EPL News: Tottenham and West Ham United to battle it out for the 2012 London Olympics stadium
Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) announced recently that Premier League clubs will gain preference as far as OPLC’s plans to ensure the Olympic stadiums viability goes after the 2012 Olympics have been conducted successfully in London,
England. This announcement confirmed the long held suspicion that football will be the main source of income and maintenance for the 2012 Olympic stadium which was seen by many as a potential white elephant, something that extravagant sporting venues tend
to become after their purposeful event expires.
At first, International Stadium Group Company was interested in taking control of the Olympic stadium after the London Olympics but they have now backed out from the process, a decision that only goes to cement the belief that Premier
League clubs will be the only possible bidders for the stadium’s services. OPLC have therefore extended their deadline which at first resided at 31st March, 2011; now the organization says that it will agree to a “preferred tenant”
by the end of the first quarter of 2011, which means that a tenant will most likely be selected during the summer of 2011.
Tottenham and West Ham United are the interested clubs at the moment and they are currently holding negotiations with OPLC so that the clubs can take over the stadium and in doing so they can also relieve tax-payers of the country from
burden of maintaining the stadium after the Olympics have ended. However, OPLC is adamant on the fact that whoever takes over should also retain the athletics legacy of the stadium rather than just utilize it for footballing purposes altogether.
Tottenham Hotspurs, who are one of the interested clubs, are trying to prove the seriousness of their bid as they already have plans of developing a new stadium of their own right next to their present home ground i.e. the White Hart Lane.
On the other hand, West Ham United are already in agreement with OPLC’s insistence of retaining the athletics track as their bid is backed by UK Athletics Company. Alternatively, Tottenham’s bid is supported by AEG, a company which is also in ownership of
the mobile services provider O2.
Margaret Ford, the chairwoman of OPLC has come out and spoken about the whole matter as she said, “We are very pleased with the extensive and serious interest shown in the stadium. We started this process to ensure the very best legacy
for the stadium, and we are now at a point where we have selected the two strongest bids. We will go forward to start negotiations with the two consortia of Tottenham Hotspur and AEG, and West Ham United and Newham Council. The stadium is a vital and vibrant
component of the Olympic Park - securing the most appropriate and viable solution is crucial for our long-term aspirations for the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park area.”
Haringey Council Leader, Claire Kober spoke about Tottenham’s concerns and their bid for the control of the stadium. Kober said, “We recognise the importance of keeping Spurs’ rich heritage, history and future here in Haringey where it
belongs, and the council is working hard to support Spurs with their proposals for the new stadium in Tottenham. We know that this multi-million pound scheme will have far-reaching benefits, not just for everyone who lives and works in this very deprived part
of Tottenham, but also for London as a whole."
As the competition amongst both the rival London football clubs heats up, it is sure that any team who gains control of the Olympic stadium will certainly hit the jackpot as it will be able to move out of its current stadium which in case
of West Ham United is the low capacity Upton Park.
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