New Stadium

pinky wrote: Hard to judge based on the pictures, but looks like the doggy side is the existing stand but extended more or less the length of the pitch. The enclosed part stays the same but the new extensions seem to be the same depth. This is impossible as the existing main stand is on part of the site that kind of juts out into The Green. The houses behind the GT stand are closer to the track than the ones behind the main stand so couldn't really do that without buying them. I'm probably just misinterpreting the picture and in any case it's just an artist's impression.
It does look like the space between the main stand terrace and the track is gone and the terrace/seats are at a gentler pitch going all the way to the track (which would be nice) but again I could be reading too much into the picture.

Just took another look at that area of the visualisation. It seems the back line of the current main stand will probably be extended in line with the site boundary line. The two extended areas both seem rather shallower than the stand itself. You can see the back line of the rood on the College Rd side seems to angle back in.

It may be a visualisation of what they want, but it will have been generated from the plans as they currently are, so I'd expect it to reflect the intended design (as it stands at this stage).

I'm sure we'll all be on tenterhooks until we get the full detail of the plan, but it all looks great from where I'm standing! (usually in the pissing rain at the College Rd end...)

Podge57 wrote: Is all weather pitch confirmed? Not a fan.

GT says so, after interview with Willie, but doesn't say if 4G or hybrid.

www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/developme...f-connacht-1.3656328

Also, a bit more detail on timing, etc.

Gerry Thornley wrote: Pending Government funding support and planning permission, the hope is that building of the new high performance centre would start next year. On foot of that being constructed, the two new stands to replace the main stand and the Clan Terrace would be built one in turn, so as to allow Connacht to continue playing in the Sportsground, albeit with a reduced capacity for a season.

So maybe that is a full rebuild on the dog side, as opposed to modification of the existing structure.

pinky wrote:
So maybe that is a full rebuild on the dog side, as opposed to modification of the existing structure.

No, wait, I got the magnifying glass out. The glass bit is the exact same as the existing one and there is a slightly different style of roof on the new bits. So probably the enclosure stays the same meaning they can still have race meetings during some of the construction.

Based on the pictures, 12k is about right, conservative even. Like there's about 4000 seats in the new stand. The terrace is probably a bit smaller than the current Clan Terrace, but that is more than made up for by the extra capacity on the other side.
If you really wanted to increase capacity temporarily, RDS-style jobs at the end could probably bring you up around 18k, though I think that might fall foul of safety regulations.

Yeah, 18k was probably an exaggeration. The stands in the RDS hold about 4500 each I think but they are about 30m deep, which is more than we have available. If you assume the end terraces will hold 1000 each, then a 2500 capacity stand at each end would get you to 15k and that is probably doable.
I suspect though that there might be issues around the capacity of the site as a whole, with regard to evacuation, etc., given the number of exits.
An entrance from the Bohermore side through Coole Park would be a nice addition.

Was there an entrance there years ago or anything? There is a cul de sac in Coole Park leading up to a blank wall. It always seemed to me as an obvious thing to add.

Tonery's would pay for everything, they'd make it back in a season