West Ham United refuse to commit themselves to Olympic Stadium move

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West Ham United insist that they have not yet decided whether to bid again to apply to move into the Olympic Stadium after London 2012, and say that they will remain at Upton Park rather than pursue a third option if they do not make the move.

West Ham won the original bid process to move into the Stadium following London 2012 but the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) withdrew from negotiations last October amid a legal challenge from Premier League Tottenham Hotspur, who had originally lost out.

Instead, OPLC is now looking for a tenant to ensure the venue, which will stage the 2017 World Athletics Championships, remains in public hands.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has said that though they still hope to move into the Olympic Stadium, the second option would probably be to regenerate Upton Park.

"I think we'd look to improve and develop Upton Park if we stayed," said Brady.

"If we moved it would be to the Olympic Stadium due to its close proximity.

"It's in our Borough, it's in our heartland, it needs a legacy.

"One of the things it was built for was to create that legacy and we really think football and athletics can work together to create the jobs and community."

She insisted that the club had not decided if it would be bidding for the tender, saying that they were going through the rules at the moment.

A section of the club's support represented by the organisation 'WHU's view' want to be consulted prior to any move into a new ground.

Talks are ongoing between the two parties and are at present amicable and positive, with a meeting likely to take place between 'WHU's view' and Brady towards the end of this month.

The supporters want a ballot conducted on the proposed move, which the club have not ruled out at this stage.

West Ham and other interested parties wanting to move to the Olympic Stadium must register an initial interest online by the end of January.

Their formal bid would have to be in by March 23, with a final decision on the future of the stadium being made on May 21, almost two months before it hosts the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 27.


Source
By David Gold
insidethegames.biz | Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games News