What Will Happen To The London Olympic Stadium

Although the London Olympic Stadium is still under construction, the competition for ownership and development the stadium after the 2012 Olympics has already begun. The stadium will be the showpiece for the games, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletic events, for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The stadium is based in Stratford, London, and will have a capacity of 80,000, making it the third largest stadium in the United Kingdom. The lower tier of the stadium has 25,000 seats with the addition of a lighter weight upper tier which can accommodate a further 55,000 spectators, the upper tier can be dismantled after the games, thus reducing its capacity.

Much speculation has surrounded the stadiums future following the Olympics, with two Premier League football teams emerging as the favourites for the future ownership. West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have both made proposals to the Olympic Park Legacy Company, who will decide the future of the stadium.

The British Olympic Association has consistently urged that the athletics track remains at the stadium as a future legacy for athletics in the United Kingdom. with a view to inspiring youngsters to take up the sport and holding future world athletic events at the stadium.

West Ham propose to leave their current stadium, about three miles away, and spend £100,000 in redeveloping the stadium. The plans would include a multi-functional sports facility, reducing the spectator capacity to 60,000 and adding a roof. While the stadium would primarily be used for hosting their football matches, the plans most importantly keep the athletics track, which meets the approval of the local Newham Council and the chairman of the 2012 Olympics, Lord Coe.

Tottenham have more radical plans, aiming to completely demolish the £500 million stadium and re-build a purpose built 60,000 seat football stadium by the start of the 2015 season. To fulfil the legacy of the Olympics, they also plan to re-develop the existing Crystal Palace athletics stadium, increasing the capacity to 25,000 and improving the facilities.

Despite Tottenham being granted permission to build a new stadium adjacent to their existing ground, it is believed the move to the Olympic Stadium would be more cost effective, While there maybe some reservations about moving from North to East London, Spurs are under pressure to increase their 36,000 seat spectator capacity and reportedly have a 24,000 fans on a waiting list for season tickets, this adds up to a substantial loss of potential revenue.

Many fans believe West Hams proposal of retaining the athletics track would be a problem as the fans would be too far away from the pitch, resulting in a poor atmosphere at the matches. Some also claim that the Hammers, who currently have a 35,000 capacity, would struggle to fill a 60,000 capacity stadium, even if they avoid relegation and remain in the Premier League.

Spurs are believed to have a more financially sustainable plan, but the legacy the plans leave for athletics in the United Kingdom, may leave the plan fundamentally flawed. A final decision on the future of the stadium is expected at the end of January 2011.

Steve Goodwin is an expert author, football fan and retailer of football souvenirs from the English Premier League, available from the football shop and all items are available to ship worldwide.

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