Retractable seating at the OS

[Lambretta]

Apologies for running off - it was daytime here and I had family stuff on

The major problem with the Sydney Olympic stadium is that the seating is banked so shallow that if you are in the bottom tier, you cant see what is happening on the other side of the field as you're too low to the ground and the pitch has a camber in it to allow water to drain off. So you end up watching alot on the giant tv screens.

If you sit further back to gain some elevation, you're sitting so far away that you're in the next suburb and you cant see the little men running around and you watch on the giant tv screens.

If you're behind the goal, same problem

The only place you get a good overall view of the pitch is when you're up in the Gods and if you bring a telescope with you, you can actually see. Or you just watch on the big TV screens.

The other issue is the cavernous size of the bloody place. With 20,000 in there, it feels like there are 5,000 in there. You need at least 60,000 in there to feel like a right proper good atmosphere and that happens about twice a bleedin year.

From the pictures I have seen, the London stadium is alot, lot worse. The stands are further back, the banking is more shallow and the ends behind the goals are even further away. West Ham would be better off staying where they are and just blanking it.

If the site is a complete failure after the Olympics future governments will be forced to make changes or build an appropriate stadium for the sort of sports played in England that are attended on a regular basis by large numbers.

[Denbighammer]

Lambretta, an informative if slightly worrying post.

[sutts07]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=enjhOgk6rUE#t=17s

This time lapse shows the last month at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, leading up to the 2011 BCS National Championship between #1 Auburn and #2 Oregon. It includes the end of an RV show, the Cardinals final 2010 home game on Christmas Day against the Dallas Cowboys, then the 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between UCONN and Oklahoma. After the Fiesta Bowl the entire playing surface was covered with new grass for the BCS Championship. The time lapse runs until 1PM on January 10, 2011. A full version including the game will be uploaded later.

It basically shows (from the point marked) that seating can be built and taken down within 48 hours quite easily.