A bit late with my thoughts from yesterday...
The main thing (which I know a couple of others have said already) is how much it feels like old WHL once you are out in view of the pitch. I genuinely don't know how they have done it, but it somehow feels like a much bigger, smarter version of the old ground, rather than an entirely new ground. It might have something to do with how close you are to the pitch - I'm in Row 50 in the South Stand compared to spending last season at Row 30 something behind the goal at Wembley, and you feel closer to the pitch at the new ground.
I'm not doing a great job of expressing that, but I think everyone will understand when they get in there.
Inside the concourses, it feels completely different to the old ground - it's far more modern, much lighter (so much glass, everywhere, on the outside). The Market Place itself has the feel of an upmarket shopping centre food court, which is a good thing and a bad thing. It doesn't really feel like the inside of a football stadium, which is bad because it feels a little weird, but good because the inside of most football stadiums tend to be run down rubbish. As others have said, I would worry that the Market Place might be heaving on match days, as it felt rather full with some lengthy queues even with just the 3,000(+) in there. That said, I didn't see anyone really using the Tap Inn's on the second floor concourse, which looked like they were serving pies, burgers and sausage rolls etc. as well as beers, and the third floor food option was not open. We couldn't get up onto the fourth floor concourse, but I assume that they would also be doing some food and beers. So that means that the South Stand will have 25 places you could grab a pint - including the Beavertown Tap Room (which is awesome, especially being able to see into the brewery itself) and the Goal Line Bar (which is massive - it's obvious that a 65m bar is massive, but I didn't really appreciate the scale of it until yesterday. And at 23 of those you will be able to get something to eat.
Again, as others have said, pricing is fair on the booze - it's "London expensive" but not more expensive than a typical pub, so no cause for complaint. The food is around the same price as Wembley but, on my sample from the Chicken House and generally looking around, quality seems higher (and the ridiculously tiny portions of Wembley seem to have been avoided).
Ultimately, it's better than I can possibly have imagined. Levy gets some grief, but they have done an absolutely remarkable job on this. They've managed to combine all of the "comforts" of a modern stadium - better quality food, decent beer, space and light in the concourses - and decent looking toilets! - without either (a) massively overcharging on a match day or (b) losing the atmosphere in the "bowl". It's absolutely incredible - and as some others have said they did to, I welled up when I thought about going to the first game with my Dad, and hopefully bringing my own kids in the future (when I have any to bring...).
COYS
The main thing (which I know a couple of others have said already) is how much it feels like old WHL once you are out in view of the pitch. I genuinely don't know how they have done it, but it somehow feels like a much bigger, smarter version of the old ground, rather than an entirely new ground. It might have something to do with how close you are to the pitch - I'm in Row 50 in the South Stand compared to spending last season at Row 30 something behind the goal at Wembley, and you feel closer to the pitch at the new ground.
I'm not doing a great job of expressing that, but I think everyone will understand when they get in there.
Inside the concourses, it feels completely different to the old ground - it's far more modern, much lighter (so much glass, everywhere, on the outside). The Market Place itself has the feel of an upmarket shopping centre food court, which is a good thing and a bad thing. It doesn't really feel like the inside of a football stadium, which is bad because it feels a little weird, but good because the inside of most football stadiums tend to be run down rubbish. As others have said, I would worry that the Market Place might be heaving on match days, as it felt rather full with some lengthy queues even with just the 3,000(+) in there. That said, I didn't see anyone really using the Tap Inn's on the second floor concourse, which looked like they were serving pies, burgers and sausage rolls etc. as well as beers, and the third floor food option was not open. We couldn't get up onto the fourth floor concourse, but I assume that they would also be doing some food and beers. So that means that the South Stand will have 25 places you could grab a pint - including the Beavertown Tap Room (which is awesome, especially being able to see into the brewery itself) and the Goal Line Bar (which is massive - it's obvious that a 65m bar is massive, but I didn't really appreciate the scale of it until yesterday. And at 23 of those you will be able to get something to eat.
Again, as others have said, pricing is fair on the booze - it's "London expensive" but not more expensive than a typical pub, so no cause for complaint. The food is around the same price as Wembley but, on my sample from the Chicken House and generally looking around, quality seems higher (and the ridiculously tiny portions of Wembley seem to have been avoided).
Ultimately, it's better than I can possibly have imagined. Levy gets some grief, but they have done an absolutely remarkable job on this. They've managed to combine all of the "comforts" of a modern stadium - better quality food, decent beer, space and light in the concourses - and decent looking toilets! - without either (a) massively overcharging on a match day or (b) losing the atmosphere in the "bowl". It's absolutely incredible - and as some others have said they did to, I welled up when I thought about going to the first game with my Dad, and hopefully bringing my own kids in the future (when I have any to bring...).
COYS
