The Lansdowne/Aviva discussion thread.

DancingGrape

Well Justin, maybe YOU havnt but I have NEVER been stopped going to my seat with a drink!

Its still not allowed. Whether you got away with it or not is another matter. I've never seen anyone in Croker or Lansdowne with a pint in the seating area (unfortunately)

DancingGrape

Dont know what it is about me then but have NEVER been stopped.
It's allowed in RDS and used to be in Lansdowne and is in All orther stadiums around the world that i have been to.

danthefan

Ste_D wrote: »

So in general (with the exception of spud!) we are agreed that the enforced 15 minute walk is daft.

Can we get back to the more important issue of beers in seats! In the last couple of years I have been in Twickenham, Cardiff, Telstra and the SCG in Sydney and the RDS every second week and had no issue bringing pints in to the seats anywhere. So what is the deal with us not being able to drink in our seats in Lansdowne?

I am awaiting the official boards.ie IRFU spokesman to tell us why beer isn't allowed in the stands.

JustinDee wrote: »

As I pointed out, you have actually not been permitted to take drinks to seats at internationals in Croke Park.

For about the 3rd time, why?

JustinDee

danthefan wrote: »

I am awaiting the official boards.ie IRFU spokesman to tell us why beer isn't allowed in the stands

Ask Aviva Stadium.
Nobody complained before.

And my posts are nothing 'official' by the way. You'd be hard pushed to find someone who has actually heard of boards.ie in this building.

DancingGrape

DancingGrape wrote: »

Well Justin, maybe YOU havnt but I have NEVER been stopped going to my seat with a drink!

you lucky fecker, I always get caught and turned back...

It is certainly not a new thing.

for danthefan, it doesn't really matter why, and with all respect to Justin, I don't think he has the power to change it.

They can ban vuvuzelas as they are an earsore and a nuisance, and they make the policy which dictates that you are not allowed alcohol in the stands. They don't really have to justify it either, its not like Joe Duffy's going to start a piece on the radio campaigning for it.

danthefan

Deleted User wrote: »

for danthefan, it doesn't really matter why, and with all respect to Justin, I don't think he has the power to change it.

I'm not asking him to change it, but I am interested to know why we have different rules than the majority of other stadiums in other countries.

danthefan

danthefan wrote: »

I'm not asking him to change it, but I am interested to know why we have different rules than the majority of other stadiums in other countries.

Insurance is the only thing I can think of.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Insurance is the only thing I can think of.

Probably to stop people getting into arguments over spilt drink.

They should have those lads who fire hotdogs and nachos at you like in America,why doesnt this new stadium have hotdog men JustinD?

And can we wear hats like this in the stands?

scudzilla

Working tonight so took some pics

Kristian_

Well fellas whats the verdict? Unfortunately I could'nt go
From watching on tv the stadium looks much more the part as a football venue than a rugby one! Seemed like a lull in atmosphere at the early stages but I guess this was largely down to the gulf in quality between the teams. It did pick up towards the end when the crowd got going with the Mexican wave ..
Chicharito looked very sharp when he came also, I know it was an easy game for utd but I reckon he could be the real deal for utd for the seasons to come.:pac:
Rooney looked much happier tonight.:)

Also 49,880 was announced as the attendance tonight, it looked like their were alot more than 120 empty seats as George Hamilton said after it was announced.

eeyore2502

Stadium looks well all lite up, can't wait to get back in for a competitive game and a concert.

To be honest I like the fact that drink can't be brought into the seats, have many a time had people spill drink on me when pushing by to get back to their seats for the 100th time during concerts in different stadiums.

The only thing that annoyed me on Saturday was the fact that we walked down the lane at the side of the Dart to the South End entrance but when we came out we were not allowed back the way we came and had a good 20 minute walk around with 2 kids.

fitz

Big problems are going to occur with queues at half time when the stadium is full. The food booths and bars facing each other will mean that queues meet somewhere in between, leaving very little space to walk along the concourse. Bad planning, especially with the rush on the bar at half time caused by the policy about beer in the stands. The food and bars should have been offset.

scudzilla

PTH2009

Its a bit daft why they are playing octobers Magners League meeting between Leinster and Munster in the Rds when they could play it down the road in the Aviva and then there would be no mad rush for tickets.

saeglopur

PTH2009 wrote: »

Its a bit daft why they are playing octobers Magners League meeting between Leinster and Munster in the Rds when they could play it down the road in the Aviva and then there would be no mad rush for tickets.

ssssshh dont be giving them any ideas. rds is a much better venue for a game. Aviva is a lot more hassle

JustinDee

Kristian_ wrote: »

Also 49,880 was announced as the attendance tonight, it looked like their were alot more than 120 empty seats as George Hamilton said after it was announced.

The number is the total number of tickets scanned through turnstiles.
The peak time at a game like last night's would be 20-25 minutes in.
Maximum capacity is actually 51,800 by the way.

I was watching it on TV. Accoustics in the Aviva are going to be absolutely phenomenal this November for the Guinness Series.

jonoor

danthefan wrote: »

Why is beer not permitted in the stands?

The answer to this is simple. Because Aviva dont make beer.If they did i bet there would be no ban?

anonymous_joe

Football fans aren't allowed beer. They're not as well behaved or well heeled as rugby fans.

Blobby George

Spud83 wrote: »

I swear some people are just looking for problems, and for things to have a moan about.

And here you have it folks. The usual Irish response of 'ah quit yer moaning, sure twill be fine'. Well no it isn't and people have a right to complain about the failings and there are plenty. I've heard more negatives than positives from people who have been there so far and given that it's our supposedly state of the art stadium then that's downright embarrassing.

Blobby George

Blobby George wrote: »

And here you have it folks. The usual Irish response of 'ah quit yer moaning, sure twill be fine'. Well no it isn't and people have a right to complain about the failings and there are plenty. I've heard more negatives than positives from people who have been there so far and given that it's our supposedly state of the art stadium then that's downright embarrassing.

You would struggle to come up with more than 10 valid negatives, and that would be including all the "negatives" in this thread.

Its impossible to please everyone, you must know this?

For all your negatives, I'm sure that for every solution you pose for the "problem" will unearth another negative.

LeeroyJones

Blobby George wrote: »

And here you have it folks. The usual Irish response of 'ah quit yer moaning, sure twill be fine'. Well no it isn't and people have a right to complain about the failings and there are plenty. I've heard more negatives than positives from people who have been there so far and given that it's our supposedly state of the art stadium then that's downright embarrassing.

In my view:

Negatives:
Small north stand and hence a smaller capacity than hoped
Supposed slight obstruction of view in a handful of seats(I was quite high up yesterday and my view was fine for what it's worth)

Positives:
Looks lovely
So far, a great pitch-close to the fans too
With the exception of the few seats I included in the negatives, the vast majority of seats have a great view
In a great location in terms of proximity to city centre and fantastic pre/post match buzz-something I cannot say for most stadiums I have visited throughout Europe
Player facilities ie Dressing rooms, warm-up indoor pitch, medical room are said to be fantastic
Media facilities-very good press rooms, a lot of commentary positions and nice big studios-apparently 3 as far as I know

i am very pleased with the stadium and after last night I am really excited about future fixtures. I have read a lot of negative comments too, but to be honest I really think people are looking for problems to moan about!

Kristian_

The north stand would look alot more in sync if it was the same size as the other 3 lower tiers. Watching the game last night there must be about 12 feet between goal and advertising hoardings behind each end and about 8 between sidelines and same. I wonder would it have been possible to achieve this if it was a dedicated football stadium.
Was just curious about this, I do think the stadium is still excellent.

fonecrusher1

scudzilla wrote: »

Don't care what anyone says, the stadium looks amazing in these pics.

The translucent effect is fantastic.

Awful lot of very typical whinging & moaning going on.

JustinDee

Blobby George wrote: »

I've heard more negatives than positives from people who have been there so far and given that it's our supposedly state of the art stadium then that's downright embarrassing.

Really?
I'd say the opposite actually. Plenty of positives. Much more, in fact.
What I'd see 'negative' would be:-

- Lack of screen on west stand for those unable to see scores etc on south and east stands. Easily rectified by the stadium company.

- Better and clearer information required on differences between green ticket and purple tickets regarding access to stadium and which DART station serves which. Again, this is easily rectified. The routes won't change however. If you're going to East stand with purple ticket, your station before and after game is still Sandymount.

No drinking in the stands is a bonus for me. I can wait. If drinks were so important to me, I'd go to the pub instead.
Personally, I like the stadium being a no-smoking stadium. No harm there. Access/re-entry to smokers might solve their particular grievances though.
Any lighting and signage problems are issues that are also easy to fix.

Prices of grog and grub are to be expected really. A (pre-made in foil) hot dog in Croke Pk during the Six Nations last year was €7.
The North Stand? I'd rather what it is than having to travel to Newland's Cross to watch a game or build on a site that would have financially hurt. The only option without losing serious sponsorships and contractor agreements is staying put and building from scratch. This has been done and I for one am well happy with the results.

Spud83

Blobby George wrote: »

And here you have it folks. The usual Irish response of 'ah quit yer moaning, sure twill be fine'. Well no it isn't and people have a right to complain about the failings and there are plenty. I've heard more negatives than positives from people who have been there so far and given that it's our supposedly state of the art stadium then that's downright embarrassing.

Have you been yourself?

I've been to the first two games and honestly don't have a negative word to say about the place, although I wish there was a more direct public transport method for me to get there, but thats not the stadiums fault.

d'Oracle

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Don't care what anyone says, the stadium looks amazing in these pics.

The translucent effect is fantastic.

Awful lot of very typical whinging & moaning going on.

Don't care what anyone says, the stadium looks awful in these pics.

The translucent effect is tacky.

Awful lit of people having different opinions going on too.

saeglopur

LeeroyJones wrote: »

In my view:

Negatives:
Supposed slight obstruction of view in a handful of seats(I was quite high up yesterday and my view was fine for what it's worth)

I was sitting in the top east corner for the game and the seats behind me and to my right were blocked off for "staff use". Reckon between the east and west stand there was a few hundred of these unusable seats. I could see the corner flag while sitting but if i stood the view became obstructed. The big screen was also obstructed by the supporting trusses and they led to a feeling of being cut off from the other sections of the stadium. I only got any real sense of atmosphere around half time when we moved down to the seats around the entrance of the stand and a full perspective of the stadium could be appreciated. A real let down imho

Exclamation Marc

From working there on the bar, I've had hundreds of people telling me how wonderful the stadium is and two who have complained about it.

One said the gardai were sending him all around the stadium in the rain before he found his section and that he also couldnt find his seat.

The other complained about the scoreboard.

Otherwise, everyone has been hugely positive about the stadium.

bonerm

Blobby George wrote: »

And here you have it folks. The usual Irish response of 'ah quit yer moaning, sure twill be fine'. Well no it isn't and people have a right to complain about the failings and there are plenty. I've heard more negatives than positives from people who have been there so far and given that it's our supposedly state of the art stadium then that's downright embarrassing.

Agree with this. It's not just enough for a new stadium to be "nice and modern". You gotta consider that this is the place we'll be using for the next 50 years and most likely in its current form. If it's already asking question on day 1 then it's not going to hold up to public demands and comparisons in years to come.

Modern stadia are going for all-weather facilities and I'm convinced that is the future. The concept of large open air stadia will be dead in 50 years and nobody will be looking are our lovely large perspex wall and imposing tress-work whilst the wind and rain pelts them in the face and be left thinking the right choice was made.

spider_pig

bonerm wrote: »

Modern stadia are going for all-weather facilities and I'm convinced that is the future. The concept of large open air stadia will be dead in 50 years and nobody will be looking are our lovely large perspex wall and imposing tress-work whilst the wind and rain pelts them in the face and be left thinking the right choice was made.

allready happening in the states the new dallas cowboys stadium open'd last year has a retractable roof thats what ya want as you said who wants rain and wind pelting them in the face while watching the game

eeyore2502

Thats some stadium parking and all.

eeyore2502

eeyore2502 wrote: »

Thats some stadium parking and all.

Its probably in the arse end of no where so they need it, which is something LR at least doesnt have to contend with.

eeyore2502

Probably with all that space can't see it being in the middle of a city.

Spud83

Its in Arlington outside Dallas and cost 1.3 billion US dollars. I don't think we have a Dr.Evil around that might be willing to give us that money.

Kristian_

bonerm wrote: »

Agree with this. It's not just enough for a new stadium to be "nice and modern". You gotta consider that this is the place we'll be using for the next 50 years and most likely in its current form. If it's already asking question on day 1 then it's not going to hold up to public demands and comparisons in years to come.

Modern stadia are going for all-weather facilities and I'm convinced that is the future. The concept of large open air stadia will be dead in 50 years and nobody will be looking are our lovely large perspex wall and imposing tress-work whilst the wind and rain pelts them in the face and be left thinking the right choice was made.

Have you been to the stadium? The Aviva that is?

Exclamation Marc

bonerm wrote: »

Modern stadia are going for all-weather facilities and I'm convinced that is the future. The concept of large open air stadia will be dead in 50 years and nobody will be looking are our lovely large perspex wall and imposing tress-work whilst the wind and rain pelts them in the face and be left thinking the right choice was made.

To be honest I hope and think you are completely wrong. Rain and bad conditions are part and parcel of most sports. You've obviously latched onto the ideas of US stadia and thats fine, but the fact is most sponsors/funders of stadiums can't afford domed all-weather stadiums.

Possibly 2 or 3 stadiums will end up domed in England in the next 20 years at best I'd say. Most of the big clubs (see Liverpool, United, Chelsea etc) couldn't afford to build superstadiums, Arsenal have just built a new stadium, and any club outside of the big four dreams about a couple of extra thousand seats at best because the reality is, these stadiums are unaffordable for the majority of clubs in Europe. Thinking that in 50 years the open air stadium will be dead is just a pipe-dream considering some teams struggle to pay rent at the moment, never mind fund these huge things.

All these big American stadiums pull in 50,000+ fans a couple of times a week, that simply wouldn't happen here or in the UK, just look at the friendlies or lower-key Irish games and the figures. The rugby futures game here which was the "first game in the Aviva" and tickets were only €10, the attendance was around 50%. An American football "futures" game would easily pull in a full house at full price, and thats how they fund stadiums like that, and that simply will never happen in Europe for their to be any more than a couple of domed all weather stadiums.

The only way we would ever have been able to afford a stadium akin to the one you seem to think we should have built is if a massive loan was taken out on a reliance that we'd fill the stadium a couple of times a week, and that would be hugely irresponsible, and the stadium would end up repossessed seeing as it would never consistently sell out.

bonerm

Kristian_ wrote: »

Have you been to the stadium? The Aviva that is?

Yes

FireballPitcher wrote: »

The only way we would ever have been able to afford a stadium akin to the one you seem to think we should have built is if a massive loan was taken out on a reliance that we'd fill the stadium a couple of times a week, and that would be hugely irresponsible, and the stadium would end up repossessed seeing as it would never consistently sell out.

Yes those roofed stadia are very expensive!

Face it. The IRFU/FAI got sold a pig-in-a-poke and were duely fleeced for it. Good thing they made sure that the Irish taxpayer got left footing a large chunk of the bill then. :rolleyes:

Exclamation Marc

bonerm wrote: »

Yes



Yes those roofed stadia are very expensive!

Face it. The IRFU/FAI got sold a pig-in-a-poke and were duely fleeced for it. Good thing they made sure that the Irish taxpayer got left footing a large chunk of the bill then. :rolleyes:

I'm sure I could look up Wikipedia for a stadium somewhere in the world for a price at the other end of the spectrum. The price that matters is the price that it would cost to build a stadium here, not in another part of the world. Our stadium cost upwards of €400million, I'm sure if a better one could have been built for that same price, it would have been.

Your argument is the equivalent to complaining that a can of coke here costs the same as a bottle of coke in a different country.

Different countries, different prices, different costs for materials, different costs for labour, different costs on tax, different costs for everything.

bonerm

FireballPitcher wrote: »

I'm sure I could look up Wikipedia for a stadium somewhere in the world for a price at the other end of the spectrum. The price that matters is the price that it would cost to build a stadium here, not in another part of the world. Our stadium cost upwards of €400million, I'm sure if a better one could have been built for that same price, it would have been.

Your argument is the equivalent to complaining that a can of coke here costs the same as a bottle of coke in a different country.

Different countries, different prices, different costs for materials, different costs for labour, different costs on tax, different costs for everything.

I love the recurring "cost of labour/materials in this country" being to blame for the pricetag on this gigantic White Elephant. Yes because Sweden is a million miles from Ireland in terms of cost of living. Once again it's Sweden not Swaziland and that's why I used it as an example.

Lack of foresight, unwillingness of those concerned to cooperate or see the big picture and cronyism are to blame for the perspex mess in Dublin 4.

BTW the tendered price for Swedbank was €170m so that price there is already taking into accounting for oversights. Even if the price keeps rising it's not going to reach anywhere near €410m.

Kristian_

east stand lower, section 102, anyone know if this is a good spot?

Lapin

keano_afc wrote: »

Thats absolutely ridiculous. I have to walk to the next station and then pass Lansdowne on the way back? That aint going to go down well. Thanks for checking that BTW.

Here's a little tip in case you find yourself in the East Stand again. After the match, walk around inside the stadium and use the exit in the South Stand. This will take you out right across the road from Lansdowne Road Dart Station.

bonerm

bonerm wrote: »

I love the recurring "cost of labour/materials in this country" being to blame for the pricetag on this gigantic White Elephant. Yes because Sweden is a million miles from Ireland in terms of cost of living. Once again it's Sweden not Swaziland and that's why I used it as an example.

Lack of foresight, unwillingness of those concerned to cooperate or see the big picture and cronyism are to blame for the perspex mess in Dublin 4.

BTW the tendered price for Swedbank was €170m so that price there is already taking into accounting for oversights. Even if the price keeps rising it's not going to reach anywhere near €410m.

Cost of living in Sweeden is a whole different kettle of fish to here, what information did you use to come to the above assumption? It is a very different economy, with weighted expenditure vastly different across the board. Would you be happy to pay €9 a pint for instance? A house in Westmeath costs less than the same building in the IFSC.

Again, don't forget that the stadium is a square peg fit into a round hole. We, the fans, had a preference for a site, in Lansdowne Road, as a result, the stadium had to be built with neighbours in mind, in a residential area, with limited road and rail transport available to bring in raw materials etc.

You realise that a lot of the costs of the new stadium were created solely by our need/want to not relocate to de centralised location? I guarantee the same stadium (perhaps even with a "finished" North Stand) could have been built in City West or Skerries for a lot less than the cost of keeping it where it belongs (imo).

Delays and redesigns are not uncommon when you have such vast restrictions as they had to work with to keep the stadium at Lansdowne.

Theta

I haven't been in this thread in awhile but I was there the other day and my tickets were in the small stand (North I think) and the view was excellent I thought. Also the crowd acoustics are excellent as well. The entrances are arranged well with easy to find seating.

Overall I think its a great stadium. The only problem I foresee is most of the crowd missing for the last 10 mins before half time and after half time because you cant bring beer back to your seat.

Also someone mentioned covered over stadia. They are renowned at having problems with playing surfaces. Air circulation is key and with some stadia actually moving the pitch outside to get enough air circulation and light I think I would rather an open air.

Blobby George

Theta wrote: »

Also someone mentioned covered over stadia. They are renowned at having problems with playing surfaces.

Meh. Millennium Stadium is fine innit. Wembley isn't covered and it's a mess. So...

crisco10

Blobby George wrote: »

Meh. Millennium Stadium is fine innit. Wembley isn't covered and it's a mess. So...

Your joking right? Milleniums surface is notoriously crap. 2 scrums and the pitch tears into little pieces!

[Jackass]

I never saw the surface of wembley for rugby, but the millenium stadium is by far the worst rugby playing surface I have ever seen. Consistanly so also. You would literally get a safer and more suitable playing surface for international rugby at your local park or field.

[Jackass]

[Jackass] wrote: »

I never saw the surface of wembley for rugby, but the millenium stadium is by far the worst rugby playing surface I have ever seen. Consistanly so also. You would literally get a safer and more suitable playing surface for international rugby at your local park or field.

I thought it was an infestation that caused the turf to cut up so badly. I also thought the roof was left open until match day to allow growth to occur as naturaly as possible. Correct me plz.

seekers

listening to the comments on morning Ireland a few days ago, I wondered if these people all attended the same game

[Jackass]

Deleted User wrote: »

I thought it was an infestation that caused the turf to cut up so badly. I also thought the roof was left open until match day to allow growth to occur as naturaly as possible. Correct me plz.

You could be right, I've absolutely no idea why it was so bad, but it would be nice to see it sorted. It seems every season is the same though...