| WASPS PLAN MAJOR PROJECT
(Thursday 30th March 2006)  The Wanderers PLC Board are understood to be in the process of being presented with drafted plans to extend the capacity of Adams Park by tenants London Wasps. The rugby side want to increase the capacity to 15,000 and Wasps' Chief Executive David Davies has attempted to justify matchday and season ticket price rises for rugby games at Adams Park for the 2006/7 season as necessary in order to help fund these ambitions.Going by latest Premier Rugby regulations Wasps must have a 12,000 capacity by season 2007/8 and then 15,000 by season 2010/11. Premier Rugby ground regulations do not require 'all-seater' stadia but do state a minimum number of seats, understood to be in the order of 5,000 and therfore well within the current situation at Adams Park where there are in excess of 8,000 seats. Davies has set a timescale of approximately three months before any firm plans are put through the regular procedures with Wycombe District Council. Before then, the plans, which have been produced in association with sports stadia consultants Drivers Jonas, will have comment passed by the Wanderers PLC Board and also the ground's Safety Advisory Group. Davies is then suggesting a period of public consulation in an attempt to appease any local objections. Wasps have announced price increases for 2006/7 that have risen by as much as 20% for some areas of the ground. They have also taken away concessionary prices for high demand seats. A centre block matchday ticket for the Woodlands Stand will now cost £43 while adult prices in the lower tier Family Stand are also as high as £27. Davies has admitted the prices have caused unrest amongst Wasps supporters and says he has responded to all the concerns. Davies explained his reasoning in the Wasps matchday programme on 26th March 2006, saying "For several years now Wasps have enjoyed increasing success on the field, and on the business side we have also made big strides. As you know, we are about to embark on a major project to redevelop the stadium. This will not only provide an enhanced matchday experience to all our supporters, with the introduction of improved facilities, but is also crucial in ensuring the future success of the Club." Wasps lost around £1.7m in their first season at Adams Park but average gates of around 8,000 and a constant creep in prices has reduced the annual loss to around a third of that figure. Wasps officials believe they can make up the financial shortfall by taking advantage of a larger capacity for potential sell-out games against the likes of Northampton, Leicester and Gloucester. However, their policy in the meantime appears to be to squeeze as much out of existing supporters as possible. Davies will be aware of the risks in the strategy but added, "The project requires a large amount of capital, and in order for us to be in a position to seek finance to fund the project, it is essential that we can balance our budget." Wanderers are also in the budget balancing game and Managing Director Steve Hayes has said that the financing for any capacity increase will not come from the Football Club. However, Hayes has revealed that discussions have taken place at Board level of the setting up a 'joint venture' between the two clubs with respect to management of the ground. This would cover such aspects as safety management, stewarding and catering, which would then come under one umbrella. But speaking at the PLC AGM back in February 2006, Hayes insisted that joint ownership of the ground would not be on the agenda despite suggestions through the media that this had been an aim of Wasps, saying "There is no chance whatsoever of losing any of the stadium and whatever David Davies wants to put on the website or whatever, he is quite at liberty to put whatever he wants but the deal has to right for Wycombe Wanderers. If the deal isn't right for Wycombe Wanderers then the deal won't happen." The plans to increase the capacity of Adams Park to 15,000 are understood to centre around the construction of a new stand in place of what is currently the 1,200 seater 'Old Main Stand'. The proposed stand would be similar in size to the existing Woodlands Stand, while further extra capacity could be gained by increasing the size of the terracing at The Valley End. But in what is a logistical nightmare, the key to the increases would be to provide improved access to the stadium in an area that is currently designated as Green Belt and in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Such a project is likely to have huge costs and Wasps are highly unlikely to commit funds unless they were guaranteed a long term lease and have some ownership of the increased capacity. But Hayes says Wycombe won't rush into agreement, adding, "I won't be financing it nor will any of the Board and neither will you. It is not us who will finance it. We don't need a bigger stadium at the moment. If they (London Wasps) want a bigger stadium then they will have to finance that.". Objections to the plans are also likely to be widespread in an area that is becoming increasingly choked with traffic on rugby matchdays. Surveys carried out by London Wasps at the end of last season showed that more than 80% of their crowd travels to the game by car but less than 15% use the car-parking at the ground. Park & Ride facilities have helped to a small degree but trying to justify and manage a 15,000 capacity stadium at the end of an industrial estate is something that is likely to see the decision passed through what could be a another costly appeal process. Meanwhile, discussions on a long term agreement between Wycombe and Wasps will not begin in earnest until the plans for the stadium increase have got further down the planning stage. That is likely to be at least six months down the line and commenting on these possible discussions, Hayes added, "If we agree a long term lease, it will take a long time to sort out to make sure that we are completely and utterly covered." In reality, that means more short term agreements and more uncertainty for the future of Wasps in Wycombe. 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