Have we done this yet?. The public purse being used to convert a stadium for a premiership football team. Bloody hell.

54,000 capacity. good luck with that atmosphere. it’ll be like a morgue.

..what would you suggest? Let it stand around hardly used?

I guess you are an uber-cyclist so anythiing football related is baaaad.

No, I’ve been a football fan all my life actually Mackem. Sorry to disappoint your presumptions mate, I’d suggest if it was surplus, it should never have been built in the first place?.

ok, sorry about that, but I’m pretty confident they’ve plumped for the least worse soloution, what’s the point of bleating about it.

at least spurs would have filled it. When west ham get relegated (not this year, possibly next) it’ll be a ghost town

Bleating? Oh, sorry. I’ll keep quiet about my taxes from now on whilst you live in Spain…..;-)

I’d suggest if it was surplus, it should never have been built in the first place?.

Lundun lympics innit….

I’d suggest if it was surplus, it should never have been built in the first place?.

Might have made hosting the Olympics tough.

In the end there is no need for a massive athletics stadium, only the Olympics had the draw to fill it. If all those who bleat on about this turned up to watch athletics etc it might make a difference.
The stadium will get used at least.

..so long as you’ve got some spare tax to prop up the economy here…

it’ll be a ghost town

There building a housing estate around it…loads of ready made fans..

Mikewsmith. You make a very valid point. There is no appetite for athletics on a regular basis in this country, do you see where I’m going with this?….

There is no appetite for athletics on a regular basis in this country,

Every 4 years we’re big fans….

Far better to make use of the darn thing.. Lets not have another Dome fiasco eh..

Still I do think WHam could have stumped up more money to help convert it.

Did I hear right that they’re sticking a roof on it?? That will enable other sports to use it when fatballer’ists have the summer off, which is actually quite revolutionary thinking from the footballer’ists set.

Olympic legacy?
AFAIK Newham council are having to stump up a £40 million loan to assist conversion,unbelievable in these straightened times.

Mikewsmith. You make a very valid point. There is no appetite for athletics on a regular basis in this country, do you see where I’m going with this?….

Hmmm. I remember how much of a massive anti-climax the Olympics turned out to be. I don’t know why we bothered 🙄

By sporting legacy, they meant football. 🙁

Sod the football ground. When they gonna let us ride around the velodrome…

Hmmm. I remember how much of a massive anti-climax the Olympics turned out to be. I don’t know why we bothered

Making my point there really, the Olympics a once in a lifetime chance to blah blah blah.
I assume you all have these booked already

British Athletics International Match
Glasgow Commonwealth Arena
Saturday 26 January 2013

British Athletics European Trials & UK Championships
EIS Sheffield
9-10 February 2013

British Athletics Grand Prix
NIA Birmingham
16 February 2013

British Athletics Birmingham Grand Prix
Birmingham Alexander Stadium
30 June 2013

British Athletics World Trials and UK & England Championships
Birmingham Alexander Stadium
12-14 July 2013

British Athletics London Grand Prix
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
26-27 July 2013

Give football fans credit they turn out every week to watch their team.

Far better to make use of the darn thing.. Lets not have another Dome fiasco eh..

Still I do think WHam could have stumped up more money to help convert it.

Agreed in full. Given the disgusting amounts of money in soccer, there is no way the public purse should have given a penny to this, especially given the location.

While I applaud the use of the stadium (Especially if it is still used for real sport as well), I deplore the use of anything other than soccerist money to pay for this. If their players are paid £50K+ a week, there can be no justification for the general public paying for this.

Lets not have another Dome fiasco eh..

Has that not worked out quite well (since the government stopped being involved)?

West Ham will be paying rent as well to Newham as owners of the stadium so it is not unreasonable to expect both parties to fund the fit out.

It’s hard to see how they decided to give it to West Ham.

Spurs were going to pay for the conversion and build a new athletics stadium. But West Ham is the better deal?

Someone must be a big Hammers fan.

Lets not have another Dome fiasco eh..

Not sure what this means. Are you talking about the derelict and unused O2 arena?

Good luck with that stadium Wet Spam, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

For what it’s worth if you cut me open I would bleed claret and blue but I DON’T want to move to the Olympic stadium. Our home is Upton Park not some relic of the Olympics that we won’t even fill.

Couldn’t agree more Pik n Mix. I wonder how many of their Fans would have said it was a good idea if they put it to the vote. Can’t imagine it’s going to have much atmosphere, and it’s not like they’re going to be having any big European games there is it? Mind you, being a West Ham supporter, we like a challenge. Just wondering what ridiculous sponsorship name they can come up with? I’m sure Gunners fans were chuffed to bits dropping Highbury.

Olympic stadium cost 600 million. west ham pay rent 15 million, and get all the gate receipts. West ham should be paying more, but as their chairmen have both made their money out of people smashing back doors in, why would we expect them to do anything else to obtain a massive stadium for buttons.

I feel sorry for West Ham fans tbh. Its gonna be an awful stadium to watch football in (like the old Wembley) and its gonna take an awful lot more jazz mag sales and investment to attract the crowds to fill that stadium.

£15m I think WHam are contributing to the conversion and did I hear right we’re stumping £150m? For what it’s worth I think the footballer’ists have some exceptional Accountants and Legal teams who are probably charging best part of the £10m for their advice and successful conclusion, which is a bargain right?.

I do agree that footballer’ists fans are some of the most loyal supporters turning out week in/out and perhaps we could get a WHams fans view on here to comment.

AIIRC the Dome sat empty for 4 years before anything was agreed to lease/buyout/whatever they sorted out. I can remember riding around the footpath/cycle path that skirts around the complex along the river on many occasion just fuming that the Dome was falling apart and unused. Blame Tony for that, it’s certainly not thought of a some sort of Legacy of the Millennium “round that way” that’s for sure. Though now, well yes it’s turned out as one of the “go too” places for sure, can’t fault it now, nor all the folk that put some massive effort into it to keep it going. But in my eyes it still looks unfinished.

Back to the Oly Park for a second, sure the vibes still kicking around that area but most Lunnoners have forgotten that area completely, it’s like someone pointed out on a map ” ohhh look another part of Lunnon that I never knew existed, lets take a look” but now, well if it wasn’t for the Shopping Centre I would imagine hardly anyone would make the effort from over West to get over there. I have mates over Clerkenwell that can’t be arsed to go over there and for my mates over Sloane Sq, well they barely get past St Paul’s, even then it’s like some massive day out trip for them.

All I really want for the Park is to help the locals, indigenous locals at that not some massive influx into the City. As is you can ride around the area if you want to, the canal paths are back open again and the area itself is rather well suited for a family wander if you are bored, but really the only thing most folks do is get out of Stratford and wobble into the shopping centre then wobble back to the Station.

Bit sad that considering all the money and effort put into the place.

Olympic stadium cost 600 million.

But it is not worth that, there is no alternative use that would generate sufficient cashflow to justify this valuation. That is the nature of Olympic Stadiums and why so many become white elephants. This would appear to be the least worst long term solution, the simple fact is that if you host the olympics you should assume that you are going to have to write off an awful lot of the stadium build price.