Stadium Gears Up To Feed 160,000

Concert-goers heading to see Oasis and Take That over the coming days will be well fed and watered, according to bosses at the Stadium of Light.

In a bid to ensure the 160,000 music fans descending on the city get served quickly, stadium bosses have recruited the help of the fastest pint dispensing pump on the market

Standard beer taps take up to 16 seconds to pour a pint, but the new £50,000 system does it in just three seconds, making it perfect for the 120,000 pints which the club expects to pour over the three dates.

Stadium bosses have spent almost a year cooking up the perfect catering plan to deal with the thousands of concert-goers who are expected to munch their way through more than four miles of hot dogs and baguettes.

Gary Hutchinson, SAFC concert project manager, said: "This was a tremendous challenge for the catering and events team.

"The stadium is traditionally used to host football matches and our catering facilities are geared towards short, sharp bursts of activity before and after a match.

"But for the concerts we are required to change our approach to provide food and drink over a significantly longer period of time of seven hours or more.

"At the concerts, people will be encouraged to move around and take their food and drink to their seats and on to the pitch – something that is usually not allowed at a football match.

"In order to prepare for the concerts at Sunderland we have worked with the same team that hosted the Oasis and Take That concerts at the Manchester City football ground.

"We listened to what they said had what worked for them, and what hadn't. This has enabled us to make informed decisions, combined with our local knowledge, to ensure the best possible outcome for the Sunderland concerts."

The club has worked closely with Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, its official drinks supplier, and Brake, its food supplier.

Jamie Robson, of Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, who cancelled his holiday to Italy to be on hand at the gigs, said: "Catering for events on this scale is always a challenge in terms of planning and logistics.

However, we have worked closely with SAFC to ensure they are well prepared to cater for the needs of every fan attending the concerts."

Source: www.sunderlandecho.com

Tickets are still available for a number shows on Oasis' largest-ever UK Stadium tour, click here for availability of tickets.