So in his recent statement BB said contractors had completed their surveys and estimates were in place. (words to that effect)
How long to refurbish then Three months , longer shorter ? I guess when it is completed the place will be rammed for the first few games. Although there will be extra staff the queues will be long and there will be complaints on here
Suggest we will have to be a little patient and I’m sure it will settle down.
It will be very interesting to see what the plan for the facility is , it certainly won’t pay for itself purely from match day takings, I’m sure they have done their homework, crunched the numbers and have a cunning plan.
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They need one mate cant be opening it back up running as it was before it had been shit for years being honest.
he suggested bids were in but didnt mention any had been accepted.
I can’t see it open this season as if anything needs planning that would need to be applied for and even if it doesn’t they need to select a bidder get the right team in place get all the works done staff it and get any appropriate sign offs and a lot of materials are costing fortunes now and taking longer to be delivered.
grand opening on the pre season I’d. suspect would be most likely.
it’ll be interesting to see how they make it profitable away from matchdays
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Would it make a good music venue. Does The Robin at Bilston still pack em in ?
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Yes Robin is still busy , Go West last Saturday
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I think it becomes an extension of the clubs facilities.
Must be a positive if the club have a facility detached from the stadium that it can host events in. No need to open the whole stadium when it’s contained within the Saddlers Club.
I’d guess the capacity is not far off what the stadium suite is.
Saddlers Club also has catering facilities.
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I’ve saw it mentioned somewhere previously, but better facilities for younger children would be great.
The kids zone is okay, but gets overrun by ‘bigger kids’ who take over the already tiny soft play area at times.
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Big boys came! 
That was what I thought. We go to The Robin fairly often, as well as Eleven in Stoke which is similar but slightly smaller. Both are about 45 minutes drive for us. Neither is in a prime location (Eleven is on an industrial estate in Tunstall) but that doesn’t matter, they have a big catchment area and people will go whatever the location of the building. One of the problems the Saddlers Club has is no local residential population to lean on on non-matchdays, but I could see a Saddlers Club version of the Robin doing well throughout the week.
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Girlschool and Alcatrazz in Feb!
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@Stretch The capacity in the concert room (the big room where away fans used to be housed ) in the Saddlers Club was 400
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Flash - Queen tribute act this Friday, following our office Christmas meal.
Gonna be mega! 
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May even be an option of splitting the place in 2. Half of which a supporters club with events during the week and weekend nights . The other half a kind of American sports bar for match days and the Sunday market crowd
Definitely need something where supporters can have a drink before the game.
There is next to nothing around our stadium and when you go to away games and find a pub near the ground it adds to the matchday experience.
Be good for away fans in League 1. League 2. Very mixed as an Income geberator. Away followings go from v good to average to absolutely desperate like Sutton and Crawley
But then you’ll get great followings like Mansfield, Stockport, Bradford, Villa in pre season where they would make an absolute killing.
Obviously not every week at this level will it be rammed out, but surely it’ll be better having something there open making some kind of income over having a rotting shell of a building?
Yes of course I agree
Incidentally, spoke to someone recently who works in hospitality at the club.
She had been inside the building and was very surprised in what a good state it is in. Particularly impressed with the flat (who knew there was one )
Yes flat above the club. Likewise at the old Saddlers Club there was one above that club since about 1977.