North Of The River, East Of The Sun

During the summer there were gloating reports of how well the Olympic Stadium in Stratford was coming along. There was a marked absence of spliff-toking construction workers that have plague previous publicly funded builds such as the new Wembley Stadium. But that was all in the summer. Winter has brought the crushing mismanagement of this stadium to the public’s attention. Furrowed brows have replaced smug grins.

The media would have you believe this is a battle between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, but ultimately neither of these clubs is a snug fit for the stadium and in either case huge concessions will need to be made.

Spurs’ application would see the kit-assembled OS dismantled, as the design made provisions for, and a new football-specific stadium erected in its place. Spurs would benefit from the fantastic transport links to the south-east of London and the ability to expand the capacity of the stadium at their will – and with a 35,000 strong waiting list for season tickets they would have no trouble filling the 60,000 stadium they propose. This would however be a source of embarrassment for the Olympic committee, as an athletics legacy was bundled into the Olympic bid. Overall, Spurs represent the financially risk free option, but should they be handed the keys it could lead to a clusterfuck of political ramifications for the bodies associated with the matter.

West Ham offer a legacy-friendly option but it all appears too idealistic, and even a layman can see that the figures don’t hold up. West Ham would be borrowing a further £40 million from Newham council, a council that have been tasked with 25% efficiency savings, and it could cost the public even more than the £450 million splurged already should this money not be repaid (West Ham are not currently looking like the best run club in the country from any perspective.)

All of this leads to a mess where there is no clearly defined correct path to follow. Is the reason why London lacks a huge athletics arena a symptom of the lack of interest in the sport? Is investing half a billion in a flagship stadium the way to encourage the youth to take up the sport? Surely this notion is quashed by the Con-Dem coalition’s eagerness to scrap funding for school sports. Put frankly, this stadium needs to make money and the only way it seems it could turn a profit would be to rip it down and start again, and there are myriad reasons why this would be unappealing: David Lammy MP and Ken Livingstone voice two such opinions.

After all this has been contested, won and lost, it will be the true little man that loses out: Leyton Orient. 

~ Ed