Watford close to completing deal with commercial partner to fund Vicarage Road stadium development

8:30am Friday 28th December 2012 in Sport By Anthony Matthews, Group Sports Editor

Watford are close to completing a deal with a commercial partner to help fund the development of the South West Corner of Vicarage Road, the Watford Observer understands.

The identity of the partner has not been revealed but it is believed only approval from the organisation’s board is now standing in the way of the agreement being concluded. Once this has been obtained, the Hornets should be able to announce full details early next year with a view to work on the multi-million pound project then progressing relatively quickly.

Work on the development started almost five years ago but has never been completed due to lack of funds. However, chief executive Scott Duxbury has been open about his wish to proceed with the development as soon as possible and told the club’s fans’ forum in November: “We are in very advanced discussions with our partner, who at this time would like to remain anonymous.

“We would like to conclude contracts for that development by the end of November or the beginning of December, with working commencing in January or February and it being available by June or July next year.

“That would include moving the changing rooms and two new hospitality developments as well. That is our plan for this year and we are close to concluding those contracts.”

It is thought the structure will take several months to fully fit out, but once the changing rooms and press areas have been relocated in the stadium it will allow the East Stand to finally be demolished.

As well as the changing rooms and additional matchday hospitality, we understand the South West Corner will also house a sports bar, which will be open all week and provide an additional revenue stream for both the club and its partner.

Comments(27)

DuffmanWFC says...
8:54am Fri 28 Dec 12

Fingers crossed that its a done deal very soon.
The sooner we can finish the SW corner the better, this will then mean we only have to build the East Stand and starts to show real progress in developing our ground.
Hopefully with things continuing to go well on the pitch we can get our attendance figures to 16,000 and get the East Stand built!
This could take the Vic to a 22,000+ capacity which matches the likes of Swansea, Norwich and Fulham in terms of ground size... Perfect for a tough place for teams to visit!
Then who knows? Maybe a new stadium within eight/ten years?

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Watforddogs says...
9:17am Fri 28 Dec 12

Anything less than a £600m / 80000 all seater stadium with a retractable roof would be a betrayal of the fans

- Pozzo out!

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goldenboy1993 says...
10:09am Fri 28 Dec 12

not over excited about this, it means we'll be a vicarage for at least another 20 years, am starting to wonder when we are going to dump this stadium

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goldenboy1993 says...
10:09am Fri 28 Dec 12

not over excited about this, it means we'll be a vicarage for at least another 20 years, am starting to wonder when we are going to dump this stadium

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Bush Hornet says...
10:24am Fri 28 Dec 12

goldenboy1993 wrote:
not over excited about this, it means we'll be a vicarage for at least another 20 years, am starting to wonder when we are going to dump this stadium
I don't want to 'dump' this stadium. With a new East stand it'll be perfect and if the Rous stand can be extended then there's plenty of scope

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jasonwatford says...
11:06am Fri 28 Dec 12

typical moaners...just be happy

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overhere says...
11:13am Fri 28 Dec 12

goldenboy1993 wrote:
not over excited about this, it means we'll be a vicarage for at least another 20 years, am starting to wonder when we are going to dump this stadium
... and move to a soulless, breezeblocked, out-of-town location? Ask Coventry for details.

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Holly68 says...
11:52am Fri 28 Dec 12

Sports Bar open all week ! Could be interesting

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a1derek says...
11:57am Fri 28 Dec 12

Sounds good to me and another sign of progress under the Pozzos we could only have dreamed about with Dodgy "I'm Not Taking Any Money Out Of The Club" Baz in charge.

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ORBY says...
12:08pm Fri 28 Dec 12

GB-Why would you want to "dump this ground" it has been the home of the hornets for 90 years and with the proposed new developments will be a ground we can be proud of for a number of years. Those of us old enough to remember the ground over the years will look back with fondness of the good times and yes some of the bad times, but it is where we belong. I well remember climbing over the fence at the rookery end to watch games. My father and uncles took me to the games in the early 1950s and they were great times for me. Stay where we are that's my mantra. COYH

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blokey says...
12:42pm Fri 28 Dec 12

So the partner is a company that operate bars...Weatherspoons are opening a whole lot of new pubs/bars in the new year - Right up their street

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tommy gunn says...
12:58pm Fri 28 Dec 12

Orby what memories you conjure up,you started your love affair with the 'orns or blues as they were in those days about the same time as myself.As a boy I would stand behind the goal the blues were attacking and at half time stand behind the other one.As a boy you never saw a bad game,no TV to make a comparison with other teams.The days of Jimmy Bowie and Frank Mitchell.I once saw Frank and Jimmy Kelly in market street waiting for a bus.When I asked for their autograph Frank said 'Why on earth do you want my autograph for?I must have blurted someting out and they signed.I treasured that piece of paper for years.However having supported the 'orns for all those years I have never been so filled with such anticipation as at present.Don't move from the Vic. I say, such memories,ah nostalgia!

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DuffmanWFC says...
3:00pm Fri 28 Dec 12

Just to finish SW Corner and build the East Stand will be good for me at this current point.
That will give us 22,000 plus seats and we may be able to fill in corners to the Vic road end and Rous end to make it possibly 23,500 ish?
This is as good enough or better then the likes of QPR, Swansea, Wigan, Fulham, Norwich, WBA and Stoke and will be a justifiable Premier League ground.
After that who knows.... We have to increase our desirability to new fans and getting into the Prem, playing good football and scoring goals is how we will do this!
The new owners are trying everything to increase the profile of our club whilst making it affordable with all the special deals.
Maybe next season when we have un reserved seating or vocal areas we will see improved atmosphere?
This coupled with everything else will see us naturally progress.
It wasn't long ago we had 13,000 season ticket holders so if we can do what the Pozzos hope for then just maybe we can have a nice, full stadium at every home game!
I believe it's coming.... Do you?
Come on you Orns!

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andyhooked says...
3:35pm Fri 28 Dec 12

If there are naming rights on the SW corner development then so be it. Then I repeat previous posts from me should we not be able to calll it the Ken Furphy Stand at least call the hospitality bar after Ken. He did so much for our club and hopefully such a gesture could be seen by Ken before it is too late.

New ground chaps? Get real it aint ever going to happen given what has gone on before. Happy New Year anyway.

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SAHornet says...
3:50pm Fri 28 Dec 12

jasonwatford wrote:
typical moaners...just be happy
It is quite incredible, Jason, how good news like this brings out the negative in some posters, eh?

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SAHornet says...
3:51pm Fri 28 Dec 12

tommy gunn wrote:
Orby what memories you conjure up,you started your love affair with the 'orns or blues as they were in those days about the same time as myself.As a boy I would stand behind the goal the blues were attacking and at half time stand behind the other one.As a boy you never saw a bad game,no TV to make a comparison with other teams.The days of Jimmy Bowie and Frank Mitchell.I once saw Frank and Jimmy Kelly in market street waiting for a bus.When I asked for their autograph Frank said 'Why on earth do you want my autograph for?I must have blurted someting out and they signed.I treasured that piece of paper for years.However having supported the 'orns for all those years I have never been so filled with such anticipation as at present.Don't move from the Vic. I say, such memories,ah nostalgia!
Orby & tommy - good posts fella's - 100% agree

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SAHornet says...
3:52pm Fri 28 Dec 12

DuffmanWFC wrote:
Just to finish SW Corner and build the East Stand will be good for me at this current point.
That will give us 22,000 plus seats and we may be able to fill in corners to the Vic road end and Rous end to make it possibly 23,500 ish?
This is as good enough or better then the likes of QPR, Swansea, Wigan, Fulham, Norwich, WBA and Stoke and will be a justifiable Premier League ground.
After that who knows.... We have to increase our desirability to new fans and getting into the Prem, playing good football and scoring goals is how we will do this!
The new owners are trying everything to increase the profile of our club whilst making it affordable with all the special deals.
Maybe next season when we have un reserved seating or vocal areas we will see improved atmosphere?
This coupled with everything else will see us naturally progress.
It wasn't long ago we had 13,000 season ticket holders so if we can do what the Pozzos hope for then just maybe we can have a nice, full stadium at every home game!
I believe it's coming.... Do you?
Come on you Orns!
I believe, Duffers

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SAHornet says...
3:55pm Fri 28 Dec 12

andyhooked wrote:
If there are naming rights on the SW corner development then so be it. Then I repeat previous posts from me should we not be able to calll it the Ken Furphy Stand at least call the hospitality bar after Ken. He did so much for our club and hopefully such a gesture could be seen by Ken before it is too late.

New ground chaps? Get real it aint ever going to happen given what has gone on before. Happy New Year anyway.
Both Ken & GT & SEJ did a lot for this club so it would be nice to incorporate their names in all aspects of a re-built SW corner/bar/changing rooms/ hospitality suites etc. I also wouldn't mind The Pozzo's being recognized somehow in the development. On the face of it, they have saved us from possible ruin

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Travelling Hornet says...
6:08pm Fri 28 Dec 12

Good news indeed about the SW corner development, in fact its good news to have anything done to the old stadium, even the the new signage at the NE corner is a step in the right direction.

I too have countless memories of the old Vic, but i wouldnt be adverse to a new stadium like Brightons new futuristic ground,it certainly has taken them to another level, by attracting more fans.

But with land prices in and around Watford,plus the size of the site would make this too expensive.

The Health Campus development will be good for the club,with the improved access by road and rail. Im sure we are in the good books (for once)with the council over The Wrap around our stands.
So they should be amenable to any requests for the use of land around the ground ,for car parking and extending the facade of the Rous stand to give more space for upgrading the facilities inside, as at the moment they are primitive .I understand that the club wants to flip the main stand to the Rous.

With the internals of the ground sorted and a new east stand with the corners filled in we can have a ground to be proud of.

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D.unstable says...
7:48pm Fri 28 Dec 12

Nothing wrong with developing the Vic, it can still be a very nice ground once the 4th side is done and the corners filled in. Unless we were likely to need a 40000 plus capacity it does not make seance to move. The only problem is parking and this can be resolved with the new health campus and rail links.

What is the talk of a partner for the SW corner. Sponsored by McDonalds or maybe something a little more Italian!!

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andyhooked says...
8:20am Sat 29 Dec 12

The East Stand rebuild provides opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of GT, Elton and even the Pozzos should they decide so. Acknowledging Ken Furphy via something to do with completion of the SW corner is rather more time critical

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Bringe says...
8:51am Sat 29 Dec 12

Completing the East stand will not tie us to the Vic for 20 years, economics will dictate that. But if the Pozzo's are smart they might consider purchasing a little local farmland now while prices are stagnant.

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Bringe says...
9:00am Sat 29 Dec 12

Theoretically there is still enough time to build the east stand before next season using prefabricated units assembled off-site. The Chinese are planning 15 floors a day on the to be worlds tallest building using such methods, that's 105 floors a week!!!

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Travelling Hornet says...
12:42pm Sat 29 Dec 12

Would be interesting to see when the stand is eventually built what kind of structure and how big it will be.
The capacity of the stand is dictated by the depth and height of the structure and there is quite a bit of space behind the old stands which can be used for increased depth of the new one .
Plus I think there is a precident now as how tall it can be by the height of the Wrap on Occupation Road , which is a lot taller than the original .

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Vespa Crabro says...
8:35pm Sat 29 Dec 12

Bringe wrote:
Completing the East stand will not tie us to the Vic for 20 years, economics will dictate that. But if the Pozzo's are smart they might consider purchasing a little local farmland now while prices are stagnant.
Is the Golden Triangle still undeveloped?

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Mohandas says...
7:20pm Sun 30 Dec 12

Let's hope we don't overstretch ourselves. With all the developments in congested West Watford, easy access to an expanded stadium becomes even more of a priority.
It seems that football all about
Money, money, money
No more funny
In the rich man's world.

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Dannyseabs says...
7:44am Mon 31 Dec 12

Like most of you I do not want Watford to move from Vicarage Road. We should never forget our roots. What I do think is that people are jumping the gun over the East Stand redevelopment. First we need to finish the SW corner then we need to average 15k to 16k a game before we even think about starting the development. It will nice to finally demolish the old main stand and replace it with some temporary seats at least

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