New West Ham Stadium
Encyclopedia
The New West Ham Stadium was the working name of a proposed football
stadium to be built in East London
. It would replace the Boleyn Ground
(Upton Park) as the home of West Ham United F.C.
, but plans to develop a new stadium have been shelved in the wake of the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis. In 2010 the club submitted a bid to take over the 2012 Olympic Stadium after the games.
for the 2012 Summer Olympics
and Paralympics
is close to Upton Park and is is seen as a possible location. However the stadium has an athletic track. These are few amongst British football grounds. The City of Manchester Stadium
was the athletics venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games
and was converted to football use by removing the running track and digging down and building a new lower tier holding 12,000 new seats, but the legacy requirements of the Olympics prevent that option as the track has to remain.
West Ham's chairman Eggert Magnusson
offered to buy the Olympic stadium for £100m and reduce its capacity to 60,000, with 20,000 retractable seats allowing the continuing use of the athletics track. However it would cost £400m, and this option was considered too expensive.
depot southwest of West Ham station
. However this site was intended for a new bus station, and gas holders on the site are listed buildings. The new stadium would have a capacity of 50,000 spectators, with the option of extending to 60,000.
The club could have bought the 31 acres (125,452.7 m²) Parcelforce site from the LDA for £15m, and built the ground and a hotel for £200m.
who also controlled Landsbanki
, the Icelandic bank at the centre of the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis. In June 2009 he sold the club to a consortium of Icelandic banks to whom he owed money, and declared bankruptcy a few weeks later.
The club's CEO Scott Duxbury indicated in June 2009 that the club's priorities were a new training ground and players, and that they would see what happens with the Olympic stadium after 2012. The idea of using the Olympic stadium for football has been revived in 2009 as part of England's bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
, but the Olympics Minister rejected this concept in July 2009.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
stadium to be built in East London
North East (London sub region)
The North East is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and the City of London. The sub region was established in 2008 and replaced the larger East sub region that had been...
. It would replace the Boleyn Ground
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
(Upton Park) as the home of West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, but plans to develop a new stadium have been shelved in the wake of the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis. In 2010 the club submitted a bid to take over the 2012 Olympic Stadium after the games.
Proposals
The Boleyn Ground has a capacity of 35,000, tenth-largest in English football, leaving West Ham at a financial disadvantage compared to its competitors with bigger grounds. Three options have been considered :Olympic Stadium
The stadiumOlympic Stadium (London)
The London Olympic Stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The stadium is located at Marshgate Lane in Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley and has capacity for the Games of approximately 80,000 making it temporarily the third largest stadium in Britain behind...
for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
and Paralympics
2012 Summer Paralympics
The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012. The Games will be held in London, United Kingdom after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games.Even though 2012 will be London's...
is close to Upton Park and is is seen as a possible location. However the stadium has an athletic track. These are few amongst British football grounds. The City of Manchester Stadium
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
was the athletics venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
and was converted to football use by removing the running track and digging down and building a new lower tier holding 12,000 new seats, but the legacy requirements of the Olympics prevent that option as the track has to remain.
West Ham's chairman Eggert Magnusson
Eggert Magnússon
Eggert Magnússon is an Icelandic businessman and former President of the Football Association of Iceland and ex-chairman of West Ham United...
offered to buy the Olympic stadium for £100m and reduce its capacity to 60,000, with 20,000 retractable seats allowing the continuing use of the athletics track. However it would cost £400m, and this option was considered too expensive.
Parcelforce site
The London Development Authority wanted the club to build a new ground on the site of a ParcelforceParcelforce
Parcelforce Worldwide is a courier and logistics service in the United Kingdom. Parcelforce Worldwide is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Ltd.Its international partner network allows it to extend its delivery reach worldwide...
depot southwest of West Ham station
West Ham station
West Ham station is an interchange station located on the corner of Manor Road and Memorial Avenue in the West Ham neighbourhood of the London Borough of Newham in east London, England. The station is served by London Underground, National Rail and Docklands Light Railway services...
. However this site was intended for a new bus station, and gas holders on the site are listed buildings. The new stadium would have a capacity of 50,000 spectators, with the option of extending to 60,000.
The club could have bought the 31 acres (125,452.7 m²) Parcelforce site from the LDA for £15m, and built the ground and a hotel for £200m.
Redevelopment of Upton Park
Redevelopment of the existing ground is currently the least likely option. Under Magnusson it would have expanded from 35,000 to 50,000 capacity. As of 2009, they have planning permission for the redevelopment of the East Stand by 2014, increasing capacity to between 43,000 and 44,000. In 2011 West Ham chairman, David Gold announced that the Boleyn Ground would not be redeveloped saying, "I am ruling out developing the Boleyn, that would be pouring money down the drain."Status
Plans for a new stadium have been on hold since the financial crisis of October 2008. West Ham were badly affected as they were owned by Björgólfur GuðmundssonBjörgólfur Guðmundsson
Björgólfur Guðmundsson was the chairman and former owner of West Ham United FC. Björgólfur was Iceland's second businessman worth more than a billion dollars — his son, Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson being the first. He was ranked by Forbes magazine in March 2008 as the 1014th-richest person in the...
who also controlled Landsbanki
Landsbanki
Landsbanki, also commonly known as Landsbankinn in Iceland, is a private Icelandic bank with international operations...
, the Icelandic bank at the centre of the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis. In June 2009 he sold the club to a consortium of Icelandic banks to whom he owed money, and declared bankruptcy a few weeks later.
The club's CEO Scott Duxbury indicated in June 2009 that the club's priorities were a new training ground and players, and that they would see what happens with the Olympic stadium after 2012. The idea of using the Olympic stadium for football has been revived in 2009 as part of England's bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
English 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bid
England 2018 was the Football Association's unsuccessful bid for the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. FIFA invited bidding countries to bid for either the 2018 or the 2022 finals, or both...
, but the Olympics Minister rejected this concept in July 2009.