Hammers pip Spurs in bid to ensure Olympic Stadium is theirs come 2014.
It has been war for months, creating so many stories the public will be glad the result has finally come. Spurs’ plan to rip out the track, and most of the Olympic legacy for that matter, was just too much for a committee who want to see athletics stay in East London AFTER the summer event of 2012 has come to an end. Tottenham planned to demolish the arena and build a football purpose stadium, which would have no track, as part of their vision to be competing at the highest level in Europe for years to come. But the Olympic Park Legacy Company executives see West Ham’s bid as the stronger one; after all it would be disappointing to see the whole stadium demolished only a year after it was built. Giving West Ham the stadium will also seal the future for UK athletics, with the arena and surrounding facilities ensuring young & elite athletes can use the site for years to come. It will also help London to host future major tournaments. Tottenham’s bid did include completely re-building the Crystal Palace athletic centre but this isn’t seen as enough to help the future of the sport. The executives are expected to ask the OPLC’s board to announce West Ham as the preferred bidder by Friday. West Ham’s Karren Brady is so relieved that the bid has been settled in the right way, saying “This is a community stadium on a grand scale and it has set the bar for the world to follow.” She is also looking forward to the multi purpose stadium being a massive help for not only her beloved club but other events too. “To look at what we have achieved and even contemplate that the Olympic Stadium we know and love could have been demolished is enough to make you shudder. We would not be looking forward to this autumn’s Twenty20 cricket internationals or the World Athletics Championships in 2017.”
However, the £600 million gold mine for David Gold and David Sullivan is in swift contrast to the views that Gold held before he took over the club.“I don’t think running tracks work, particularly behind the goal. The customers are so far back it doesn’t work.” Despite this comment, the West Ham co-owners have said they are sure to make it work for the fans, even though the 60,000 seats will be surrounded by an athletics track. West Ham plan to build the stadium up to this number of permanent seats, whilst also spending £90 million on appropriate facilities and a more durable roof. The owners have stated that the distance from the goal to the stands will be shorter than at Wembley, but Wembley holds 90,000 seats.
Tottenham argued that clubs like Bayern Munich and Espanyol have moved out of their track stadiums in the last decade to move into more modern, football based grounds to improve atmosphere and keep up with the modern demands of players and fans. One argument for keeping the track from West Ham was that there would be 20 first class athletics events every year. But to bring 60,000 athletics fans twenty times a year to East London is a tall order, and one which will have to be a success in order for West Ham to make the stadium work financially, but maybe more importantly to prove to football that their decision was the correct one. Despite what others may think, the bid has had massive support from 2012 chairman Lord Coe. He stated the decision must be in line with the promises made before London sealed the Olympics.
