The Holte Suite

[VillaTim]

The current 1874 membership in the Witton works out at £15 per game. I expect that to rocket up in price next season as the club expand these hospitality schemes.

I suspect my seats in the Witton upper (halfway line ) will become part of an 1874 package next season and I will be turfed out .

[sid1964]

Saw Chris Heck coming out of the back of the Holte Suite into the passage way of the Holte End on Saturday before the game

A Villa fan did ask him the reasons for the change

I do not know what was said as he carried on walking and talking to the Villa fan.

[ChicagoLion]

There were some chants and insults aimed at those going into the lower grounds after the game. It feels weird having Villa fans insulting other fans outside the Holte.

That is very sad, but this is down to the club.

[AlexAlexCropley]

I'm all for extra revenue streams, but let's start with the tap in the men's toilet in the lower Doug which has been running  non stop since the Palace match.

[Ads]

The new North is going to be a grim £800/900 or £1500 for a padded seat job isn't it.

[LeeB]

The new North is going to be a grim £800/900 or £1500 for a padded seat job isn't it.

At best. I'm already resigned to not sitting anywhere near where I do now.

[Ads]

The new North is going to be a grim £800/900 or £1500 for a padded seat job isn't it.

At best. I'm already resigned to not sitting anywhere near where I do now.

*sigh*

I was hoping the lower tier would be a rail seating, dominate the away end noisy affair. But then that isn't the sort or soccer fantatic Heck wants.

[pauliewalnuts]

I can only see both TV and LG losing money for a while. Zrinjsk, West Ham, Luton, Alkmaar, Fulham are hardly big draws for casual fans where those areas may be the only options to get a ticket. 3 blocks around the ground all with a load of unsold seats, takings in the areas down, the costs of the renovations. I'm guessing their big hope is the demand once the North goes. But I can't see it being a big money earner between now and the North being done. Which kind of defeats the point of them.

I definitely think the North Stand capacity reduction is going to be part of their calculations, but I also imagine they will not have imagined it being a success from the off (they've probably pencilled this season as 'bedding in' time).

What is the capacity of the Holte Suite?

Even if they managed to get 1,000 people in there every home match (which seems a stupidly over the top number tbh) that'd be 60k a match. Take off the cost of providing the service, say a 50% margin (which again I suspect is very generous and will actually be much lower), say 30k profit a match. 25 or so matches, £750k profit over the season.

Which is probably more or less 5 or 6 weeks of Lucas Digne's salary.

[chrisw1]

The current 1874 membership in the Witton works out at £15 per game. I expect that to rocket up in price next season as the club expand these hospitality schemes.

Is it actually a membership?  I thought they just increased the ST prices there and planned to put in padded seats.

[johnc]

But this is all a dipping the toes in the water approach. The New North Stand will be seen as a money generating behemoth. Toilets that flush, drinks that aren't as warm as a pint of milk left out in the sun and other unimaginable luxuries

[chrisw1]

The new North is as much about increasing corporate as it is about increasing capacity.  The actual increase in capacity for day-to-day fans will be pretty negligible I reckon.

[Ads]

I can only see both TV and LG losing money for a while. Zrinjsk, West Ham, Luton, Alkmaar, Fulham are hardly big draws for casual fans where those areas may be the only options to get a ticket. 3 blocks around the ground all with a load of unsold seats, takings in the areas down, the costs of the renovations. I'm guessing their big hope is the demand once the North goes. But I can't see it being a big money earner between now and the North being done. Which kind of defeats the point of them.

I definitely think the North Stand capacity reduction is going to be part of their calculations, but I also imagine they will not have imagined it being a success from the off (they've probably pencilled this season as 'bedding in' time).

What is the capacity of the Holte Suite?

Even if they managed to get 1,000 people in there every home match (which seems a stupidly over the top number tbh) that'd be 60k a match. Take off the cost of providing the service, say a 50% margin (which again I suspect is very generous and will actually be much lower), say 30k profit a match. 25 or so matches, £750k profit over the season.

Which is probably more or less 5 or 6 weeks of Lucas Digne's salary.

The Holte is about 13,500 at present. I'm not sure how many seats are indexed to the Terrace View, as there's a high concentration of season ticket holders, so it's not so visual as it is with A2/P2 for Lower Grounds, but its not been full all season as a result.

[Des Little]

The new North is going to be a grim £800/900 or £1500 for a padded seat job isn't it.

At best. I'm already resigned to not sitting anywhere near where I do now.

Same here.  Fully expecting my Dear John letter early next year

[dorsetvillian]

It would be interesting for Chris Heck to communicate with the fans just what the clubs thinking was behind the Terrace View and Lower Grounds. To me, it's been an absolute disaster from initial conception, through lack of communication and final execution. I'm a designer by profession and it's laughable what the Villa have done in terms of the fan experience in both the Terrace View and Lower Grounds. The visuals and concept for the new New North Stand look great and very professional with a team of top-notch architects. This just looks like a cheap in-house money-making exercise that completely misses the point regarding terrace culture and the significance of the Holte End to Villa fans. The whole concept didn't need to be implemented at this stage, as it could have been rolled out in the new North Stand. The financial gains, even if working at capacity, just don't seem of massive benefit. Yet the negatives are obvious for all to see, empty blocks of seats being one!!  I just hope this is a short-lived exercise that will quickly die a quiet death.

[chrisw1]

I think he has communicated it a bit through the FAB Dorset.

The situation is we're miles behind our rivals on match day income and corporate hospitality offer and he wants to increase it as much as he possibly can.  Unfortunately, it's only going one way I think.