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West Ham to get Olympic Stadium


James
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Having watched my club play at Gateshead Stadium for years and dreamed of getting out to a real ground, I find it bizarre that either of these two clubs want to move out to this stadium. Even if they remove the track, the stands will still be miles from the pitch and the shelf life of the ground is questionable as the upper tier is designed to be temporary (in-line with the original plan).

 

If they're concerned about the stadium having a longterm sustainable use, then they should bury the running track under turf and convert it into a cricket ground (like the MCG for the Commonwealth Games). If they need to host a big athletics event, they can always remove the turf to expose the track again.

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Is there anything inside the upper tiers, like food stands that we have at SJP?, or will it simply be a hollow concourse?

 

Anyway, didn't Man city manage to create a football ground out of an athletics stadium, by digging down and putting more seats in?

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Guest ObiChrisKenobi

Is there anything inside the upper tiers, like food stands that we have at SJP?, or will it simply be a hollow concourse?

 

Anyway, didn't Man city manage to create a football ground out of an athletics stadium, by digging down and putting more seats in?

 

Still miles away at the goals though.

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Guest neesy111

I'm glad we never moved to the proposed Gateshead site, would of been a disaster imo.  One of the things about going to a home match is you can easilly go for a few drinks before and after the match without any problem.

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Is there anything inside the upper tiers, like food stands that we have at SJP?, or will it simply be a hollow concourse?

 

Anyway, didn't Man city manage to create a football ground out of an athletics stadium, by digging down and putting more seats in?

 

Still miles away at the goals though.

So, I couldn't give a shit. It's not our ground.
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A little off topic, but how the fuck has Old Trafford managed to get the League 1 and 2 play off finals?

 

Wembley is now nothing more than concert venue that sometimes has a football game played on it.

 

Another waste of tax payers money. I reckon we should get government money to up our capacity to 60k for the 2015 Rugby world cup, then all of a sudden we get a 60k capacity stadium at the expense of the tax payer, just like other clubs.

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A little off topic, but how the fuck has Old Trafford managed to get the League 1 and 2 play off finals?

 

Wembley is now nothing more than concert venue that sometimes has a football game played on it.

 

Everyone knows football matches ruin the pitch for concerts. It's for the best, after all music is the main reason Wembley was built.

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Guest Roger Kint

Wembley has the CL Cup Final and has to be unused for a certain number of days beforehand doesnt it? As the second biggest ground in England i dare say they didnt have to ask a rocket science for Old Trafford to be suggested.

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http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans/news/open-letter-from-daniel-levy-chairman-210111.html

 

 

Dear Supporter

 

I write to update you on the Club’s stadium plans. I am conscious that there has been an exceptional amount of coverage on this subject over the past couple of weeks. We submitted our final bid for the Olympic Stadium site at noon today and I should, therefore, like to outline our proposals and to update you on the position of the Northumberland Development Scheme (NDP).

 

Our proposals for the Olympic Stadium site include an iconic 60,000 seater stadium, the construction of which is fully financially guaranteed. It is designed along the lines of that which we incorporated in our planning application for the NDP, with a single tier end and seats close to the action on the pitch. It would rank amongst the finest in the world and deliver one of the best fan experiences anywhere in Europe. It would also host major concerts and other sporting and cultural events to be delivered as part of a year-round programme by our partner in the bid, AEG, the operators of The O2.

 

The proposals include the re-use of the existing infrastructure in order to maximize the benefit of the public investment to date. Surrounded by an exceptional public realm which would host community-focussed events and activities, the stadium would benefit from the best public transport and access for any stadium in Britain and our plans also include a major tourist attraction based around extreme sports and incorporating specialist sports retailing, restaurants, cafes and bars.

 

We proposed a comprehensive athletics legacy which included facilitating a permanent 25,000-seat athletics venue at Crystal Palace, with the ability to convert to 40,000 for a World Championship, along with support for grassroots athletics.

The easiest option for us would undoubtedly have been to bid for the Olympic Stadium site with a retained athletics track. But it would have been the wrong option. The front row seats in the Olympic Stadium with a retained athletics track will be up to 45m from the pitch; in our stadium design they would be 8m from the action.

 

Football and athletics cannot co-exist successfully in the same stadium. There are examples all over the world of where clubs have removed tracks or moved stadiums simply because of the poor spectator experience and the lack of sustainability in the long-term due to decreasing attendances. We never considered for one moment placing our fans in such a stadium environment.

 

The decision now rests with the Olympic Park Legacy Company as to who they will select as their preferred bidder, with whom they would then enter into detailed negotiations in order to reach a final agreement. This is scheduled to be announced following an OPLC Board meeting on 28 January 2011. As I have stated previously, should we be selected as the preferred bidder, we shall engage with and fully consult our supporters.

 

In respect of the NDP, the S106, the planning agreement required before full planning consent can be issued, has been signed by ourselves, Haringey Council and Transport for London and is in the process of being signed by the relevant financial institutions.

 

That said, I must once again repeat the concerns we have about the viability and deliverability of the NDP. The cost of consent has been high. This is not attributable to any one stakeholder, but is rather the result of the cumulative nature of the various obligations. We have worked well in partnership with Haringey Council and I should like to thank them for their support in reaching this stage in the process.

 

No progress has been made with the remaining land owners and this is a potentially costly issue. As such, we have yet to conclude the site assembly. Compulsory Purchase Orders are of course one route to resolving this, but that process is uncertain and can take years to conclude.

 

So, in some ways much has happened and in others, we are still determining new stadium plans.

 

Our guiding principles remain the same – we are committed to taking this Club to the next level and an increased capacity stadium is central to that intention; and we have to seek a stadium solution which does not undermine the financial stability of the Club or its ability to continue to invest in the First Team.

 

If you look at the stadium capacities of the top 20 clubs in Europe, they all exceed ours. The new Financial Fair Play rules will mean that we shall only be able to outlay income generated through the activities of the Club – increased match day revenues play a major role in a club’s finances and we need to ensure that we are in a position to thrive and to continue to compete at the highest level.

 

Perhaps more importantly, we now have over 35,000 fans on the paid for waiting list for season tickets. It is an astonishing figure and a real reminder of the strength of support for this Club and the hunger there is to come and see the team playing some of the most attractive and exciting football in the Premier League and in European competition.

 

I am ever conscious of the feelings of our fans - on all fronts. I have never made any secret of the fact that I am ambitious on behalf of this Club and our fans. You could say that the one choice we do have , is the choice between standing still or moving forward. I know what my choice is and, judging from the emails we receive at the Club, you join me in wanting to see our Club progress. A new stadium is critical to our continued success. I shall keep you updated and thank you for all your support.

 

In the meantime we have a season to be getting on with and some fantastic football to enjoy.

 

Yours, Daniel

 

No matter what people feel about the bidding process (I don't want Spurs there) the Spurs idea of the closest seats being 8m from the pitch does at least apply commonsense.  West Ham's plans to have the nearest seats 45m metres away is farcical.

 

Neither bid deserves to be successful and not easy to decide which is the less poor.

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Guest neesy111

Except that there are examples of football stadiums with running tracks around the pitch.

 

And when I'm in Level 7 of SJP, I imagine I'm a bit more than 45m away from the action... it's not impossible to watch from that distance by any means.

 

Different viewing angles though.

 

At St James despite being the Level 7 you are looking down on the action so you still do feel hell lot closer to the pitch than looking across which imo is the worse view which you do at Athletic stadiums.  I can bet the distance from pitch side to level 7 length ways will be less than 45M.

 

The fact is every stadium with a running track creates shit atmosphere.

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Spurs have no right to contest for it, and West Ham wouldn't be able to fill it. It's a toughie.

 

At least Spurs have the financial resources to meet the cost of their project without having to borrow £100m+ from the local council.  If, as expected, West Ham do get relegated, it might be easier said than done to make repayments to Newham Council.  I think it is totally wrong to use public money in this way when councils are having to make cuts.

 

What I find strange is that the vast majority of both sets of fans are hoping to lose the bid, Spurs for moving to the East End, Wham for viewing, lack of atmosphere etc

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