Sport & Leisure case study
LEVEL1
St Mary's Stadium, Southampton FC
Most of a stadium sits quiet between matchdays. At St Mary's, Southampton FC asked Parogon to change that. LEVEL1 turns the first floor of the Chapel Stand into 12,000 sq ft of competitive socialising, food and drink that trades every day of the week.
THE BRIEF
- Client
- Southampton FC
- Location
- First floor, Chapel Stand, St Mary’s Stadium
- Sector
- Sport & Leisure
- Size
- 12,000 sq ft
- Offer
- Competitive socialising, bar and kitchen
A venue that doesn't wait for kick-off
The mandate was commercial and creative in equal measure. Build a destination that could trade independently of the fixture list, broaden the club's events programme, and give business, group and leisure visitors a reason to come to St Mary's all week.
It had to serve families, corporate groups and fans in the same space, with none of them feeling like an afterthought.
THE THINKING
Every zone has a job: bring people in, keep them longer, bring them back.
Simulators, climbing walls, mini golf, arcade games and pool tables are layered through the floor, so there is always a next thing to play. Each activation extends dwell time and creates the kind of shareable moment that carries the venue well beyond its immediate catchment.
A premium bar and kitchen sits at the heart of the space. It anchors the social experience and lifts spend-per-head, so the entertainment and the hospitality work as one offer rather than two.
THE BUILD
A 12,000 sq ft venue, built into the existing fabric of the stand.
Parogon delivered LEVEL1 within the stadium's existing infrastructure, turning underused floor space into a fully operational leisure venue.
Working with the structure of the Chapel Stand, not against it, is what makes this a model other clubs can repeat.
THE RESULT
12,000 sq ft
of stadium floor space turned into a year-round venue
5
types of activity under one roof, plus a premium bar and kitchen
69 hrs
estimated revenue-generating time a week, outside the matchday calendar
LEVEL1 gives Southampton FC a commercial asset that trades across the week: new audiences through the door, more reasons to stay, and fresh space for partner and brand activation.
