"Absolutely ideal" - QPR urged to take Loftus Road expansion stance | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit has identified what change he'd make to Loftus Road

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

QPR have had a solid first full season under Martí Cifuentes but are at risk of ending the year on a sour note.

The London club had a poor start but managed a strong run of form in the middle of the season to pull them far away from the relegation fight, and maybe even into top six contention.

But that poor form returned in the weeks leading up to the March international break, leaving the Loftus Road faithful with no hope of a promotion push this year.

The supporters will be hoping for improvements on the pitch soon, and could even use some news on developments off the pitch to inject some fresh enthusiasm about the direction of the London outfit.

Loftus Road expansion claim

When asked what one improvement or change he would make to the stadium, FLW’s QPR fan pundit Louis Moir suggested expanding Loftus Road.

He believes improving the capacity to 25,000, if possible, would be preferable to building a new, modern stadium away from its current location in the city.

“I think if there’s one thing to improve Loftus Road at the moment, there’s been talk of moving to an east stadium in years to come, but I do think Loftus Road has that capability to extend but not extend to an extent where it’s not too much and it’s something that’s not realistic,” Moir told Football League World.

“If we can extend a couple of the stands and make it more of a 25,000 capacity stadium, I think that could be doable.

“And I think that’s probably an ideal capacity for us at the moment.

“If we were to move into a new, modern stadium that holds around 30 or more thousand, I don’t think realistically we would fill it.

“And I think if there is anything that could be done to Loftus Road to help with the capacity and bring in more attendances in home games I think extending Loftus Road, if it’s possible, would be perfect for us.”

Loftus Road tradition

Moir believes that keeping the current stadium would be great for QPR’s traditional values, and would keep that old school feel that can be lost with new builds.

“Because we’d be keeping it in the local community, we would stay at Loftus Road, we’d keep that tradition going on with that extended effect of getting more fans in but not too many where it wouldn’t feel like a traditional club,” he added.

“But obviously where we are now, when we sell out it feels like we’re getting in the traditional numbers and it still feels like that old school, English football ground.

“And I think that would continue if we aim to extend Loftus Road, but obviously it’s a big ask.

“You’ve got the local school nearby, you’ve got the white city estate, and it’s hard to develop on what you’ve got, and that’s why there’s been talk of a new stadium.

“But I do think if Loftus Road was to be extended, it would be absolutely ideal, it would keep us in the heart of the community, get more fans in, but have that old school feel to it.”

QPR are currently 15th in the Championship table, seven points clear of the bottom three.

Expanding Loftus Road would be a strong step forward

Obviously any expansion of Loftus Road will depend on getting planning permission, so it will all depend on how feasible a move it is.

But if the club can figure out a way to make it work then it would be a smart move to try and grow the team’s stature.

The current capacity of Loftus Road is around 18,000, so moving up to 25,000 would be a sizable change that would increase their ability to earn matchday revenue.

The cost of expansion would also be far less than building an entirely new stadium, especially if new land needs to be bought given how expensive doing that in London would be.