What would you like in a new stadium?, v. 7.0

High walls provide a better view of the action for those fans nearest to the field. I noticed alot of the stadiums in Germany also have higher walls than you would see in England, for example.

 

Not really. You could achieve exactly the same effect by not allowing anyone into rows A-E. It doesn't make the view from Row F any better.

Not having those low rows doesn't make the higher up and further back first row any nearer the field than it would be if the seats went down to the front. It just makes it be called Row A rather than Row F.

You can't just have the front row in the same position, but make it higher. The sightlines would be wrong and people wouldn't be able to see the near touchline.

 

I imagine all those buildings will be very Santana Rowish, but I still like the flow and integration of the stadium.

 

Great pics! Given the recent news stories, I thought I'd throw out a semi-realistic wish list

• seating for 15k fans, maybe a grass berm that could be converted to seating for 3k later (ha! thought I'd go for the sure thing)
• a real size field (don't know why we are still narrow & short this year)
• high-quality grass, like BSS now (did you see the Dynamo's "pitch", a total train wreck)
• center-line tunnel for player entrance
• team benches build into the stands and minimal touchline space for on-field seating, to get the stands closer to the pitch
• minimal endline space, get the end stands & berm closer, with a media pit for camera operators so they don't block the view
• international style goals (posts & cross bar set in ground with back of net pulled taught from rear posts, not the roll-on high school schools at BSS)
• a high-def video & scoreboard, where everyone can see it
• Quake colors throughout-- smurf blue, black white & silver accents
• easy access to concessions behind all the stands, with high-def flat-panels mounted to watch the game while you wait in line
• smurf blue seats, with one stand having "San Jose" spelled out in white and the opposite side having "Earthquakes"
• cup-holders built into every seat, to hold my 2nd beer while I drink my 1st in my seat
• a nice steep end-stand, to make a great home for the 1906 Ultras and The Casbah
• the standard team-shop, but a nice little Earthquakes hall-of-fame would built into the outside of the stadium would be nice to acknowledge our NASL & MLS history
• a nice beer garden & english pub in the complex, which will be part of the mixed-use commercial development built later; the Quakes FO can integrate this & their FanZone on match days, and carve out their VIP area
• some nice banners hanging from the side of the stadium, so there's some good publicity when riding by on Coleman or Caltrain, or taking off from SJC! the Sounders get this @ Qwest field right now
• some nice banners as you drive/walk into the parking lot & stadium, so you know you're coming to the home of the Quakes! DCU has this @ RFK Stadium right now (I catch away matches there)

I don't need

• a roof over the seats-- it rarely rains, and we only have a few afternoon games, if Lew gets us the SSS then I'd rather skip the roof and put that money into what I listed above
• luxury suites, which are for socializing during an event-- who can take the time to socialize while there's a soccer match? you might miss something, it's not like baseball
• a stage at one end of the field- why ruin a good SSS just to compete with Shoreline Ampitheatre?
• cheerleaders, like in Houston

GO QUAKES, and go Lew!

 

Draw yourself a picture. You'll see that the higher the wall the further from the touchline you need to be so rows 2 through n can see it.

This is why the Brit's have elevated fields. You can sit closer with the same sightline.