Harlequins

Slowly Strangled by the Stoop?

For a full explanation of the source of and rationale behind these figures please refer to The Figures Explained.

2003/4 Season

After Bath, Harlequins have perhaps the toughest decisions to face with regards to where they will be based in the future. As I was preparing this article I contacted Kwin, the co-editor of Come all Within, the Harlequins supporters web site. He was, as always, very helpful and knowledgeable about the issues.

Having asked him about development plans and potential at the Stoop he pointed me to the New West Stand article on Come All Within in general and in particular to this section which sums things up pretty well.  

2.3 Capacity

This is a fundamental issue to grapple with that I don't think has really been considered enough on the boards yet: is the Stoop actually going to be big enough?

The current development yields 12,500. Mark Evans revealed last week that even in the long term the constraints that we're under - height of stands, budget, size of site, design of East and West, mean that the capacity of the Stoop, with new North, West and eventually South Stand will be only 14,000.

Is that big enough? Could we find that we build the Stand, and then five years in we're full again? Mark was sanguine about this risk - and with crowds currently only around the 8,000 mark he clearly has a point - there's a long way to go yet.

But on the other hand, given some success on the pitch, if we remain the only club in London, if the current buzz around the club continues, you don't have to be a wild optimist to envisage crowds of 14,000 at least some of the time....maybe much of the time.

If you thought that within - say - five years we'd be sold out again.... well you'd have to wonder whether investment in the Stoop is worth it. Should we even consider the almost unmentionable nuclear option: moving out now

The general consensus amongst Harlequins supporters is that they should at present develop The Stoop. Amongst other things the club has a pretty useful revenue stream from the ground, given its location. On big Twickenham match days it serves as an overflow parking and hospitality area.

Harlequins’ request for planning permission has just been submitted. Given that there will be objections from local residents permission being granted is by no means assured. At the very least a protracted planning battle seems on the cards. For a variety of reasons expansion of The Stoop cannot come soon enough. Even then it will only delay what I foresee as an inevitable move from their long-term home.

If we project their average growth thus far forward another five seasons, this is what we see.

Season  -  Attendance

The last of the club by club articles in this series moves us to Reading where we look at the club who have achieved the highest growth of any in the professional era, London Irish.

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