could be crucial to developing matching stand on both sides of the pitch, even allowing for the temporary North & South stands.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/202 ... ge-for-4m/

The article states they plan to integrate the site into the RDS.

https://grimshaw.global/projects/sport/ ... velopment/

Apart from upgrades to the church, the planning application is for 4 gates from the church car park into the RDS. Not really a game changer.

https://planning.agileapplications.ie/d ... ils/152452

[wixfjord]

Hopefully some positive progress to be announced soon.

https://www.the42.ie/leinster-ceo-confi ... 8-Feb2023/

“The funds are there to make it happen. Things are moving in terms of money is actually being spent now with the design plans and all the stuff we need to do before building work happens. It’s all kicking off, which is good,” Nolan remarked at a media briefing in UCD.

“The funds are there. It’s just a case of going through the boring bit around plans and tenders, dates and project plans. All that boring stuff. That’s all happening now. It’s all systems go. I think we should have something really exciting in the next couple of months to show.”

“I don’t know the exact detail on that. At Wednesday’s meeting [their latest monthly sit down with the RDS], they’ll go through a bit more on the project planning that day. It will go out to tender again and that will have to be tender based and the prices will come back in. Based on what that comes in as, it might take some of the finer details [to iron it out], but the overall budget is there.

“We’ll have to see in terms of can we get every bell and whistle we want or do we have to compromise in certain areas, or we might have to change some things as well. That’s the detail of the next few months.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... ntil-2025/

“There is tons of work going on behind the scenes. There’s a real pace happening in it now, which is great. I’ve seen early sights of the vision of the stadium and it looks really, really good.”

Would be a real Mick Dawson move to move off into the sunset and having done a lot of the background work let the new man take the credit for delivery of a stadium upgrade.