- D-Day, World War II and Footballers
- QPR Transfer Rumour Thread
- Year Flashback: Gianni's (Gianni Paladini's) "Ten Years" at QPR
- Football (Northern League) to Secretly "Monitor" Swearing of Footballers and Refs!
- Year Flashback: QPR, Fulham and Chelsea fans prepare to battle for derby bragging rights
- Flashback to QPR's Golden Summer of 2005
TALKSPORT - QPR chief raises prospect of ground share
By Julian Bennetts | Wednesday, June 6, 2012
QPR chief executive Philip Beard admits the club cannot afford to build a new stadium without incorporating a cinema, restaurant or casino - or even ground share with a team from another sport.
Rangers are looking to move out of Loftus Road, which is the smallest ground in the Premier League, and are attempting to identify a site near their current west London home.
But Beard admits the club has to have a bigger fanbase before they can even consider moving - and says that a football-only stadium would not work.
And the man who oversaw the transformation of the Millenium Dome into the 02 has refused to rule out other clubs playing at the stadium, with Fulham and London Wasps both having called Loftus Road home in the past.
"To have a stand-alone football stadium that only hosts 19 home domestic matches a season would probably not make the numbers work," he said.
"What is important is that it is the home of QPR but it will need to have facilities to do other things as well.
If we are serious about building a new stadium we need to grow our fanbase and engage with young people and the community
— Philip Beard
"A full-on ground-share is more challenging, but I am hoping to emulate an entertainment destination model where you roll the pitch away and use it for other things.
"Look at the Emirates hosting Coldplay for three nights - that is the sort of activity you need to host to generate the revenues to make the club sustainable and ultimately invest in the team going forward.
"But the criteria is that we need to find somewhere that hopefully isn't too far from Loftus Road.
"Our fanbase is a very passionate, loyal and local fanbase. We need to stay in the area if we can and that is almost a must."
But Beard first wants to make the club a force both in the Premier League and Europe so that more supporters are attracted to the terraces.
Rangers survived on the final day last season but Beard knows an average attendance of 17,295 needs to be improved significantly.
He added: "We need to build our fanbase. We have a capacity of 18,500 at Loftus Road and I think we could fill a significantly higher number of seats here.
"If we are serious about building a new stadium we need to grow our fanbase and engage with young people and the community and become a club that is not just known in London and around Europe but further afield.
"That takes time but it is exciting and is a challenge building a brand, growing a fanbase. That is something I am hoping I can challenge the guys off the pitch to help us with.
"QPR stands for so many good things that if we can get the messages out there we will start to see the blue and white Hoops further afield than west London." Talksport
- Eight Year Flashback: What's Happening at QPR
- Guardian: Roy Hodgson dismays anti-racism group with handling of Rio Ferdinand
- QPR Summer Calendar: 2012-13 Fixtures Released in a Week from Monday!
- QPR Transfer Rumour Thread
- Year Flashback: Gianni's (Gianni Paladini's) "Ten Years" at QPR
- Football (Northern League) to Secretly "Monitor" Swearing of Footballers and Refs!
- Year Flashback: QPR, Fulham and Chelsea fans prepare to battle for derby bragging rights
- Flashback to QPR's Golden Summer of 2005
TALKSPORT - QPR chief raises prospect of ground share
By Julian Bennetts | Wednesday, June 6, 2012
QPR chief executive Philip Beard admits the club cannot afford to build a new stadium without incorporating a cinema, restaurant or casino - or even ground share with a team from another sport.
Rangers are looking to move out of Loftus Road, which is the smallest ground in the Premier League, and are attempting to identify a site near their current west London home.
But Beard admits the club has to have a bigger fanbase before they can even consider moving - and says that a football-only stadium would not work.
And the man who oversaw the transformation of the Millenium Dome into the 02 has refused to rule out other clubs playing at the stadium, with Fulham and London Wasps both having called Loftus Road home in the past.
"To have a stand-alone football stadium that only hosts 19 home domestic matches a season would probably not make the numbers work," he said.
"What is important is that it is the home of QPR but it will need to have facilities to do other things as well.
If we are serious about building a new stadium we need to grow our fanbase and engage with young people and the community
— Philip Beard
"A full-on ground-share is more challenging, but I am hoping to emulate an entertainment destination model where you roll the pitch away and use it for other things.
"Look at the Emirates hosting Coldplay for three nights - that is the sort of activity you need to host to generate the revenues to make the club sustainable and ultimately invest in the team going forward.
"But the criteria is that we need to find somewhere that hopefully isn't too far from Loftus Road.
"Our fanbase is a very passionate, loyal and local fanbase. We need to stay in the area if we can and that is almost a must."
But Beard first wants to make the club a force both in the Premier League and Europe so that more supporters are attracted to the terraces.
Rangers survived on the final day last season but Beard knows an average attendance of 17,295 needs to be improved significantly.
He added: "We need to build our fanbase. We have a capacity of 18,500 at Loftus Road and I think we could fill a significantly higher number of seats here.
"If we are serious about building a new stadium we need to grow our fanbase and engage with young people and the community and become a club that is not just known in London and around Europe but further afield.
"That takes time but it is exciting and is a challenge building a brand, growing a fanbase. That is something I am hoping I can challenge the guys off the pitch to help us with.
"QPR stands for so many good things that if we can get the messages out there we will start to see the blue and white Hoops further afield than west London." Talksport
- Eight Year Flashback: What's Happening at QPR
- Guardian: Roy Hodgson dismays anti-racism group with handling of Rio Ferdinand
- QPR Summer Calendar: 2012-13 Fixtures Released in a Week from Monday!
The Sun/Paul Jiggins - They think it’s brawl over - Joey axe threat after bar fight
And that would save Rangers £11million.
The controversial skipper has been bailed after he was arrested following a fight outside a Liverpool nightclub. The incident in the early hours of Monday has not gone down well with the Hoops hierarchy.
They are already conducting a probe into the star’s behaviour after the FA hit him with 12-match ban and a £75,000 fine for his red card in their final game of the season at Manchester City.
The Loftus Road chiefs were told by the club’s lawyers they would not be able to sack the bad-boy midfielder unless they were willing to cough up a whopping £11m to pay up the remainder of his £70,000-a-week contract.
That is because a player cannot be sacked for getting a suspension — even one like Barton’s.
But it is believed Rangers would be able to sack the star without having to pay him a penny IF he is found guilty in court.
That would be deemed as “gross misconduct” and a breach of his contract, which has rules on how players are expected to behave off the pitch.
Barton, 29, was arrested on suspicion of affray on Monday night.
It followed a 5.30am brawl outside the Garlands nightclub in Liverpool.
Barton, who is from city, was released after questioning by detectives.
He claimed on Twitter that two men sang offensive chants at him and then punched him.
His arrest came after two 21-year-old men were detained on suspicion of public order offences.
A 20-year-old man was also later arrested in connection with the incident.
All three have been bailed along with Barton, who jetted off to Portugal on holiday yesterday. The Sun
OR...
Daily MAIL/Sami Mokbel
Barton confident he'll escape rap for Bank Holiday brawl in Liverpool
Joey Barton is confident he will not be charged after the Bank Holiday street brawl in Liverpool.
Barton, 29, is on bail after being accused of provoking two men arrested for assault.
But the fact that he was involved in yet another controversial incident has angered members of the QPR hierarchy. Daily Mail
- Update: (As noted on dot.org - QPR XI Play Aylesbury July 31)
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