Wembley Stadium could be sold

Fretwired

The FA are currently discussing a bid to sell Wembley to a US tycoon for £800 million so he can host NFL games. The name of the stadium will change and England won't be able to use it all year round so would have to go on the road during the NFL season.

The FA claim they'll have money for grass roots football .. lining their pockets is more likely.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43906272

rocktron

If UK taxpayers helped to pay for this stadium then it should not be sold.

£800 million will soon disappear and we would still need a National Stadium.

jellyroll

They should sell it. No rationally managed organisation sits on an asset worth that much, for it to be used a handful of times a year.

maltingsaudio

Hope they don’t sell it befor the Hollywood Vampires gig

Fretwired

jellyroll said:

They should sell it. No rationally managed organisation sits on an asset worth that much, for it to be used a handful of times a year.

It gets used all the time - at the moment Tottenham play their home games there and were to be followed by Chelsea when they have Stamford Bridge rebuilt. There are England men's games, women's games as well as the junior teams (U18, U21), FA cup semi-finals and finals for men's and women's teams, Championship play-offs, National League promotion final, , FA Community Shield, Challenge Cup final, Carabao cup, Checktrade Trophy final, rock concerts (Ed Sheeran has four dates there followed by four for Taylor Swift) and a series of NFL games.

thecolourbox

West Ham must still be peeing themselves with glee at having paid 60p for the Olympic stadium.

Seemed better when the England matches were played at different stadiums anyway, London gets enough stuff so why not share it around

quarky

I don't have a huge issue with it being sold actually. No doubt the fans will get fleeced even more though for Cup Final tickets though..

thecolourbox

quarky said:

I don't have a huge issue with it being sold actually. No doubt the fans will get fleeced even more though for Cup Final tickets though..

Serves them right for supporting good teams that win matches. I barely have to even stand up at the matches I go to let alone have to think about buying tickets for cup competitions

boogieman

Fretwired said:

jellyroll said:

They should sell it. No rationally managed organisation sits on an asset worth that much, for it to be used a handful of times a year.

It gets used all the time - at the moment Tottenham play their home games there and were to be followed by Chelsea when they have Stamford Bridge rebuilt. There are England men's games, women's games as well as the junior teams (U18, U21), FA cup semi-finals and finals for men's and women's teams, Championship play-offs, National League promotion final, , FA Community Shield, Challenge Cup final, Carabao cup, Checktrade Trophy final, rock concerts (Ed Sheeran has four dates there followed by four for Taylor Swift) and a series of NFL games.

Yup, my mum lives a couple of miles from Wembley and the side roads round her way get parking restrictions applied by the council whenever there’s something on at the stadium. This seems to be at least 3 or 4 days a week at the moment. 

jellyroll

Fretwired said:

jellyroll said:

They should sell it. No rationally managed organisation sits on an asset worth that much, for it to be used a handful of times a year.

It gets used all the time - at the moment Tottenham play their home games there and were to be followed by Chelsea when they have Stamford Bridge rebuilt. There are England men's games, women's games as well as the junior teams (U18, U21), FA cup semi-finals and finals for men's and women's teams, Championship play-offs, National League promotion final, , FA Community Shield, Challenge Cup final, Carabao cup, Checktrade Trophy final, rock concerts (Ed Sheeran has four dates there followed by four for Taylor Swift) and a series of NFL games.

Tottenham and Chelsea borrowing it aren’t national football matters are, in any case, pretty much one-offs. Once their stadiums are built, it won’t happen again. 

Concerts, too, are not national football matters and don’t add to the case for keeping  a national stadium - although I accept that the revenue they generate helps balance the books.  

All those other games could still take place at the stadium. It’s just that the venue would be leased as required. And if it wasn’t available - well Tottenham  & Chelsea will have nice new backup stadiums , not to mention Arsenal, West Ham and every other Premier League team. 

Fretwired

jellyroll said:

Fretwired said:

jellyroll said:

They should sell it. No rationally managed organisation sits on an asset worth that much, for it to be used a handful of times a year.

It gets used all the time - at the moment Tottenham play their home games there and were to be followed by Chelsea when they have Stamford Bridge rebuilt. There are England men's games, women's games as well as the junior teams (U18, U21), FA cup semi-finals and finals for men's and women's teams, Championship play-offs, National League promotion final, , FA Community Shield, Challenge Cup final, Carabao cup, Checktrade Trophy final, rock concerts (Ed Sheeran has four dates there followed by four for Taylor Swift) and a series of NFL games.

Tottenham and Chelsea borrowing it aren’t national football matters are, in any case, pretty much one-offs. Once their stadiums are built, it won’t happen again. 

Concerts, too, are not national football matters and don’t add to the case for keeping  a national stadium - although I accept that the revenue they generate helps balance the books.  

All those other games could still take place at the stadium. It’s just that the venue would be leased as required. And if it wasn’t available - well Tottenham  & Chelsea will have nice new backup stadiums , not to mention Arsenal, West Ham and every other Premier League team. 

I was merely pointing out that it is used on a regular basis rather than a handful of times. I frankly don't care if they turn it into a Mosque.

BigBearKris

NFL games here > Tottenham play their home games there and were to be followed by Chelsea when they have Stamford Bridge rebuilt, England men's games, women's games as well as the junior teams (U18, U21), FA cup semi-finals and finals for men's and women's teams, Championship play-offs, National League promotion final, , FA Community Shield, Challenge Cup final, Carabao cup, Checktrade Trophy final, rock concerts (Ed Sheeran has four dates there followed by four for Taylor Swift).

IMHO of course.

Legionreturns

I genuinely couldn't give a flying fuck either way. It's just another soulless Ikea flat pack stadium now. All the character left with the bulldozers. 

Teetonetal

It's a fairly simple economic question for the FA.

Besides, i think the national teams ought to play around the country. It brings the games closer to fans.

victorludorum

Legionreturns said:

I genuinely couldn't give a flying fuck either way. It's just another soulless Ikea flat pack stadium now. All the character left with the bulldozers. 

You Sir are right! No twin towers = No Wembley

Wazmeister

thecolourbox said:

quarky said:

I don't have a huge issue with it being sold actually. No doubt the fans will get fleeced even more though for Cup Final tickets though..

Serves them right for supporting good teams that win matches. I barely have to even stand up at the matches I go to let alone have to think about buying tickets for cup competitions

Im with you...

As a Q.P.R. fan, Im unlikely to see Wembley for a wee while...

Wazmeister

Teetonetal said:

It's a fairly simple economic question for the FA.

Besides, i think the national teams ought to play around the country. It brings the games closer to fans.

100%

fob

Why is he buying it? Is it for the love of English grassroots football and a selfless promotion of American Football outside of the US? He's going to make a profit - pure and simple and there's no reason why those profits can't be made as it now stands. However, a few individuals in the FA who sign the contracts might not personally get as rich.

guitars4you

Wazmeister said:

Teetonetal said:

It's a fairly simple economic question for the FA.

Besides, i think the national teams ought to play around the country. It brings the games closer to fans.

100%

I can understand Wembley to be used for an England game in a big qualifying game against a major country like Spain etc, but if playing a friendly or a smaller nation like say Andorra then we have a few good/big alternative options - Newcastle, Man U, Liverpool - all over 50K seating - And keep it out of London as well, so no Spurs (next year) or Arsenal or West Ham 

fields5069

They take national games around the country in other, er, countries, and I think they should do the same in England.

I'm not sure the sale would be so bad though, from what I've read it doesn't threaten England games at various levels at all, plus the FA would still keep the £300M annual income from their Club Wembley hospitality thing.

bloodandtears

Is it not being sold at a loss though?? That's what irks me...