OFFICIAL NEWS: West Ham Beat Tottenham in Olympic Stadium Bid
February 11, 2011
A secret ballot was taken by the 14 members and decision makers of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) on Friday 11 February to award preferred bidder status to inherit the Olympic Stadium, London 2012’s showpiece venue, to English Premier League soccer side West Ham United after the Games.
Baroness Ford, Chair of the OPL, revealed that the members came to a unanimous decision to recommend West Ham United and the City of Newham Council despite ‘robust proposals’ from both parties and discussions were overrun to ensure the correct decision was made and each proposal was given the credit it deserve after praising the efforts of the Premier League club.
The board refused to reveal as to the details of why the decision was made as they stated it could jeopardise the decision which they stressed was not be finalised as of yet, and was pending approval from the government and Mayor of London.
However, the OPLC confirmed and reiterated that the conclusion was made based upon the 5 criteria which are; 1) A viable long-term solution for the stadium that is deliverable and provides value for money; 2) A partner with the capability to deliver and operate a legacy solution for a venue of its size and complexity; 3) To re-open the stadium for use as soon after 2012 Games as possible; 4) To ensure the stadium remains a distinctive physical symbol supporting the economic, physical and social regeneration of the area; 5) To allow flexible use of the stadium, including a range of events and allowing year-round access for schools, the public and elite sport.
It was announced yesterday, February 10, that BBC London had been told that Olympic bosses backed the struggling EPL club’s proposals over those of rival bidders Tottenham Hotspur. A decision has now been confirmed by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) executives, which as expected for some time, favours the English Premier League’s bottom clubs plans for the venue.
Much of the debate surrounding the decision has been regarding the athletics legacy at the stadium which many felt would have been severely jeopardised if Spurs had won the bid. The North London club revealed that, in contrast to West Ham’s bid, they would not keep the running track in place over fears of losing the intimacy and atmosphere involved in a soccer specific arena.
Therefore Tottenham proposed to renovate the Olympic Park ground in order to transform it into a venue, purpose built for soccer. This drew wide criticism from public and media alike, but perhaps most importantly from high ranking athletics officials such as London 2012 chairman Sebastien Coe, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Lamine Diack.
In a bid to allay fears that the athletics legacy would be lost from the nation’s capital, Tottenham, along with partners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), proposed to rejuvenate the Crystal Palace athletics stadium. However, these attempts to ensure that the legacy of the Games is not lost have not won over the OPLC execs and have been overlooked.
Now that the decision to back the West Ham bid has been approved by the OPLC, the proposal will pass to London Mayor Boris Johnson and government ministers Jeremy Hunt and Eric Pickles for ratification. It would be a surprise if ministers and the mayor, Boris Johnson, overturn the recommendation of OPLC executives, who have spent the last few months discussing the various plans with both clubs in detail.
Upon winning the right to move in to the Olympic Park Stadium, West Ham will not only keep the running track in place, but in a bid to ensure the venue is in constant use, will use their soccer intentions as one source of the use, of what will be a multi-purpose arena. The likes of athletics, cricket and entertainment events such as concerts will all be enabled to take place at the stadium.
A secret ballot was taken by the 14 members and decision makers of the Olympic Park Legacy Compancy (OPLC) on Friday 11 February to award the rights to inherit the Olympic Stadium, London 2012’s showpiece venue, to English Premier League soccer side West Ham United after the Games.
Baroness Ford, Chair of the OPLC, revealed that the members came to a unanimous decision to recommend West Ham United and the City of Newham Council despite ‘robust proposals’ from both parties and discussions were overrun to ensure the correct decision was made and each proposal was given the credit it deserve after praising the efforts of the Premier League club. The board refused to reveal as to the details of why the decision was made as they stated it could jeopardise the decision which they stressed was not be finalised as of yet, and was pending approval from the government and Mayor of London.
However, the OPLC confirmed and reiterated that the conclusion was made based upon the 5 criteria which are; 1) A viable long-term solution for the stadium that is deliverable and provides value for money; 2) A partner with the capability to deliver and operate a legacy solution for a venue of its size and complexity; 3) To re-open the stadium for use as soon after 2012 Games as possible; 4) To ensure the stadium remains a distinctive physical symbol supporting the economic, physical and social regeneration of the area; 5) To allow flexible use of the stadium, including a range of events and allowing year-round access for schools, the public and elite sport.
It was announced yesterday, February 10, that BBC London had been told that Olympic bosses backed the struggling EPL club’s proposals over those of rival bidders Tottenham Hotspur. A decision has now been confirmed by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) executives, which as expected for some time, favours the English Premier League’s bottom clubs plans for the venue. Much of the debate surrounding the decision has been regarding the athletics legacy at the stadium which many felt would have been severely jeopardised if Spurs had won the bid. The North London club revealed that, in contrast to West Ham’s bid, they would not keep the running track in place over fears of losing the intimacy and atmosphere involved in a soccer specific arena.
Therefore Tottenham proposed to revonate the Olympic Park ground in order to transform it into a venue, purpose built for soccer. This drew wide criticism from public and media alike, but perhaps most importantly from high ranking athletics officials such as London 2012 chairman Sebastien Coe, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Lamine Diack.
In a bid to allay fears that the athletics legacy would be lost from the nations capital, Tottenham, along with partners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), proposed to rejuvinate the Crystal Palace athletics stadium. However, these attempts to ensure that the legacy of the Games is not lost have not won over the OPLC execs and have been overlooked.
Now that the decision to back the West Ham bid has been approved by the OPLC, the proposal will pass to London Mayor Boris Johnson and government ministers Jeremy Hunt and Eric Pickles for ratification. It would be a surprise if ministers and the mayor, Boris Johnson, overturn the recommendation of OPLC executives, who have spent the last few months discussing the various plans with both clubs in detail.
Upon winning the right to move in to the Olympic Park Stadium, West Ham will not only keep the running track in place, but in a bid to ensure the venue is in constant use, will use their soccer intentions as one source of the use, of what will be a multi-purpose arena. The likes of athletics, cricket and entertainment events such as concerts will all be enabled to take place at the stadium.
West Ham United Commercial Director, Barry Webber in his iSportconnect status update said: “Delighted to inform the industry that we have been confirmed as recommended preferred bidder by the OPLC. This is a great step forward for the Club and our supporters. I’m Looking forward to unlocking the commercial opportunities starting with the Naming Rights of the Olympic Stadium.”
Related Discussion: West Ham Olympic Stadium Financing – by Stephen Pearson