By BrianC
July 6 2006

Harlequins were relegated in 04/05. There were many, this author included, who felt this would never happen. That even in the event of them coming bottom of the table the powers that be would stitch up some kind of arrangement to keep them up. We were wrong.

The drop when it came could, some thought, not have been at a worse time. In 04/05 Harlequins demolished the old West Stand to make way for a new one on a similar scale to the East. This brought the capacity of The Stoop up to 12.5k. Surely this was to become a white elephant as the club languished in ND1? The club themselves were budgeting for an average gate of only 5k. It turns out this was not the case. The 05/06 season has been a record one off field for Quins with an average gate of 8975, a smidgeon higher than their previous Premiership season. The 12k crowd for their last game of the season against Plymouth set a club record and gives us an indication of what we can expect to see next term.

There appear to have been a number of factors at work to boost Quins crowds. Season ticket sales were very healthy, better indeed than many premiership clubs. Partly this was down to supporters rallying around the club in its hour of need. There was also some speculation that people were using this 'wilderness year' as an opportunity to secure prime spots in the existing East and new West stands. Spots that would be increasingly prized as premiership rugby returned. Harlequins have breezed through the 05/06 season in ND1 losing only one game. No doubt, after so many seasons in or around the relegation zone, some supporters have been attracted to see a winning team again, albeit at a lower level.

For some time now I have been saying that the Stoop will be too small for Quins. It now appears that they might have found a way around that, at least in the medium term. Plans have been submitted for a new South Stand to incorporate both seating and standing terraces. If approval is granted work will begin around the turn of the year. This will take the Stoop up to 14k capacity for the start of the 07/08 season. If required similar logic could later be applied to the North Stand, at a guess bringing capacity up to about 16k. Whilst it might be a squeeze such a capacity could well do for the best part of a decade. After that it's anyone's guess.

As with Bristol before them, the drop has not been fatal for Harlequins. Indeed they may well emerge from the experience a happier and more streetwise club.