West Ham beat Tottenham to win Olympic stadium backing

[blootoof]

West Ham have won the backing of Olympic bosses in the battle for the 2012 stadium, BBC London has learned.

Olympic Park Legacy Company executives have decided the offer from the club - which would retain the athletics track - is better than Tottenham's rival bid.

The OPLC board will be asked to support the view and announce the Hammers as preferred bidder on Friday.

The government and London's mayor will take a final decision but are expected to back the OPLC's recommendation.

It would be a surprise if ministers and the mayor, Boris Johnson, overturn OPLC executives, who have spent the last few months discussing the various plans with both clubs in detail, when they reveal their decision in the coming weeks.

West Ham are happy for the athletics track to be kept in the stadium and for the venue to be used for a variety of sports and concerts.

Tottenham's plans were to dismantle the stadium in Stratford and build a new football ground in its place.

The Spurs proposal has faced huge criticism from the athletics world, MPs and the public.
A recent BBC London poll suggested 81% of Londoners were against the proposals to rip up the athletics track.

The ComRes phone poll, carried out between 21 and 23 January, also suggested 72% of people in London wanted West Ham to get the stadium, with only 13% supporting Tottenham.

Ministers and the mayor are understood to be well aware that the Tottenham option would have been a "hard sell" to taxpayers.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12412739

[brite blu sky]

Feel sorry for the Hammers fans though having to sit behind the running track. Will be a shit ground unless they put some kind of removable lower tier on the track.

[zuricity]

Shouldn't be a problem getting tickets to watch city in the future then

[dazby]

What's the story behind this? Geographically, who should get it? Who deserves it?

[john@staustell]

What's the story behind this? Geographically, who should get it? Who deserves it?

West Ham mate. Same manor as they are in now (Newham). Spurs are just playing a game of bluff with their own council (Haringey) because they put so many planning caveats on building New White Hart Lane.

[MaineRoadMemories]

I've got the feeling that West Ham's moved to this new stadium will be like Southampton's move to St Marys and we might not see West Ham again. They will be giving away their home advantage and will feel like they play away every week in a big open stadium instead of a close to the pitch tight ground.

[CityGer]

I've got the feeling that West Ham's moved to this new stadium will be like Southampton's move to St Marys and we might not see West Ham again. They will be giving away their home advantage and will feel like they play away every week in a big open stadium instead of a close to the pitch tight ground.

I agree. It will be the death of them as a top flight club.

[john@staustell]

I've got the feeling that West Ham's moved to this new stadium will be like Southampton's move to St Marys and we might not see West Ham again. They will be giving away their home advantage and will feel like they play away every week in a big open stadium instead of a close to the pitch tight ground.

Everyone seems to suffer - us, Arsenal etc - after all it is all totally new.

But running tracks used to be more common - Stamford Bridge, Eastville (I think), and loads abroad. Cant really see the issue, especially if W Ham become used to it as the home team and it feels odd to all visiting teams.

The amazing thing is how few people Stamford Bridge holds now compared to the footprint it once had with the track!

[blues2win]

The mistake was not to design in to the Olympic stadium a retractable running track. I believe the Stade de France has one. Too late now. Clear promises were given to the International Olympic Committee to keep the track and they could hardly be ripped up. Actually I read that supporters will be no further from the action than they are at Wembley.

[Crossie]

Haha @ Spurs

[Good Times]

To the east of Tottenham (and WHL) there's plenty of open space and industrial land for Spuds to build a new stadium.

The local MP, David Lammy, has stated that if Spuds move to the Olympic stadium site they will should omit the word Tottenham from their club name....and has threatened legal action if they don't.

[lets all have a disco]

That olympic stadium was never built to be kept,its a meccano ground.


IT HASNT EVEN GOT BARS AND TOILETS.


For the games they are having temporary vendors and portaloos inside it.Poor planning yet again,the stadium should have had a retractable lower from the beginning like the Stade De France.

Its cost half a fucking Billion so far.

[Alioune DVToure]

I've got the feeling that West Ham's moved to this new stadium will be like Southampton's move to St Marys and we might not see West Ham again. They will be giving away their home advantage and will feel like they play away every week in a big open stadium instead of a close to the pitch tight ground.

Fair point, but Southampton survived on their home form. It's not like Upton Park is a particularly daunting place to go anyway (as Birmingham found out last week).

It could actually be their salvation financially. The affordable ticket/full ground plans of the porn magnates is actually viable.

[9secondlegend]

That olympic stadium was never built to be kept,its a meccano ground.


IT HASNT EVEN GOT BARS AND TOILETS.


For the games they are having temporary vendors and portaloos inside it.Poor planning yet again,the stadium should have had a retractable lower from the beginning like the Stade De France.

Its cost half a fucking Billion so far.

it looks nice from outside though!!

[Ted Hughes]

I don't see how Spurs going there was ever even a consideration anyway. It would have been like Bolton getting Eastlands rather than City.

[CitizenYank]

I have nothing against the Hammers but just how many seats can you toss out of a Olympic Stadium?
The last one was turned into a Mall, apparently.

My favorite post-two week kegger, was the '76 Montreal Olympic Stadium which was turned by the powers
that be into one of the worst athletic venues in modern times. I saw many a great baseball players lose
their careers on that unpaved Canadian freeway.

[john68]

Being totally city selfish, I really do hope West Ham get the nod on this.
Spurs are one of our current nearest rivals, although just behind us in the League and just behind us in the rich clubs' list. Getting the Olympic Stadium could be a boost for them that we don't need. Being stuck at WHL with its limited capacity, limiting income and having the burden of cost to either regenerate their ground or eventually build another will only help slow down their progress.

[Renato_CTID]

The worst decision for me too! 1) London is not Manchester and hammers won't be able for me to leave a jewel like Upton Park for a new completely different ground 2) Spuds and their board look like to be richer and easier to go in a new house.

[ronk]

The mistake was not to design in to the Olympic stadium a retractable running track. I believe the Stade de France has one. Too late now. Clear promises were given to the International Olympic Committee to keep the track and they could hardly be ripped up. Actually I read that supporters will be no further from the action than they are at Wembley.

The mistake was not to put in a removable athletics track at Wembley. They'd agreed to do it and the stadium was designed for it, but there was a disagreement over which of 2 schemes would be used for adding one so it was never done. Even after it was completed they could have put one in with suitable modification rather than building a whole new stadium and only deciding now what to do with it in the future. The whole advantage of having such a plan is that it can be integral to the design and there doesn't have to be huge remediation costs.

That's one of the reasons why the West Ham plan is better. Do less work to change the ground has the advantage of getting into use faster and for less money while retaining better income streams from concerts and athletics. The fact that there'll be an 80k athletics stadium is actually an improvement on the previous plan for a reduced size venue.

In a few years when everyone is bored of the track it can always be removed.

[CITYSTEVEDON]

GOOD,