Stoke City committing good money to deliver off the pitch
Reaction as Stoke City unveil plans for new £1.5 million fan zone at the bet365 Stadium
The Lionesses’ World Cup win over Colombia was being shown on giant screens outside Portman Road when Stoke City went to Ipswich Town in August. There was music at Norwich and food at Bristol City in September, games including table football at Leicester City in October.
Now, Stoke – after years of badgering – have revealed their own plans for a £1.5 million fan zone that, if they receive planning permission, will be up and running around about the start of the 2024/25 season. That will be nearly three decades since it was announced that the club was upping sticks from the Victoria Ground and building their new all-seater home on the hill.
It will be a place to go for families and fans before, and perhaps even after, the match – and possibly, as Simon King has hinted, on non-match days too. The bottom line, as Stoke are trying to maintain through a wide-ranging five-year infrastructure investment programme, is to do it right and make sure it is worth the wait.
There are different standards of fan zone and City Square, the offering from Manchester City, is held up to be one of the best thanks to guest interviews and competitions, bands and good food. It looks like Stoke are committing good money to get as close to that as possible.
“There are different degrees of fan zones and what we don’t want to do is put a few kiosks and a couple of bars and a bit of music and call that a fan zone and think we’ve ticked that box,” said King when he first arrived at Stoke last year. “We want to do it to a standard that fans will be proud about and that takes time.”
There will be challenges, not least with logistics and how to get fans and families to and from the stadium efficiently. The weather on a February evening will not be as inviting as when the sun is shining in the first month of the season. Some of the immediate feedback swung the focus towards the pitch and, bah humbug, having the best fan zone in League One.
Because, yes, ultimately a football club is all about results and making sure that guest interviewees can reminisce about great moments. Man City don’t invite legends back years later to talk about their food and drink offering.
But there seems a genuine groundswell of support for Stoke trying to do make the most of things they can absolutely control. Renovated Ricardo’s bar has been well received. The fan zone looks like it could be something lots of people will wish they could have had in place when they were growing up and falling in love with football whether Stoke were winning or wobbling.
This should be good, a welcome addition to the stadium experience. It’s not quite as essential as points but there will hopefully come a day, there has to come a day, when you can have both.
