Stadium Perspectives 2

Thanks for coming back for more Stadium Perspectives from Sporting JAX . Before we headed to Craven Cottage I should mention that we had a great mixer with JAXUSA Partnership , our league the United Soccer League (USL) , and Legends at a great wee pub in Fulham. Legends (the company) was instrumental in our coordination of tours and meetings with many of these clubs and grounds. Thank you, all of you, Legends. And shout out to the Durell Arms Pub, a Metropolitan Pub Company on Fulham Broadway!

I've been to a couple matches in Craven Cottage and was impressed each time by the atmosphere and the tangible history. The challenge to keep that authenticity and create a new state of the art Riverside Stand has been met and exceeded. Access was fast and easy and the environment was thriving. Lines were short for food and drink and restrooms.

Everyone enjoyed a bit of pregame vibe as the sun sets on the Thames. I highly recommend the Riverside Stand for those of you heading to a match at Craven Cottage. The best bit is that you have the best views of the old cottage itself during the match and the beautiful River Thames at half. The full renovation of Craven Cottage isn't quite complete, but it is done enough to know that it is one of the shiniest starts in the Prem.

Next up was Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. This new ground is a massive construction site with a very aggressive time table. We did get close but you can see some better updates in the jazzy video below. I'm a blue, so this was the best bit of this day.

While we didn't get an up close look at the new grounds, we did get a behind the scenes look at what the seats will feel like in the "All" Showroom at the Everton offices in the historic Liver Building. And what a building it was. Without giving it away they had amazing 3D experiences with Oculus VR renditions of what your actual view would look like while sitting in the exact seats you were contemplating. We'll have something similar for our premium seats as well. Maybe not this posh!

Our last stadium was also under construction. But this one was very much in use. In fact the hosts won a UEFA Championship match the day after our extensive tour. Thanks to Ian our host, we got to see so many facets of Liverpool Football Club that were super helpful for us. LFC is building on to the Anfield Road section during the season speaks volumes about the club's ambitions. Our jaws were on the floor when Ian was describing the truss work coming out during the World Cup. The attention to details in the club hospitality areas and the grounds were top notch. And the best part was you could see the best place in the world from the stands (wink).

I'd like to once again, thank our guides, Legends, The USL, JAXUSA, and all the friendly folks at each club that we visited. We made sure an invite to sunny Florida made it to all these great people. Please feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions. We look forward to using many of these lessons learned.

Much love. More soccer. - Tony