West Ham hopeful of Olympic Stadium move

17 May 2010 10:38

West Ham said on Monday they were "hopeful" of moving to the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Games.

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.

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.

A West Ham spokesman told the Press Association: "We hope that we are called in very soon to get into much more detailed discussions about what is, or is not possible.

"We are extremely excited and cannot wait to take our ideas forward.

"We have had positive discussions with UKA for how it would be used for athletics.

"We have also had positive discussions with Essex Cricket about putting on cricket, possibly Twenty20 games.

"There is also the possibility for showcasing rugby, plus concerts and wider general events."

The OPLC will examine and filter out the different bids until June 18.

A decision on the future use of the Olympic Stadium should be made by the end of March 2011.

Source: PA