New Wembley Stadium = classic

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We went today, it is very very big and very clean looking. I thought you might like some pictures:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/424260246_08eea03004.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/424259569_a495fa1834.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/126/424258716_7ca349049c.jpg?v=0p

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/424259754_9720cde440.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/424258482_c21c953cfe.jpg?v=0p

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/424259204_9c58dcecf3.jpg?v=0

― Matt DC, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:07 (eighteen years ago)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/424259422_a38e3d1e73.jpg?v=0

― Matt DC, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:08 (eighteen years ago)

I'm not sure about that one hooligan in the next to last photo. A shifty-eyed sort.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:09 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.fxmagazine.co.uk/Pictures/web/u/e/e/wembley_cross_section.jpg

― RJG, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:13 (eighteen years ago)

it pulls the roof out

― RJG, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:15 (eighteen years ago)

Summary:

Stadium design - classic
Scale - classic
Acoustics - classic I think
View of the pitch - classic
Large amount of legroom, comfy seats and drinks holders = K-CLASSIC
Catering service - monstrous dud

― Matt DC, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:16 (eighteen years ago)

It's completely amazing to me that a venue that size was built purely for soccer. Amazing! We have to share with every other freaking sport in two of the most populous states in the country and we can't fill more than an end for the firm plus the "good" seats mid-field and and corporate boxes. Not that I've been in a while.

― Laurel, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:18 (eighteen years ago)

How many other sports would fill a stadium of c. 90,000 seats in the States? Football's pretty much the only sport that would get anywhere near there over here. Well, apart from the Olympics when they happen, maybe.

― Matt DC, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:20 (eighteen years ago)

Catering service - monstrous dud

How so?

― StanM, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:23 (eighteen years ago)

Matt your photos are great!! Mine look so rubbish now, but I have made a Wembley set if anyone is interested in some other pics! Most of my arch photos I took before we went in when the sky was COMPLETELY GREY, tactical error...

― Sarah, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:27 (eighteen years ago)

I got my pie within about five minutes, but if I'd had to have paid for it I would have felt k-ripped off spending £6 for a "not quite enough to stop you feeling hungry" beef pie (not chunky) and bottle heof water - moan moan catering in big venues surprising no-one I suppose.

Apaprently the pumps can dispense 4 pints in sixteen seconds, as if...

I was also very repulsed by the notion of a pizza baguette! It could just be pizza on french bread base... or it is a pizza inside a split baguette!!

― Sarah, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:30 (eighteen years ago)

i think most american football games get pretty close to capacity?? just no 90k capacity.

plus, i can't help but think that we build a lot of stadia with an eye to hosting int'l sporting events (World Cup, Olympics, etc.), since they can generate huge profits in a relatively short amount of time.

― gbx, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:36 (eighteen years ago)

Was he standing there all afternoon?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/424283142_ec1f2094c4.jpg

― StanM, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:39 (eighteen years ago)

oh wait - the girl with the bag is in both your and Matt's pic, you were together

― StanM, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:40 (eighteen years ago)

Apologies - didn't know you were all together & Exeter dude is a famous ILXor. :-/

― StanM, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:46 (eighteen years ago)

YEAH YOU

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:48 (eighteen years ago)

she was also there for a long time.

the pies are quite nice but yeah not worth £4.50. people seem happy to pay that price for a pie and £3.50 for a lager in a plastic cup. i think there should be protests.

― blueski, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:58 (eighteen years ago)

great pics, thank you.

college football, in a couple of stadiums(Michigan, Nebraska, UCLA, USC, a couple of others), is the only sport that gets close to 90k in the u.s.

― jergincito, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:59 (eighteen years ago)

The pies are nice but not worth STANDING THERE WAITING HALF AN HOUR FOR. In the end I was looking so annoyed the 'How Would You Rate Your Customer Experience?' woman came over and fired questions at me and the terrified girl behind the counter offered me my food for free. This was okay for an open day but would be 1x nightmare in a real match situation.

Rest of my photos are on my flickr including the DOG RELIEVING AREA.

― Matt DC, Saturday, 17 March 2007 19:13 (eighteen years ago)

Hahah. HI DERE CARSMILE.

― Laurel, Saturday, 17 March 2007 19:20 (eighteen years ago)

A venue in London being overpriced? Surely not.

― Noodle Vague, Saturday, 17 March 2007 19:25 (eighteen years ago)

After the 'Mulitplex fiasco' (ie cost/time overruns) it'd WANT to be a stone cold classic.

Fantastic pix.

― SeekAltRoute, Saturday, 17 March 2007 19:25 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, wasn't it supposed to be finished two years ago?

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 March 2007 19:30 (eighteen years ago)

It's completely amazing to me that a venue that size was built purely for soccer. Amazing!

The old Wembley held 100,000 before they made it all-seater and always sold out for the FA Cup final (and frequently ended up with several thousand more who had jibbed inside) even in the mid-80s when football crowds were at their lowest. Given the huge growth in football's popularity since then, I think they should have built a new stadium that held AN MILLION PEOPLE.

― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Saturday, 17 March 2007 20:44 (eighteen years ago)

Stadiums built for American football usually shoot low for capacity numbers. One of the reasons for this is that the NFL has a black-out policy for local coverage of games not sold out. In other words, if you live in Dallas and the Cowboys haven't sold out their game against Arizona that Sunday (fat chance, but hypothetically speaking), there will be no television coverage in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market.

College football stadiums can get ridiculous. The University of Tennessee has a stadium capacity of over 100K. Same thing for Michigan (I think.)

― Pleasant Plains, Saturday, 17 March 2007 21:18 (eighteen years ago)

Had to laugh at the (American) football field striping on the one drawing above. All hail Roger Goodell, you will be assimilated, sign up here for perpetual seat licenses, make way for the uniform police, etc. etc.

Is there a retractable roof? Can't tell for sure from the pictures.

― Jeff Wright, Sunday, 18 March 2007 02:45 (eighteen years ago)

it pulls the roof out

RJG on Saturday, March 17, 2007 1:15 PM (10 hours ago)

― Pleasant Plains, Sunday, 18 March 2007 04:27 (eighteen years ago)

i don't think the roof goes all the way across, it goes in and out a bit to cover the seated areas, but let the light in so the grass doesn't die the rest of the time.

WEM-BER-LEE, WEM-BER-LEE, WE'RE THE FAMOUS EX-E-TER AND WE'RE OFF TO WEM-BER-LEE!!!

Fro trivia lovers, Mark Bright scored the first goal at the new wembley.

― CarsmileSteve, Sunday, 18 March 2007 09:30 (eighteen years ago)

UMASS has 30,000 for basketball - and that's college! Plus, it varies by state for pro sports, since there are two national sport obsessions.
I thought the whirly twirly architecutaral part in the pics was an amusement park ride at first! How cool would that be? Pay $100.00 (or quid equivalent) to go spinning OVER the game! It might be distracting to the players....
Oh, well, I think hockey would be more interesting if the rink was constantly rotating.

― aimurchie, Sunday, 18 March 2007 11:43 (eighteen years ago)

rotating pitch = totally classic

― unfished business, Sunday, 18 March 2007 11:48 (eighteen years ago)

It was built for Bon Jovi concerts!

― jel --, Sunday, 18 March 2007 13:23 (eighteen years ago)

i saw it on the news. it looked rubbish.

― koogs, Sunday, 18 March 2007 18:15 (eighteen years ago)

England U21s game selling out in four hours, dud

Mark Bright, also dud

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Monday, 19 March 2007 01:09 (eighteen years ago)

there is a little car that goes along the arch for cleaning etc purposes...

― CarsmileSteve, Monday, 19 March 2007 11:16 (eighteen years ago)

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