DRAFT SURVEY ON NEW STADIUM PLANS
This draft has been developed by QPR1st Supporters’ Trust based on best practice and experience at other clubs and is for discussion by QPR supporters before being finalised. We believe QPR supporters should be given opportunities to influence the design of the stadium and a comprehensive survey can be an important part of this.
We are not asking you to answer the questions listed here, but to let us know if you think we have got the questions about right. Comments about the survey to info@qpr1st.com by 21 April 2014.
Survey content
A Information on the person responding to the survey
As well as being asked for a customer reference number (to ensure responses are from genuine QPR supporters) their gender, age group, and how often they go to games, people will be asked which stand they are usually in, and whether they have used the family area. This gives useful information on views that are particularly strong in particular stands. Those responding would also be able to given to say why they have a view, if they wish.
B Support for the new stadium
1 The club has announced plans to build a new stadium as part of a new development at Old Oak about 1.5 miles north of Loftus Road. To what extent do you support or oppose these plans?
- Strongly support
- Support
- Undecided/no view
- Oppose
- Strongly oppose
C The size of the stadium
2 The club has proposed the stadium would have a capacity of 40,000. If you had the power to decide, what capacity would you chose? (Loftus Road capacity is 18,000.)
- 18,000
- 20,000
- 25,000
- 30,000
- 35,000
- 40,000
- 45,000
3 Based on your answer to the last question, do you think the stadium should be designed in a way that capacity could be increased later on?
- Yes
- No
- No view/don’t know
D Structure of the stadium
4 Let’s now think about the basic structure of the ground. Viewed from above most football grounds are either a single structure with the roof joined all round, or four separate stands with empty gaps in the corners. In terms of this basic design, which would you prefer?
- Single structure, roof joined all round
- Four separate structures, gaps in the corners
- No view/don’t know
5 Still thinking about the shape of the stadium, let’s say it was definitely going to be a single structure with enclosed (continuous) corners, so, would you like the front of the stands to be straight and close to the edge of the pitch or curved, making them closer to the pitch at the corners and further away in the centre?
- Curved
- Straight
- No view/don’t know
6 The stands at Loftus Road are about as close to the pitch as possible. How far do you think the stands should be from the pitch in the new stadium?
- About the same as at Loftus Road
- A meter further away from the pitch
- A lot further away from the pitch
- No view/don’t know
7 At some grounds with curved stands the rows of seats run in continual rings around the stadium forming the shape of a bowl. At other grounds of this sort, structural elements such as video screens or hospitality boxes are positioned in the corners, breaking up the rows of seats so that they look like four separate stands. Imagining that the new stadium could be a single structure with enclosed corners, which of these seating layouts would you prefer?
- Continuous rows creating the look of a bowl
- Corner elements creating the look of four stands
- No view/don’t know
8 Turning to the design of the stands themselves; if you could specify how steep they should be, would you prefer them to be as steep or steeper than at Loftus Road, or more shallow as they are at some more modern stadiums.
- Steeper than at Loftus Road
- As steep as at Loftus Road
- Shallower than at Loftus Road
- No view/don’t know
9 The stands in some grounds have upper and lower tiers while others are single-tier. Which of the following would you most like to see in the new stadium;
- All single tier stands
- All two-tier stands
- Single tier behind one or both goals, two tier along the sides
- No view/don’t know
10 Thinking about another aspect of any football stadium, where would you like the players tunnel to emerge?
- On the centreline
- Near to one of the goals
- In one of the corners
- No view/don’t know
11 The grounds acoustics should be designed so that the supporters’ cheers reverberate across the stadium, creating a cauldron of noise.
- Strongly support
- Support
- Undecided/no view
- Oppose
- Strongly oppose
E Designated areas within the ground
12 Following on from question 11, do you think one area of the stadium should be specifically designed with the most vocal supporters in mind, with enhanced acoustics.
- Strongly support
- Support
- Undecided/no view
- Oppose
- Strongly oppose
13 Would you like provision to be made in the design of one of the stands to accommodate a designated area for safe standing, should this be allowed in years to come?
- Yes
- No
- No view/don’t know
14 The section for families was moved within Loftus Road recently. Where do you think a family area should be located in the new stadium?
- Behind one of the goals
- Along one of the sides
- In one of the corners
- No view/don’t know
- If there were two tiers should the family area be:
- Top tier
- Bottom tier
(Please note; the survey analysis will be able to identify the views of those who have used the current family area as this question is asked in section A.)
15 If the stand housing the away fans had two tiers, where would you position the away fans in that stand?
- Top tier
- Bottom tier
- No view/don’t know
16 Thinking about the club’s corporate guests, where would you position to hospitality boxes, which are quiet parts of the stadium, in your ideal design?
- Behind one of the goals
- Along one of the sides
- In one or more of the corners
- No view/don’t know
17 And where would you position hospitality boxes in a stand area?
- Near the top of a stand, or top tier
- In the middle of a stand, above the bottom tier
- Near the pitch
F Seating areas
18 Turning to the seats, at some ground they are all the same colour, while at others they are a variety of colours and create a patchwork effect. Sometimes seats spell out words, while others create images. Which would you like to see in the new stadium?
- All seats blue
- Blue and white bands of seating
- Mainly blue with some images
- No view/don’t know
19 Thinking about the width of the seats, please indicate whether you would like the seats in the new stadium to be wider or about the same as the seats in the stand you usually use at Loftus Road.
- About the same
- A but narrower would be ok
- A bit wider preferably
- A lot wider preferably
20 Recognising that legroom is not great at Loftus Road, please indicate if you would like the seats in the new stadium to provide more, or about the same legroom as the seats in the stand you usually use at Loftus Road.
- About the same
- A bit less would be ok
- A bit more preferably
- A lot more preferably
21 And what about the position of exits within each stand? Would you prefer these to be mid-way up the stand, at the front or at the back.
- At the front
- Mid-way
- At the back
G Facilities in the stand
22 Turning to facilities in the stand, please indicate how much you want the new stadium to have these elements:
- licensed bar in my stand want a lot/want/no view/don’t want
- betting facilities in my stand
- Seated café in my stand
- Club merchandise outlet in my stand
- Wi-fi
23 If these facilities were available in a comfortable environment in the stadium would you be more likely to use stadium facilities before or after a match than you are at Loftus Road?
- More likely
- About the same
- Less likely
H A landmark stadium?
24 Thinking about the look of the stadium from the outside, should it have a design element that would make it unique to QPR – something that made the ground instantly recognisable?
- Yes, I would like that a lot
- Yes, that would be nice
- No view/don’t know
- No, it is not necessary
- No, I would not like that at all
25 Outside some grounds there is a statue of a former player or manager. Would you like that outside the new ground?
- Yes, I would like that a lot
- Yes, that would be nice
- No view/don’t know
- No, it is not necessary
- No, I would not like that at all
26 If you answered “yes” above and there could be only one statue, of whom would you like it to be?
- Alec Stock
- Stan Bowles
- Rodney Marsh
- Other
27 Would you like to see a “buy a brick” scheme with bricks bearing the buyers’ name on display on a prominent wall at the stadium?
- Yes, I would like that a lot
- Yes, that would be nice
- No view/don’t know
- No, it is not necessary
- No, I would not like that at all
28 Thinking of other facilities that might be built into the new stadium and accessible from the outside, including on matchdays, or erected elsewhere on the site, please indicate for each facility shown below if you think it would be a welcome addition or not.
- Hotel want a lot/want/no view/don’t want
- Restaurant
- Food outlets
- Pub
- Cafes
- Conference rooms
- Offices
- Club museum
- Club shops
- Gym/fitness centre
- Supermarket
- Other shops
- Casino
29 If any of these were to be included in the design, do you think they should be built into the stadium or be stand-alone units?
- Hotel yes/no view/no
- Restaurant
- Food outlets
- Pub
- Cafes
- Conference rooms
- Offices
- Club museum
- Club shops
- Gym/fitness centre
- Supermarket
- Other shop/s
- Casino
H Preparing for the move
31 Thinking about the last season for QPR at Loftus Road, do you think season ticket holders should be able to purchase a seat in the new stadium in roughly the same position as their existing seat at Loftus Road? Do you think it is important for such a procedure to take place?
- Yes, very important
- Yes, fairly important
- No view/don’t know
- No, not very important
- No, not important at all
I Summing up
32 Of all the various aspects of stadium and infrastructure design we’ve looked at above, which three would you say are the top priorities?
I think the top three priorities are;
- The capacity
- The ability to increase capacity
- The design of the basic structure
- Curved or straight stands
- The distance from the pitch
- Being a bowl or four stands
- Steep or shallow stands
- Tiers
- Having a provision for safe standing
- Acoustics
- A vocal area
- Family area position
- Away fans location
- The tunnel’s location
- The location of exits
- Seats width and legroom
- Facilities in the stands
- Having a QPR feature for the design
- Having a statue
- Other facilities on site
33 Finally, are there other stadiums you have visited which you think are particularly good examples of good design, or poor design? If there are, please note them here and why you think they were good or poor.