BATH Rugby’s historic stadium is set for a 21st-century renovation.
The club received the green light from the council to go ahead with their makeover plans.
Bath RugbyBath Rugby have received the green light to redevelop their ground[/caption]
Bath RugbyThey want to turn it into a 21st century stadium[/caption]
Bath RugbyThe capacity will increase from 14,500 to 18,000[/caption]
The Recreation Ground is set to be upgraded to an 18,000-capacity venue, up from 14,500.
Bath have drafted in architects F3, who previously worked on redevelopments at Wimbledon and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Club officials are keen to make the stadium one of the most modern in the world, while meeting demands for improved hospitality offerings.
That will include Michelin-star food, similar to what Fulham now offer in their Riverside grandstand.
The club’s CEO Tarquin McDonald told the Daily Mail: “We want to create some fantastic hospitality experiences that provide access behind the scenes.
“A tunnel club. We want to bring in technology to enhance the experience for everyone on site. We’d like to be able to have guest chefs.
“We’d like to partner with local restaurants, whether that’s the Michelin-starred Olive Tree or Walcott House.
“Look at Fulham in the Premier League. Craven Cottage is a really interesting ground for us. They’ve got that riverside grandstand and they’ve created it into a destination around Fulham Pier.
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“That’s the opportunity for us, on a smaller scale, creating that riverside destination. The riverside hasn’t really been brought to life so 100 per cent we’ll activate that.
“Outside of matchdays we’ll have conference facilities, a fantastic riverside brasserie on the top floor of the West Stand. It’s a sustainable 365-days-a-year offering.”
McDonald also revealed Bath want to be at the forefront of augmented reality development in stadiums.
But he stressed the club’s traditional values will remain in pace, and they will make sure to retain everything that makes the Rec special.
He continued: “We want people to be able to connect to key stats and imagery on their phones through the game. We want to use augmented reality so fans can see the height of kicks or the speed of Henry Arundell during the game..
“The speed and pace of change is accelerating, so that’s where the opportunity is for us.
“We want to retain everything that makes The Rec special: the access to the players, the intimacy, being able to hear the talk behind the posts.
“We also want to bring in new things to get excited about. We’re not going to be the biggest stadium.
“We don’t have the scale of someone like Tottenham but what we can do is be really smart about how we bring in technology to create an amazing experience.
“We’ve got two screens in our application. One is retractable, towards the Johnstone Street end, a supersized screen that doesn’t create any impact outside of game days.”
2025 CameraSportHospitality packages will offer Michelin-star food[/caption]
Bath RugbyThe club want to be at the forefront of augmented reality developments[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
