Source: Team_Talk
Hammers hoping to move house
West Ham say they are "hopeful" of moving to the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Games, and have spoken of "positive discussions".[LNB] The eight-week deadline for would-be tenants of the £537million venue in Stratford, east London, to lodge expressions of interest to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) ends on Monday.[LNB]The club, which is making a joint bid with Newham Council, have spent that time in "meaningful discussions" with a range of organisations include UK Athletics (UKA), Essex Cricket and AEG, the owners of the nearby O2 Arena, to try and broaden and fine-tune its proposal.[LNB]A West Ham spokesman said: "We hope that we are called in very soon to get into much more detailed discussions about what is, or is not possible.[LNB]"We are extremely excited and cannot wait to take our ideas forward.[LNB]"We have had positive discussions with UKA for how it would be used for athletics.[LNB]"We have also had positive discussions with Essex Cricket about putting on cricket, possibly Twenty20 games.[LNB]"There is also the possibility for showcasing rugby, plus concerts and wider general events."[LNB]Newham and Essex Beagles, the local athletics club, have also been contacted by West Ham about whether there is interest in using the stadium's athletics warm-up track.[LNB]"We realise there is an opportunity for a vibrant multi-sport community," the spokesman added.[LNB]The OPLC will examine and filter out the different bids until June 18.[LNB]A decision on the future use of the Olympic Stadium should be made by the end of March 2011.[LNB]After the 2012 games the venue is set to be reduced from 80,000 seats to 25,000.[LNB]A promise to the International Olympic Committee when London was awarded the games means it must be used for athletics.[LNB]The OPLC is still to confirm how many bids have been made. It will be less than the 100-plus registrations on its website which includes journalists and people seeking information about the bidding process.[LNB]The Hammers have pitched their proposal as one which will get "the greatest legacy from the greatest Games".[LNB]Their plans included a 55,000-60,000 capacity stadium - "our optimum size," the spokesman said.[LNB]This could potentially be achieved by widening and putting in different types of seating from its Olympics use.[LNB]The spokesman added: "We feel that the stadium itself should be left as untouched as possible.[LNB]"It should stay the same height but we should look at the roof to see if it could be extended so that it could cover all seats in football mode."
