INTO TO THE WEST....Part II
20 May 2008

Adam Thomas, Managing Director of Red City Developments, sits down with Steve McNally in part two of our interview to talk stadiums, and more specifically, the Reds magnificent new home at the Western gateway into Salford.

CONTINUED FROM PART ONE (click)

Sounds fantastic doesn’t it? And the experience before you get to your seat and at half time will be just as impressive. What can sponsors and supporters expect their match day experience to be like outside of watching the actual game?

“I used the word spectacular earlier. Sensational is another appropriate word. Supporters will experience a stadium designed, unlike most, to welcome them in rather than make them feel like we are trying to keep them out.

From the moment they arrive to the moment they leave their experience will be warm, friendly and breathtaking. 

Along with the best seated views in the country the City of Salford Stadium will also be home to the first deliberately built standing section in the UK since the Taylor Report changed the landscape of sport. Other new stadia have standing sections, but they are just basically seated areas where the seats have been removed and crush barriers installed. Ours will be very different, and is there in response to the fans request for such a section. We aim to please.

Away from the pitch the wide, sweeping concourses will ensure comfort and convenience for all in attendance and we will ensure that everyone’s needs are satisfied in terms of food, drink and merchandising in an efficient and courteous manner.

Even the car parking will utilise intelligent technology, with cutting edge systems such as advanced number plate recognition in use to allow automatic entry for those cars that meet the necessary criteria.

As far as sponsors are concerned this will be a dream stadium in which to entertain their clients.  We intend to provide the finest banqueting in any stadium in the country. This will be facilitated by the full-time hotel staff, who will provide a genuinely five star service on match day. Sponsors and corporate guests will have the choice of one of 19 fantastically high spec executive boxes, or to be entertained in the main banqueting hall – a huge venue with the ability to feed and entertain 1000 guests. I know the Rugby Club are already inviting businesses to register their interest for boxes, and if you think you might want one, my advice is to put your name down now as I am quite sure they will be very much over subscribed as the opening draws nearer.

The boxes have moveable walls and can accommodate anything from 8 to 30 people in privacy, and each will have its own dedicated bar. Companies will be able to invite guests to stay the night in one of the finest hotels in the city, leaving them free to concentrate on enjoying themselves without worrying how to get home after the match.

People really are going to be blown away – we have had ten years to think about every little detail, and this has been time well spent.”

Knowing all that, we can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have to listen to people mock, scoff and take cheap shots at the plans – if we never hear the word portacabin again it will probably be too soon. Another popular myth is that the stadium will not be built if the Reds aren’t granted a licence. It’s irritating enough for us, but when you are as close to the project as Adam is, surely the temptation to strike back must be almost overwhelming?

“Not at all. In fact, we have been deliberately quiet and with good reason. The Stadium itself will do all the talking that needs to be done. One thing I can say for certain is that the licencing process has no effect on what we are doing on site at Barton – licencing is a matter for the RFL, but both the club and Red City are confident that the people that matter at the RFL are fully aware of exactly what is going to happen over the next 18 months, that they understand the importance of the development to the sport not just to the club, and the fact that it is being built now, come what may and will be ready in 2010.
Very shortly now the final CGIs (computer generated images) based on the completed design should be ready, along with the fly through of the facility and we will be able to show people exactly what they will be getting in 2010. We will make a major presentation of them just as soon as we can, and it will be abundantly clear to everyone that this is a stadium that belongs nowhere else other than a premier competition.”

So then, fast forward to 2010 – what will that be like? Any predictions?

“Believe me when I say I’m not a betting man, but I would be willing to bet that in 2010 Salford City Reds will be averaging at least 14,000 throughout the first year, and there will be occasions when the stadium is sold out and people are locked outside. The attraction of this magnificent venue along with the strength of the club off the field will guarantee that.

I know fans of other clubs are sceptical of talk like that, but they aren’t privy to the market research that has been done. And I’m not talking about us stopping people and asking people on the street if they fancy going – this research was carried out independently by the very best in the field, and if anything their predictions usually err on the side of caution. But of course we can’t do anything about people being sceptical – all we can say is wait and see.

People were equally sceptical of Hull and Warrington when they moved with average crowds lower than Salford’s are this year. Look how that turned out. It’s even more relevant when you realise the Reds are achieving those crowd numbers in NL1 while Warrington and Hull were in Super League.
The potential for the Salford club really is staggering going forward. They will have the best stadium in the game in an unbelievably attractive location, already have fantastic strength in the back room department and if you throw some success on the pitch in to the mix I’m convinced people will be saying the stadium is not big enough rather than questioning whether 20,000 capacity is over reaching.”

And beyond that? What does the future hold for the man currently holding the keys to the City of Salford Stadium?

“Short term, my role is about to change immensely, from one of planning to one of holding contractors to task. I’m looking forward to that a great deal.

Longer term? It’s impossible to think beyond 2010 at this point. My hope is that once my work here is done I can move on to working more with the government on the goal of improving sporting facilities throughout the country and across all sports. It is one of my great passions, and I would love to be a part of the cure to what I think of as the English disease – the desire for sporting success without the willingness to put in either the money or effort that is required to achieve it.”

So no more stadiums then? Surely as ‘the man who can’ in terms of delivering such a magnificent venue he won’t be short of offers?

“No, I seriously doubt it at this point. The City of Salford Stadium has been my life for the last ten years, and I’m not sure I could put my family through it again. I think I am okay to admit that I have already turned down eight offers to build stadiums for other clubs, including two that are currently in Super League, but shall remain nameless!

Even though it’s been easily the biggest challenge of my life I have enjoyed almost every minute of it. The main reason I can’t imagine moving on to work on another stadium project is that I honestly don’t believe I could build a better stadium than the City of Salford Stadium. After all, once Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel I don’t think he ever worked on another roof, did he?

It will be interesting to see what happens to the next major stadium build following on from ours – each new stadium usually has to be better than the last to make an impression.
I know I am biased, but I really do think it will be difficult to beat.
I look forward to seeing someone try.”

So there you have it. The City of Salford Stadium in the words of the man responsible for building it.

Can I get an Amen?

STADIUM TIMELINE November 2006 Reds receive go-ahead from planning inspector. Work begins on satisfying planning conditions, along with detailed stadium design December 2007 Drivers Jonas appointed Project Managers, charged with delivering the build. Also appointed are structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers, an ecologist, archaeologist and lead architects AFL, among other key appointments January 2008 Site clearing and enabling works begin June 2008 Final stage remediation of the site in preparation to begin construction September 2008 Work scheduled to begin on the construction of the City of Salford Stadium June 2009 New playing pitch laid and seeded Early 2010 Stadium commissioned for play. Salford City Reds begin playing at their new home. Second Quarter 2010 Second phase of the development completed. Retail development opens

To read the first part of this interview click here

Share this story in your Facebook newsfeed