What Can Our Club Do To Improve Stadium Facilities...?

[Section Q]

What do you think the club can do to improve our facilities and make the match day experience more enjoyable ?

When the new stand is completed, it would be nice to think our average home attendances will rise in tandem with our increased capacity, but what do you think, if anything the club can do to ensure this happens ?

[sam]

The most important thing in getting improved attendances is a successful team on the park. Obviously improving the overall experience with better facilities and such won't harm attendances but a winning team will be the biggest factor in filling a bigger stadium.

[BIG ECK]

I have always felt that winning games of football help drive attendances in the right direction.

 

Couldn't give a four X for all the other drivel that goes on behind the scenes.

 

GIVE ME A WINNING TEAM EVERYTIME.

[the general]

bars under the stand, more food outlets and stalls selling merch on a match day

[Harmonica]

Since we can pick it's defo bar under the Wheatfield for me..

[BigC]

Whilst the Hibs fans talk a lot of nonsense about Tynecastle they do have a point about the slippy stairs, some sort of grippy surface should be added, especially to the lower section that gets rained on, but ideally the whole lot.

[JeanLouisValois84]

I think the 3 newish stands just need a lot of tlc. Looks like they haven't been maintained all that much over the years.

[chrisyboy7]

Catering is very poor.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tiberius Stinkfinger]

Install Green and white urinals.

[Armageddon]

Wifi

Food stalls priced reasonably

Could there be some mobile kiosks for drinks and snacks to try and reduce the main queues?

General maintenance is poor

The PA system is baws

Could we start up 'Hearts bet'? Specific match betting via a mobile app inside the ground (God knows what's involved).

[pablo]

A roof. Wifi. Decent coffee. No music played at goals. TV's showing classics on the concourses. But generally just give it a clean up and a lick of paint.

[andy-y]

A roof. Wifi. Decent coffee. No music played at goals. TV's showing classics on the concourses. But generally just give it a clean up and a lick of paint.

I noticed Spurs have a partnership with COSTA COFFEE. They get advertising and they supply coffee on match days. Not the most important thing but may help. Might not reduce prices though.

[EIEIO]

Bar under wheatfield open for a couple of hours before and after the game. Would also improve and expand choices in the catering outlets, I like pie and Bovril but there's got to be more options available in the 21st century. There's an empty space where a bookie's used to be between section E and F it could be used to sell official merchandise at games or by FOH for publicity and information.

[I P Knightley]

Install Green and white urinals.

I've been places where there are pictures of flies in the urinals with the idea being that men being men will aim at the fly and there will be less pish all over the floor.

 

So maybe you're half right. Pictures of Riordan, Griffiths, Cummings et al in the urinals would make for cleaner, less stinky bogs.

[JamboJen]

Better and more varied catering. Maybe rent out some ticket office car park space for a couple of local food trucks. We'll get some rental income and they'll get increased sales.

 

As others have said just general TLC around the stands. They'll look even older once the brand new stand's up.

 

Maybe a basic merch stand for scarves, flags and home/away shirts on the concourse at the corner of the Wheatfield and Gorgie stands.

 

Free Wi-Fi would be great because it can be hit and miss getting regular signal when you're trying to cash out!

[Section Q]

Would like to see a massive improvement in food choice and service.

Those of us presently sitting in the old stand will hopefully enjoy more leg room.

Large screens for replays would be nice.

[lewis2006]

Stovies in polystyrene cups.

[Debut 4]

The most important thing in getting improved attendances is a successful team on the park. Obviously improving the overall experience with better facilities and such won't harm attendances but a winning team will be the biggest factor in filling a bigger stadium.

correct...

 

With Man U in the papers a lot just now given their situation on and off the field( off field being the main point as they are doing well financially) their spin off success is simply down to one man....Alex Ferguson. And why? Because of success on the pitch.

 

There's absolutely no doubt Man U wouldn't be as big as they are just now, although they've always been a big club, if it wasnt for 20 odd years of success.

 

Of course it all goes hand in hand , but as you say, the focal point is the team and that's what makes it all work.

[siegementality]

I always though it would be good to give a bit of exposure to some local bands/groups pre kick off. I'd rather listen to a local band trying to make their way in the world rather than the pish that's usually played.

 

There definitely needs to be some merchandising stall inside the ground. It could sell programmes, half time draw tickets as well as official merchandise.

 

The TV's on the concourse need to be sorted out.

 

While the legends banners are a good idea they look chatty. Either do something better or scrap them altogether.

 

On a slightly different note I personally think our brand needs wider exposure too. Edinburgh attracts millions of visitors a year. A few strategically placed adverts throughout the city - airport, city centre, etc - at specific times of the year. Leaflets for match day experience, stadium tours, etc, in hotels and tourist information centres. There is undoubtably potential to get more tourists at games, particularly as they tend to go the whole hog and buy a ticket, programme, scarf and sometimes strip.

 

Ultimately Hearts need to work harder to generate income streams from new 'customers' rather than relying on existing ones spending more.

[Nelly Terraces]

Proper supporters club, like they have at Leyton Orient (obviously on a larger scale), run by the fans, has loads of great, cheap, beers (they even hold beer festivals there), wall to wall memorabilia etc, the place is the dogs pre/post matches. It makes LOFC 1 million a year.

 

I think how much I used to spend in the pub going to watch the O's but now when I'm down there every penny goes direct to the club. It's a total no brainer really.

[Dagger Is Back]

I always though it would be good to give a bit of exposure to some local bands/groups pre kick off. I'd rather listen to a local band trying to make their way in the world rather than the pish that's usually played.

 

There definitely needs to be some merchandising stall inside the ground. It could sell programmes, half time draw tickets as well as official merchandise.

 

The TV's on the concourse need to be sorted out.

 

While the legends banners are a good idea they look chatty. Either do something better or scrap them altogether.

 

On a slightly different note I personally think our brand needs wider exposure too. Edinburgh attracts millions of visitors a year. A few strategically placed adverts throughout the city - airport, city centre, etc - at specific times of the year. Leaflets for match day experience, stadium tours, etc, in hotels and tourist information centres. There is undoubtably potential to get more tourists at games, particularly as they tend to go the whole hog and buy a ticket, programme, scarf and sometimes strip.

 

Ultimately Hearts need to work harder to generate income streams from new 'customers' rather than relying on existing ones spending more.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Re the stadium. It's clearly been neglected for years so needs a bit of money spent to lick it back into shape. Not acceptable in this day and age to have toilet doors with no locks and toilets with no seats. We need to put in more ladies toilets. Not sure exactly how many we have in say the WF but given the queues it's woefully short.

 

Better catering options and more outlets and a smarter process for ordering, paying and collecting. You just need to go to places like Disney to see how the customer process can be improved.

 

Couldn't really care too much about TVs on the concourse personally but it seems important to some.

 

Bar and social club facilities under the WF is a must for me. Would be a good money spinner for the club.

 

Big screen in the stadium/scoreboard - nah!

 

We talked to Hearts about tapping into the visitor market back in 2012 and believe it or not, the issue then was money for leaflets. When they were told that would be covered, the issue was then distribution. When they were told that would be covered by fans, the excuse was 'we're already asking the fans for a lot, we don't feel comfortable asking them again'.

 

Seemed like a massive hand off to me.

 

We should be spending time expanding our customer base right now. Not sure if the players are still visiting schools (we did with the SC) but these are the fans of the future. Not sure if we give tickets away to local schools on a regular basis but something that we should seriously be looking at IMO.

 

I've seen the results of introducing kids to HMFC through the donate a ticket initiative and have lost count of the number of kids who are now ST holders along with Mum/Dad. Most of us talk about how we were bitten by the bug after one visit.

[The Don]

Get drink back in the grounds and open up a few bars. Feck the catering you want a slap up meal go corporate or go to a restaurant instead. It's a feckin fitbaw ground.

 

More merchandise stalls. Supporters club under wheatfield members only giving it different opening and licensing laws to a normal pub.

 

Could put little rubbish bins in section B for the sweety wrappers and left over cucumber sannys ;-)

 

Could supply a song sheet for those that never sing the correct words to songs and for those that don't even know any songs.

 

Sure there's more.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jake]

Proper supporters club, like they have at Leyton Orient (obviously on a larger scale), run by the fans, has loads of great, cheap, beers (they even hold beer festivals there), wall to wall memorabilia etc, the place is the dogs pre/post matches. It makes LOFC 1 million a year.

 

I think how much I used to spend in the pub going to watch the O's but now when I'm down there every penny goes direct to the club. It's a total no brainer really.

 

Definitely this.

Be great to go in a boozer with the bairn and videos of past games playing.

Stuff on walls etc .

And like you say a revenue stream for the club.

Also could set up an away supporters bar next to where the buses park.

Team on the park obviously but creating a festival type atmosphere around the ground with street acts could entice more family's to enjoy the day.

Make it an easier financial pill to swallow.

There's a lot could be done at no cost to the club.

Think we must be careful though to allow the club to benefit the Gorgie area and not hog all revenue.

 

On a more controversial note we do need an area for the young team and us older supporters need to stop being as judgemental.

My formative years as a Hearts supporter are filled with magic memories.

Although I attended from a 9 year old the best days were from 15-25 and I was a wee ***** .

Great laughs.

 

 

Anyway it's great we are talking about this.

[avhudtheteeshirt]

I always though it would be good to give a bit of exposure to some local bands/groups pre kick off. I'd rather listen to a local band trying to make their way in the world rather than the pish that's usually played.

 

There definitely needs to be some merchandising stall inside the ground. It could sell programmes, half time draw tickets as well as official merchandise.

 

The TV's on the concourse need to be sorted out.

 

While the legends banners are a good idea they look chatty. Either do something better or scrap them altogether.

 

On a slightly different note I personally think our brand needs wider exposure too. Edinburgh attracts millions of visitors a year. A few strategically placed adverts throughout the city - airport, city centre, etc - at specific times of the year. Leaflets for match day experience, stadium tours, etc, in hotels and tourist information centres. There is undoubtably potential to get more tourists at games, particularly as they tend to go the whole hog and buy a ticket, programme, scarf and sometimes strip.

 

Ultimately Hearts need to work harder to generate income streams from new 'customers' rather than relying on existing ones spending more.

 

OK! You've got the job!!!

Some of the best ideas are ones like this and are always quickly discounted.

Hope Queen Ann has a look at this post, better still why not email to Queen Ann at Tynecastle it gets my vote for one!!!!!

[The Don]

Definitely this.

Be great to go in a boozer with the bairn and videos of past games playing.

Stuff on walls etc .

And like you say a revenue stream for the club.

Also could set up an away supporters bar next to where the buses park.

Team on the park obviously but creating a festival type atmosphere around the ground with street acts could entice more family's to enjoy the day.

Make it an easier financial pill to swallow.

There's a lot could be done at no cost to the club.

Think we must be careful though to allow the club to benefit the Gorgie area and not hog all revenue.

 

On a more controversial note we do need an area for the young team and us older supporters need to stop being as judgemental.

My formative years as a Hearts supporter are filled with magic memories.

Although I attended from a 9 year old the best days were from 15-25 and I was a wee ###### .

Great laughs.

 

 

Anyway it's great we are talking about this.

Bollox to the Gorgie area now. Gorgie is not the Gorgie it was when I grew up and went to Tynecastle High. Most of the original shops are all gone now and the ones that have replaced them couldn't give rats arse about the club. Feck them. The only ones that might lose a little would be the pubs but let's be honest most you can't get in on match day anyway because they are so rammed, so a supporters bar is not really going to affect them much.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Glamorgan Jambo]

If you go to an English Premiership rugby match there's bars, food and entertainment going on for several hours before and after the match. And most clubs don't have stadia with huge land footprints. A supporters bar under the Wheatfield would be a great start to attracting more of the match day spend towards the club.

[CMc]

Couldn't agree more.

 

Re the stadium. It's clearly been neglected for years so needs a bit of money spent to lick it back into shape. Not acceptable in this day and age to have toilet doors with no locks and toilets with no seats. We need to put in more ladies toilets. Not sure exactly how many we have in say the WF but given the queues it's woefully short.

 

Better catering options and more outlets and a smarter process for ordering, paying and collecting. You just need to go to places like Disney to see how the customer process can be improved.

 

Couldn't really care too much about TVs on the concourse personally but it seems important to some.

 

Bar and social club facilities under the WF is a must for me. Would be a good money spinner for the club.

 

Big screen in the stadium/scoreboard - nah!

 

We talked to Hearts about tapping into the visitor market back in 2012 and believe it or not, the issue then was money for leaflets. When they were told that would be covered, the issue was then distribution. When they were told that would be covered by fans, the excuse was 'we're already asking the fans for a lot, we don't feel comfortable asking them again'.

 

Seemed like a massive hand off to me.

 

We should be spending time expanding our customer base right now. Not sure if the players are still visiting schools (we did with the SC) but these are the fans of the future. Not sure if we give tickets away to local schools on a regular basis but something that we should seriously be looking at IMO.

 

I've seen the results of introducing kids to HMFC through the donate a ticket initiative and have lost count of the number of kids who are now ST holders along with Mum/Dad. Most of us talk about how we were bitten by the bug after one visit.

Certainly still do coaching in schools and big Hearts give away some season tickets for schools to use.

 

Hopefully more tickets will go out to schools when we have a bigger capacity.

[CMc]

Given that street food in huge now, could we rent a pitch to different businesses on a rotating basis. I'm sure lots of more interesting food vans would pay decent money for a three hour crack at a captive audience of 10,000 people.

[Riccarton3]

Change the shop opining hours to 10am till 6pm

[stevie1874]

Proper supporters club, like they have at Leyton Orient (obviously on a larger scale), run by the fans, has loads of great, cheap, beers (they even hold beer festivals there), wall to wall memorabilia etc, the place is the dogs pre/post matches. It makes LOFC 1 million a year.

 

I think how much I used to spend in the pub going to watch the O's but now when I'm down there every penny goes direct to the club. It's a total no brainer really.

Sounds good, is this club funded by the supporters or is it funded by the club? Reason I ask is that people saying a pub under wheatfield would be good,but could this be part funded via supporters club subscription ?

[Section Q]

Bollox to the Gorgie area now. Gorgie is not the Gorgie it was when I grew up and went to Tynecastle High. Most of the original shops are all gone now and the ones that have replaced them couldn't give rats arse about the club. Feck them. The only ones that might lose a little would be the pubs but let's be honest most you can't get in on match day anyway because they are so rammed, so a supporters bar is not really going to affect them much.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Reluctantly see some sense in what you say. Bars would probably still be full on match days if there was a club lounge within the stadium. I say reluctantly because I still like Gorgie, but as you wrote, it's changed a fair bit over the years. At least we're staying at Tynecastle and small businesses will still benefit from residual trade on match days. Some decent suggestions on here.

[letsalllaughathobos]

Whilst the Hibs fans talk a lot of nonsense about Tynecastle they do have a point about the slippy stairs, some sort of grippy surface should be added, especially to the lower section that gets rained on, but ideally the whole lot.

It's slippy due to lack of maintenance, simple

[jake]

Bollox to the Gorgie area now. Gorgie is not the Gorgie it was when I grew up and went to Tynecastle High. Most of the original shops are all gone now and the ones that have replaced them couldn't give rats arse about the club. Feck them. The only ones that might lose a little would be the pubs but let's be honest most you can't get in on match day anyway because they are so rammed, so a supporters bar is not really going to affect them much.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I grew up in wester hailes and always loved the vibrancy of gorgie/Dalry seemed like you were in the city.

I know what you mean but I won't agree it's all part of hearts history and if the club can help make gorgie great then that's all good.

It's a bleak walk from haymarket to the stadium and imo it should be a build up .

[jake]

Great to be discussing this though.

[jake]

Given that street food in huge now, could we rent a pitch to different businesses on a rotating basis. I'm sure lots of more interesting food vans would pay decent money for a three hour crack at a captive audience of 10,000 people.

Good stuff there's a foodie type market that was in Stockbridge on a Sunday dunno if still there.

But that kind of thing would perhaps bring non football fans to the area.

Loads of potential with some imagination.

 

Meanwhile over at the soulless echo dome it's all grey and depressed.

 

At Tynecastle its festivity yeeeeeessssssssssszzssssss

[Irufushi]

Love some tasty food like a Mexican stall mmmmm, fajitas, wraps and stuff. Get an out of house caterer and give them free advertising.

[rudi must stay]

What do you think the club can do to improve our facilities and make the match day experience more enjoyable ?

When the new stand is completed, it would be nice to think our average home attendances will rise in tandem with our increased capacity, but what do you think, if anything the club can do to ensure this happens ?

Maybe make it an enclosed stadium, put in doors, as it can be very cold for fans. Some stadium art would be nice as well, the main stadium is full of that, and while it wouldn't improve the match day experience it would make the new stands more interesting

[bigmeg]

Every half time I laugh at the length of the queue for the ladies toilets. As more women are going to the matches, there needs to be more toilets for them. I think that needs looked at.

[frankblack]

Bars would be nce if laws were changed to give us what English Football has had for ages.  Simply don't allow access to Septic and Sevco supporters.

 

The catering needs one hell of a lot of improvement.  The selection on offer is very poor and differs little from what we had in the early 1990s, while other clubs offer pizzas and other items.

 

The maintenance of the ground in general needs reviewed as facilities in the Wheatfield are looking very run down - particularly the toilets, and the window ledges that people use to put food and drink in the concourse are never cleaned and covered in bird shit in places.

[rudi must stay]

Bars would be nce if laws were changed to give us what English Football has had for ages. Simply don't allow access to Septic and Sevco supporters.

 

The catering needs one hell of a lot of improvement. The selection on offer is very poor and differs little from what we had in the early 1990s, while other clubs offer pizzas and other items.

 

The maintenance of the ground in general needs reviewed as facilities in the Wheatfield are looking very run down - particularly the toilets, and the window ledges that people use to put food and drink in the concourse are never cleaned and covered in bird shit in places.

Nothing with the food in my opinion, I don't think its ever going to be that nice when you consider the busyness of a match day. But it would be good to get nicer coffee, instant coffee these days can be alot nicer than you get at Tynecastle

[The Don]

Every half time I laugh at the length of the queue for the ladies toilets. As more women are going to the matches, there needs to be more toilets for them. I think that needs looked at.

There lies a big part of the problem. Football has turned and been taken over by woman. Get it back to a mans game. :whistle:

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BM1874]

The toilets would be one of the first to be looked at.

 

Definate mobile merch stand. There is a wee white box in between gorgie and wheatfield that says "official club merch" but its sat empty for years. Stick 2 folk in there with scarfs, hats, badges/keyrings and shirts or t shirts and money to be made. Potentially one between wheatfield and roseburn (non cup games of course)

 

Would love to see the tvs updated, maybe the sky subscription is top costly but could stick Hearts related video or even a the bbc results as it comes in, a bit drab on that note.

 

Catering needs improved, more options, no pouring fanta or water out a bottle and asking for ?1.50/?2 for it, do like the "pie of the week" (or however frequent they do the special) but need more variety in the options available.

 

 

Wifi would be good, could give subscribers a chance to listen to Hearts TV commentary (about 10 years ago we got given the radio earsets to listen in to hearts radio at the time) I know i would like to listen in at times to find out information.

 

 

A small one but never going to happen. Perhaps have some teamsheets printed off to be available to buy on either kiosks or merch stall, just me as a random collecter speaking, but sometimes good to work out who is playing (usually to give lighthearted abuse to opposition) but mainly as I like to collect them

 

Final one would be a stadium bar. Underneath Wheatfield would be perfect for me, a chance to give the club money, enjoy being in the stadium, mix with other Jambos, potentially watch a televised game / listen to some Hearts songs (20 jambo classica anyone?) pre match (get atmosphere going)

And potentially put the pre match Press conferences on from hearts tv/ the team reveal on the screens

 

 

If all that could be realitt with a good product on the park hearts would thrive

[Diane]

I always though it would be good to give a bit of exposure to some local bands/groups pre kick off. I'd rather listen to a local band trying to make their way in the world rather than the pish that's usually played.

 

There definitely needs to be some merchandising stall inside the ground. It could sell programmes, half time draw tickets as well as official merchandise.

 

The TV's on the concourse need to be sorted out.

 

While the legends banners are a good idea they look chatty. Either do something better or scrap them altogether.

 

On a slightly different note I personally think our brand needs wider exposure too. Edinburgh attracts millions of visitors a year. A few strategically placed adverts throughout the city - airport, city centre, etc - at specific times of the year. Leaflets for match day experience, stadium tours, etc, in hotels and tourist information centres. There is undoubtably potential to get more tourists at games, particularly as they tend to go the whole hog and buy a ticket, programme, scarf and sometimes strip.

 

Ultimately Hearts need to work harder to generate income streams from new 'customers' rather than relying on existing ones spending more.

 

The Legends banners disappeared early on this season.

[Kashmir]

Definitely this.

Be great to go in a boozer with the bairn and videos of past games playing.

Stuff on walls etc .

And like you say a revenue stream for the club.

Also could set up an away supporters bar next to where the buses park.

Team on the park obviously but creating a festival type atmosphere around the ground with street acts could entice more family's to enjoy the day.

Make it an easier financial pill to swallow.

There's a lot could be done at no cost to the club.

Think we must be careful though to allow the club to benefit the Gorgie area and not hog all revenue.

 

On a more controversial note we do need an area for the young team and us older supporters need to stop being as judgemental.

My formative years as a Hearts supporter are filled with magic memories.

Although I attended from a 9 year old the best days were from 15-25 and I was a wee ###### .

Great laughs.

 

 

 

This is a great thread & this is a great post.

 

I like what you said about going into the boozer with the bairn. We've done hospitality at the Willie Bauld a couple of times, which is a very similar experience & 'The Bairn'  loves it.

As we live out of town we like to make the most of our day out to the game,  we'll get a wee bite to eat, I'll maybe have a couple of pints, he'll get a can of irn bru or coke (which he doesn't usually as a rule). More often than not we'll do this at Fountain Park then a wee walk down to Tynie.

If this was available at the stadium it would be perfect, as we could arrive early & not have to rush away, just a wee stroll up to our seats.

Perfect.

[Glottis]

Put a bin near the doors of the toilets- would stop people using the last sink and the club getting pissed off.

 

Don't think WiFi is a good idea.

[King Of The Cat Cafe]

If there is concern about supporters getting tanked up in the ground before the match, how about a lounge that opens at full time?

 

Maybe show highlights of the game on big screens; get players and officials in; and make the MOTM presentations there.

[Watt-Zeefuik]

Jokes above aside, the biggest untapped market is women. People thought the NFL was insane to go after female supporters, with every team wearing pink in October for breast cancer awareness, because it was a "man's game." They're laughing all the way to the bank now with huge numbers of women becoming season ticket holders and buying piles of merchandise.

 

Improve the toilets, the catering, and ensure the concourses are clean. Do a bit of marketing to women, could easily give a 20% bump in attendance.

[argyjambo]

Wifi

Food stalls priced reasonably

Could there be some mobile kiosks for drinks and snacks to try and reduce the main queues?

General maintenance is poor

The PA system is baws

Could we start up 'Hearts bet'? Specific match betting via a mobile app inside the ground (God knows what's involved).

Sorry, I'm not having that one. I sit in the Wheatfield and for my money the quality of the PA system is great, almost too good as I struggle to hear my radio when getting score updates & that's using in ear bud type headphones.

 

The board are aware that a number of maintenance issues are outstanding, and I'm pretty sure they are being prioritised as necessary, but the PA system ain't one of those priorities.

[Guest]

Pubs are closing down all over the place yet folk want HMFC to spend money building one that will only be busy for a few hours maybe 20 times a season????

[Tams bird]

Where is the money coming from. ? Stairs slippy as cant afford paint.A bar that's not used most of the year.