Daily WHUFC News - Olympic Stadium

West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
The Club has been announced as Highest-Ranked Bidder for the Olympic Stadium
05.12.2012

West Ham United are extremely pleased to be announced as the Highest-Ranked Bidder to be the anchor concessionaire of the Olympic Stadium - a decision that guarantees a true and lasting legacy for east London and is the best possible outcome for the British taxpayer.
We commend the LLDC and its Chair, Boris Johnson, for their vision in appointing West Ham as Highest-Ranked Bidder. In doing so, London is well on the way to being able to showcase yet another major destination and visitor attraction in the Olympic Park, further strengthening the capital's place on the global map.
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "For the last three years it has been my firm, unwavering belief that the Stadium can truly become a multi-use destination of which east London and the nation as a whole can be proud. I have never lost sight of our vision to play our part, along with the Stadium's major stakeholders, in ensuring it grows into a global asset. It is the 'jewel in the crown' of the Park, watched by the world.
"Our vision for the Stadium has always been about standing up for the promises made for London back in Singapore in 2005. We are committed to delivering our promises as set out in our bid. The hard work really does start here and work is already well underway to ensure that we really bring our community, which includes 500,000 supporters in east London and Essex alone, with us.
"We are already working with key strategic partners to ensure that unemployed east Londoners in key target groups will have access to sustainable employment in the Olympic Park via the 700-plus job opportunities that West Ham's tenancy will create. We guarantee millions of visitors and customers, which will galvanise the Park and act as the catalyst to spark a thriving economy in this part of east London.
"In selecting West Ham United, the LLDC have secured a long-term viable financial future for the Park. On behalf of West Ham United, I feel privileged to have been granted the responsibility to play a key part in delivering a true Games legacy.
"I would like to thank the loyal, passionate and patient West Ham supporters who have given their time to share their opinions on our proposed move and, despite the considerable constraints and confidentially agreements we were required to enter into, I can assure them that their feedback was instrumental in shaping the Board's approach to our bid.
"I guarantee they will not be disappointed when our full vision for a Stadium that is world-class in terms of supporter experience, sightlines and facilities is revealed. We will seek to share full details as soon as we are able to do so.
"We are now committed to working closely with our new partners and stakeholders in the Stadium to successfully conclude our discussions and bring our collective ambitions to fruition."
West Ham United's Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold issued a joint statement, adding: ''We believe that this move, together with the realisation of other key goals that the Board set out to achieve from the outset, will play a huge part in helping to realise our ambitious vision to move the Club to the next level on behalf of our fantastic and deserving fans. Our absolute priority is to take them with us, as well as enticing those supporters that have previously eluded us due to barriers such as affordability and accessibility.
"We also wish to extend our social inclusion agenda to encourage greater community cohesion and expand our equalities and diversity work to make both West Ham and football as a whole more accessible to key target groups. We realised our lifelong ambition upon becoming Chairmen of the Club we both so passionately support. We are dedicated to West Ham United and the Stadium for the long haul. We are now committed to working with the LLDC in full consultation with our supporters to finalise our plans to make the Stadium our home.
"We are ambitious for our great club and aim to set the benchmark for visiting away and neutral football supporters from across the globe to come and enjoy the iconic Stadium and be part of our Premier League club experience.''

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A message from the Vice-Chairman
WHUFC.com
A message to West Ham United supporters from Vice-Chairman Karren Brady
05.12.2012

Today I am proud that our great club has been awarded Highest-Ranked Bidder status to become anchor concessionaire at the Olympic Stadium, offering us an historic opportunity to return to West Ham and make this magnificent iconic Stadium our home for the next 100 years. First and foremost I would like to wholeheartedly thank you, our loyal and passionate supporters, for your patience. I thank those of you who have given your time to share your views and opinions. I assure you, despite the considerable constraints and confidentially agreements we were required to enter into, that your feedback has been instrumental in informing the Board's approach to our bid.

It is important for all supporters to note that while today's decision represents a huge step forward, as we have stated throughout, Highest-Ranked Bidder status does not mean that West Ham United have at this stage agreed to the move and it remains the case that we will only do so if the final proposal is right for the Club and our supporters. This includes the necessity of agreeing a Stadium design specification that is acceptable to us in terms of its ability to host world-class football matches.
Therefore we believe that this is the time for supporters to have their voices heard and a more intensive consultation process will commence immediately.

We have been given assurances that our full vision for a world- class Stadium in terms of supporter experience, sightlines and facilities will be realised and we cannot wait for you to be able to see this for yourselves. This Stadium will have sightlines better than Wembley. Our vision includes a state of the art solution to bring supporters closer to the action and a roof that can harness our world famous atmosphere.

We, like you, have been frustrated by the constraints upon us in terms of our ability to share our plans and can assure you that we will now share full details as soon as we are able to.

As part of this we stand by our commitment to conduct full supporter consultation regarding the move, including the polling of supporters. You can be confident that wherever there is an opportunity for West Ham to input in the decisions going forward, our supporters will be at the forefront.

We have already taken the first step towards this by calling an emergency meeting of our Supporter Advisory Board on Tuesday 11th December at 6pm to advise on the best methods to consult the wider support base going forward.

We truly believe that this move, together with the realisation of the many other key goals that we as a Board have set out to achieve from the outset, will play a huge part in helping us to realise our ambitious vision to move the Club to the next level.

Our absolute priority is to take you on this fantastic journey with us, to consult with you and ensure you are a part of it every step of the way. We are also hoping to make the club more accessible to those of you that have previously been unable to attend matches regularly due to barriers such as affordability and accessibility.

We have high ambitions for West Ham United and will seek your full input to ensure this iconic world-class Stadium becomes a true home for our club, our proud heritage and you, our deserving and loyal fans.
Karren Brady
Vice-Chairman

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West Ham United are preferred bidder for Olympic Stadium
BBC.co.uk

West Ham United have been named as the preferred bidders to take over the Olympic Stadium. The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) ranked the Premier League club's bid as the number one choice after a meeting on Wednesday. Other bids had been made by League One side Leyton Orient, UCFB College of Football Business and a consortium linked to Formula 1. The £429m venue is not expected to fully reopen before August 2015. Mayor of London Boris Johnson says West Ham's market value would be increased significantly by winning the 99-year lease and therefore any deal rests on clu b owners David Sullivan and David Gold meeting the key condition. With so much public money invested in the stadium - first to build it and now to convert it for top-flight football - Johnson is concerned that the taxpayer could be left out of pocket if the duo later decided to sell the club on.

Adding retractable seating and fully extending the roof on the venue will cost between £130m and £150m, on top of the £429m it cost to build the stadium for the Games. The vast majority of that conversion money will come from a mix of public funding, including a £40m loan from Newham Council, the local authority.

For some time, there has been concern over a shortfall in the funding, especially with West Ham only willing to commit around £15m, but sources tell me that is now less of a problem. LLDC chairman and London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "My position on the future of the stadium remains what it has always been: that we can secure a terrific future for this much loved and iconic venue with or without a football team playing there. "It will, if it goes through, mean a football legacy for the stadium but there is still a lot of negotiation to go on between the LLDC and West Ham United about the terms of the deal."

BBC sports editor David Bond reported earlier on Wednesday that West Ham's owners must agree to share the profits from any future sale of the Premier League club if the move is to go through. In a statement West Ham did not comment on the issue but said the LLDC's decision "guarantees a true and lasting legacy for east London and the best possible outcome for the British taxpayer".

Vice-chairman Karren Brady said the stadium could become a "multi-use destination of which east London and the nation as a whole can be proud". "I have never lost sight of our vision to play our part, along with the stadium's major stakeholders, in ensuring it grows into a global asset. It is the 'jewel in the crown' of the park, watched by the world," she added. The move would see West Ham relocate two miles (3.2km) from their 35,000-capacity Upton Park to a stadium downsized from 80,000 seats at the Olympics to 60,000.

West Ham would be the anchor tenants, with other events, such as the 2017 World Athletics Championships, staged at the stadium. Retractable seating would have to be installed so there could be a quick change between athletics and football use. The club believes their tenancy would help create 700 jobs. Brady added: "I guarantee they will not be disappointed when our full vision for a stadium that is world-class in terms of supporter experience, sightlines and facilities is revealed. We will seek to share full details as soon as we are able to do so."

A stadium operator will be appointed with the task of co-ordinating community and sporting use, as well as concerts and events. In November LLDC said the stadium would not reopen until August 2015 at the earliest, but it is now hoped it could launch for some events next summer. A previous deal for West Ham to take up the lease collapsed in October 2011 due to legal challenges from Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur.

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West Ham given ultimatum over Olympic Stadium deal
BBC.co.uk
By David Bond
BBC sports editor

West Ham's owners must agree to share the profits from any future sale of the Premier League club if they are to be granted the right to move into the Olympic Stadium, the BBC has learned. The Hammers will be announced on Wednesday as the number one choice to become the stadium's main tenant. But Mayor of London Boris Johnson says West Ham's market value would be increased significantly by winning the 99-year lease and therefore any deal rests on club owners David Sullivan and David Gold meeting the key condition. With so much public money invested in the stadium - first to build it and now to convert it for top-flight football - Johnson is concerned that the taxpayer could be left out of pocket if the duo later decided to sell the club on. Adding retractable seating and fully extending the roof on the venue - now seen as an iconic venue following London's successful staging of the 2012 Games - will cost between £130m and £150m, on top of the £429m it cost to build the stadium for the Games.

The vast majority of that conversion money will come from a mix of public funding, including a £40m loan from Newham Council, the local authority. For some time, there has been concern over a shortfall in the funding, especially with West Ham only willing to commit around £15m, but sources tell me that is now less of a problem. Instead, the major stumbling block is the question of how to divide up the profits from any future sale of the club. Sullivan and Gold are thought to have spent around £50m in acquiring a 50% controlling stake in West Ham in January 2010. They have also covered the club's vast debts, estimated to be around £70m.

With the Premier League's domestic TV rights set to increase by 60% from next season, West Ham could become a very attractive acquisition if they can retain top-flight status and secure a long-term future at the Olympic Stadium. They would also raise money from the sale of their current ground, Upton Park.
The board of the London Legacy Development Corporation, chaired by Johnson, will meet on Wednesday to rank the four organisations who have submitted bids to use the stadium. In addition to West Ham, League One side Leyton Orient, UCFB College of Football Business and a consortium linked to Formula 1 have all tabled offers. West Ham, currently lying eighth in the Premier League table in their first season back in the top flight, will be ranked first - another significant step on the road to securing a lasting legacy for the stadium - but it could be some months before a deal is finally completed.

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Boris: a long way to go
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th December 2012
By: Staff Writer

London mayor Boris Johnson has revealed his reasons for granting West Ham United FC "preferred bidder" status for the Olympic Stadium - whilst insisting that a deal is far from complete.

West Ham United were named as preferred tenants for the Stratford-based arena this lunchtime by the London Legacy Development Corporation - although much is yet to be done before the club can rubber-stamp their move from the Boleyn Ground, where West Ham have played since 1905.

"We have got a first-ranked bidder for the stadium," Johnson, speaking at a lunchtime press conference, said. "Four good bids came in as everybody knows, but the bid that has been ranked top is West Ham United and I'm very pleased about that.

"It will, if it goes through, mean a football legacy for the stadium but it needs to be sorted out. There's a lot of negotiation still to go on between the LLDC and West Ham United about the terms of that particular deal.

"I want to repeat what I've said throughout which is that if we can't do a deal that protects taxpayer value and the Olympic investment of £9.3billion - half-a-billion pounds [of which went] on building the stadium alone - then that's fine, as the stadium will have a fantastic future in any event.

"We are very confident that there is plenty of time to get the negotiations under way and are we to go with a Plan B - which includes lots of cultural events, lots of sporting events, lots of operators coming forward to say how they can animate the stadium in a way that would really draw huge numbers of people to the park, we can get all that going.

"But we think we've got plenty of time to get in a football solution - if that is what we get in time for 2016, 2017.

"It's just a question of making sure that an asset which is a public asset - something that the taxpayers have put half-a-billion pounds into that the value of that is properly reflected in the commercial deal that is now being done with a private sector entity. People will understand that my job is to get the best possible deal for the taxpayer."

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Board 'committed' to OS move
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th December 2012
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United have issued a statement confirming their delight at being named as "highest-ranked bidder" in the race for the Olympic Stadium.

London mayor Boris Johnson confirmed this lunchtime (Tuesday) that the club had beaten off competition from the three other bidders to be nominated as the London Legacy Development Corporation's choice as chosen cadidate to take on the 99-year lease.

And speaking on behalf of the club's board, vice-chair Karren Brady - who has been leading negotiations on behalf of the club for the last two years - said that the club were "committed to delivering our promises".

"For the last three years it has been my firm, unwavering belief that the Stadium can truly become a multi-use destination of which east London and the nation as a whole can be proud," said Brady.

"I have never lost sight of our vision to play our part, along with the Stadium's major stakeholders, in ensuring it grows into a global asset. It is the 'jewel in the crown' of the Park, watched by the world.

"Our vision for the Stadium has always been about standing up for the promises made for London back in Singapore in 2005. We are committed to delivering our promises as set out in our bid.

"The hard work really does start here and work is already well underway to ensure that we really bring our community, which includes 500,000 supporters in east London and Essex alone, with us.

"We are already working with key strategic partners to ensure that unemployed east Londoners in key target groups will have access to sustainable employment in the Olympic Park via the 700-plus job opportunities that West Ham's tenancy will create. We guarantee millions of visitors and customers, which will galvanise the Park and act as the catalyst to spark a thriving economy in this part of east London.

"In selecting West Ham United, the LLDC have secured a long-term viable financial future for the Park. On behalf of West Ham United, I feel privileged to have been granted the responsibility to play a key part in delivering a true Games legacy.

"I would like to thank the loyal, passionate and patient West Ham supporters who have given their time to share their opinions on our proposed move and, despite the considerable constraints and confidentially agreements we were required to enter into, I can assure them that their feedback was instrumental in shaping the Board's approach to our bid.

"I guarantee they will not be disappointed when our full vision for a Stadium that is world-class in terms of supporter experience, sightlines and facilities is revealed. We will seek to share full details as soon as we are able to do so.
"We are now committed to working closely with our new partners and stakeholders in the Stadium to successfully conclude our discussions and bring our collective ambitions to fruition."

Co-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold - who are understood to have confirmed that they will not look to sell the club in the near future - issued a joint statement.

''We believe that this move, together with the realisation of other key goals that the Board set out to achieve from the outset, will play a huge part in helping to realise our ambitious vision to move the Club to the next level on behalf of our fantastic and deserving fans," it said.

"Our absolute priority is to take them with us, as well as enticing those supporters that have previously eluded us due to barriers such as affordability and accessibility.

"We also wish to extend our social inclusion agenda to encourage greater community cohesion and expand our equalities and diversity work to make both West Ham and football as a whole more accessible to key target groups. We realised our lifelong ambition upon becoming Chairmen of the Club we both so passionately support. We are dedicated to West Ham United and the Stadium for the long haul. We are now committed to working with the LLDC in full consultation with our supporters to finalise our plans to make the Stadium our home.

"We are ambitious for our great club and aim to set the benchmark for visiting away and neutral football supporters from across the globe to come and enjoy the iconic Stadium and be part of our Premier League club experience."

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West Ham declared preferred bidder for the Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: December 5, 2012 2:16pm
SSN

West Ham have been declared the preferred bidder for the Olympic Stadium. The news means the Hammers have taken a giant step towards becoming the first tenants of the Olympic Stadium - though some contractual matters still need to be resolved before the deal is confirmed. Factors such as the final specification for adaptations to the stadium and the funding needed for it still need to be agreed. To win preferred bidder status, West Ham had to agree to include the construction of retractable seats over the athletics track. West Ham would be moving two miles from the 35,000-capacity Upton Park to a stadium which will be downsized from 80,000 seats at the Olympics to 60,000. A football business college and a group hoping to stage Formula One races were also in the running to take over as the stadium's tenants. Mayor of London Boris Johnson revealed the news following a meeting of the LDDC, and he warned that if a deal cannot be thrashed out with the Hammers, other options remain. "Four good bids came in but the top bid was West Ham. There are a lot of negotiations still to go on between the LDDC and West Ham about the terms of the deal," he said.

Fantastic future

"If we can't do a deal that protects taxpayer value and the Olympic investment of £9b then that's fine and the stadium will have a fantastic future. "We are confident there is plenty of time to get the negotiations underway and were we to go with plan B - lots of cultural events and lots of sporting events, lots of operators coming forward - we can get all that going too. "We believe that this move, together with the realisation of other key goals that the Board set out to achieve from the outset, will play a huge part in helping to realise our ambitious vision to move the club to the next level on behalf of our fantastic and deserving fans."

"There's no deal-breaker with West Ham as such - but we are dealing with a public asset worth half a billion pounds and it is my job is to get the best possible deal for the taxpayer."

West Ham United's joint chairmen David Sullivan and David Goldissued a joint statement, saying: ''We believe that this move, together with the realisation of other key goals that the Board set out to achieve from the outset, will play a huge part in helping to realise our ambitious vision to move the club to the next level on behalf of our fantastic and deserving fans."

"Our absolute priority is to take them with us, as well as enticing those supporters that have previously eluded us due to barriers such as affordability and accessibility."

The statement continued: "We also wish to extend our social inclusion agenda to encourage greater community cohesion and expand our equalities and diversity work to make both West Ham and football as a whole more accessible to key target groups.

"We realised our lifelong ambition upon becoming Chairmen of the club we both so passionately support. We are dedicated to West Ham United and the Stadium for the long haul.

"We are now committed to working with the LLDC in full consultation with our supporters to finalise our plans to make the Stadium our home."

Brady delighted

West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady added: "For the last three years it has been my firm, unwavering belief that the Stadium can truly become a multi-use destination of which east London and the nation as a whole can be proud. "I have never lost sight of our vision to play our part, along with the Stadium's major stakeholders, in ensuring it grows into a global asset. It is the 'jewel in the crown' of the Park, watched by the world. "Our vision for the Stadium has always been about standing up for the promises made for London back in Singapore in 2005. We are committed to delivering our promises as set out in our bid.
"The hard work really does start here and work is already well underway to ensure that we really bring our community, which includes 500,000 supporters in east London and Essex alone, with us. "We are already working with key strategic partners to ensure that unemployed east Londoners in key target groups will have access to sustainable employment in the Olympic Park via the 700-plus job opportunities that West Ham's tenancy will create. "We guarantee millions of visitors and customers, which will galvanise the Park and act as the catalyst to spark a thriving economy in this part of east London. "In selecting West Ham United, the LLDC have secured a long-term viable financial future for the Park. On behalf of West Ham United, I feel privileged to have been granted the responsibility to play a key part in delivering a true Games legacy."

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The Beginning of an Exciting New Era for West Ham
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

Today will be remembered as the say West Ham's history changed. The decision by the Olympic authorities to make West Ham their preferred bidder is a landmark decision which could mean that within the next decade we become the top team in London. You may think I am guilty of hyperbole, but with a stadium like that, capable of holding 60,000 supporters it means we will be able to compete with the very biggest teams in this country and in Europe. We can't expect too much too soon, but we will soon be able to attract the country's best players to the club.

The club has announced that they will now be conducting a consultation exercise among supporters. I hope they will use this site to help them do that. I suspect I am typical of many of you. Our hearts tell us to stay at Upton Park but our heads can clearly see that a move to the OS will herald a very exciting future for the club. Paul Kelso, writing in the Daily Telegraph agrees. He says...

The selection of West Ham as preferred bidders for the Olympic Stadium should trigger bubbles on Green Street and relief in City Hall and Westminster. But there is another constituency who should view the decision not with delight, but deep trepidation. For West Ham's competitors at either end of the Premier League, the move to what will be the second-largest stadium in the league is bad news. By securing a 60,000-seat stadium West Ham will, at a stroke, move to a new competitive level. The financial benefits of a new ground in the iconic surrounds of the Olympic Park, close to the corporate fortunes of Canary Wharf with excellent transport links, should be vast.

Exploited well, the stadium should guarantee West Ham an annual contest for European football. Instead of yo-yoing between the top two divisions they will be ready to outstrip Aston Villa, Newcastle and Everton, position themselves to take on Tottenham and Liverpool on equal terms, and dream of taking on Arsenal.

Were the Davids, Gold and Sullivan, willing to sell, things could get even better. As Manchester City found to their benefit, a publicly-funded stadium with manageable rent makes a club hugely attractive to foreign investors. The next time an oligarch or sheikh casts their eye England's football portfolio in search of a trophy investment West Ham, with a long-lease to a new stadium and a heritage ripe for exploitation, will look very attractive. This is why government is keen to ensure the public share in any profits from a quick sale.

West Ham will say with justification that this is not just a good deal for them. Their commitment to the stadium, despite the shambolic process, offers it a viable future, and will give the park the heartbeat it needs. Without the club the stadium might require subsidy and have a less certain future, but that does not mean it is anything other than a great deal for West Ham.

No wonder Daniel Levy, looking on from White Hart Lane, is nervous. There are many reasons he challenged the decision to select West Ham over Tottenham in the original bid, not least genuine concerns over the fairness of the process. But he is no fool. His stadium is already dwarfed by the Emirates, and now he faces a new rival with an equally imposing stadium just a few miles east.

Even confined to a 35,000-seat capacity stadium, the club are among the 20010-11 league's higher earners. In their last full season in the Premier League, finishing last, West Ham's turnover was £81 million. It was the ninth highest in the league and just £7 million short of what City earned in the year before the Abu Dhabi takeover. More than half of that income, £46 million, came from broadcast revenue, with Upton Park contributing just £18 million and commercial revenue £11 million. West Ham will expect to transform those last two figures once they move.

There may be a challenge initially in filling 60,000 seats, but with an average home gate of 34,449 this season they have a base comparable with Tottenham. Tickets may have to be priced competitively, but the latent appeal of the Premier League will draw in plenty of neutrals to fill the gaps. Visiting the Olympic Stadium and park will make it a significant attraction for away supporters. The corporate opportunity is also huge, with the stadium likely to have 5,000 hospitality seats. With the financial hub of Canary Wharf a few stops away on the Jubilee Line, there is a huge market for West Ham to call on. West Ham may not challenge the £95 million of match-day revenue generated each year by the Emirates, but they will surely get close to the £43 million Spurs yield from White Hart Lane.

All of this may make West Ham feel like a different club in five years. The unique atmosphere of the Boleyn Ground, East End home of England's World Cup winners, may not survive the move. But West Ham are not just moving to Stratford, they are heading towards the top six, and that might be compensation enough.

Lot's to get your teeth into there!

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