Latest news with #LondonStadium
Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Times
Athletics' plan to kick West Ham out of stadium for up to three weeks
West Ham United will be forced to temporarily move out of their home if the World Athletics Championships is staged at the London Stadium in September 2029. Last week the government announced that it would provide the financial backing for a bid, with £35million from the Treasury and a further £10million from the London mayor's office now guaranteed. However, the championships now forms the finale for the international track and field season as part of a new World Athletics initiative, meaning that the nine-day event will likely take place after the start of the 2029-30 football season. The formal bid from UK Athletics, UK Sport and the other stakeholders will also need to cover alternative dates in July and August. But September will be the preference for World Athletics, should London be chosen, and organisers would therefore need to look for the event to coincide with the international break at the start of the month, which usually involves a midweek and weekend game. That, however, would not fully resolve the fixture issue for West Ham. The process for changing the seating configuration that is required to accommodate the athletics track is far quicker than the 15 days it used to take, and can now be done in as little as four days. But that still means the organisers of the athletics event would need the stadium for between two and three weeks, insiders estimate. That would, therefore, mean the Premier League fixtures — as well as Uefa fixtures, should West Ham qualify for Europe that season — being arranged accordingly, with the east London club playing all their matches away from home over that period. All of West Ham's games during the event would need to be played away from home REX The Times understands there are certain contractual obligations that mean the London Stadium has to allow for a limited number of global sports events to take precedence. A London Stadium spokesperson said: 'We are delighted that London Stadium is seen as a potential venue for the World Athletics Championships in 2029, one of the biggest events on the world sporting calendar. The 2017 Championships we hosted to sold-out crowds were a huge success, bringing investment and more than £100million in economic benefits to London. 'It is early days in the process for 2029 and full details of any bid are to be developed, including potential dates for the event. During this process we will work closely with all our stakeholders, including West Ham, to make sure any benefits to the venue, city and country are considered fully alongside all other requirements.' Jack Buckner, the UKA chief executive, said: 'We will be having that discussion with them. 'But we are delighted to now have the government support for this bid. There's a ton of work. But to get to the start line, it feels great. And that level of backing and support is massive.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
West Ham face vacating London Stadium for THREE WEEKS if major sporting event is given green light
West Ham face being without their stadium for up to three weeks if London is awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships. Last weekend, the Government pledged £45million of public funds to support a bid to stage the World Championships at the London Stadium in four years' time. However, World Athletics' preference is for the event to be held in September, unlike the last time it was hosted in London in 2017 and took place at the start of August. That would mean the athletics meet would clash with the start of the 2029-2020 football season and would force West Ham to temporarily move out of their home. While the World Championships is only nine days long, organisers would still need around four days before the event to make the necessary changes to the London Stadium to accommodate the athletics track, before returning it to normal. The disruption facing West Ham would be minimised if the athletics extravaganza was staged at the same time as football's traditional international break in September. West Ham could be forced to vacate their stadium for three weeks if London is awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships The Government last week backed a bid to host the event at the London Stadium in four years' time However, the Hammers may still have to play a run of Premier League matches away from home, as well as any possible European ties. UK Athletics chief executive Jack Buckner admitted he would be 'having discussions' with West Ham in the coming weeks ahead of their 2029 bid being officially lodged at the end of the summer. A London Stadium spokesperson said: 'We are delighted that London Stadium is seen as a potential venue for the World Athletics Championships in 2029, one of the biggest events on the world sporting calendar. 'The 2017 Championships we hosted to sold-out crowds were a huge success, bringing investment and more than £100million in economic benefits to London. 'It is early days in the process for 2029 and full details of any bid are to be developed, including potential dates for the event. 'During this process we will work closely with all our stakeholders, including West Ham, to make sure any benefits to the venue, city and country are considered fully alongside all other requirements.' This year's World Championships take place in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, while the 2027 event in Beijing is scheduled for September 11 to 19.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
West Ham face having to vacate London Stadium for weeks if major sporting event gets green light
WEST HAM may be forced to vacate the London Stadium for several weeks if the capital gets the green light to stage the 2029 World Athletics Championships. Last Saturday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave his backing to a London bid to host the marquee track-and-field event in four years' time – this involves £45million of investment funding. 3 3 A decision will be made by World Athletics next year but president Seb Coe insists it will be a 'competitive' tender process with other cities bidding for the 2029 and 2031 editions at the same time. Yet World Athletics' preference is to host their Champs at the end of the outdoor athletics season, in the months of September or August. This would come into direct contact with the Hammers home Premier League matches that month and any European ties, should they qualify for the major competitions. Athletics bosses would require sufficient time before the start date to get the stadium ready for world-class action and this would mean lengthy talks behind-the-scenes. London was praised for its full crowds when it held the World Athletics Championships in 2017, five years after the highly-successful Olympic and Paralympic Games. UK Athletics Jack Buckner said: 'We will be in discussions with them. 'We are delighted to have the PM's backing. I mean we have been really keen to get this bid together. 'There's a ton of work. But to get to the start line, it feels great. And that level of backing and support is massive really. 3 'London has the crowd, the energy, the passion for the sport. This place touches a real deep emotional chord, people remember 2012 and 2017. 'It kind of feels like a home of the sport really.' SunSport has contacted West Ham for a response. A London Stadium spokesperson said: 'We are delighted that London Stadium is seen as a potential venue for the World Athletics Championships in 2029, one of the biggest events on the world sporting calendar. 'The 2017 Championships we hosted to sold out crowds were a huge success bringing investment and more than £100m in economic benefits to London. 'It is early days in the process for 2029, and full details of any bid are to be developed, including potential dates for the event. 'During this process we will work closely with all our stakeholders, including West Ham, to make sure any benefits to the venue, city and country are considered fully alongside all other requirements.' The Worlds are nine days in duration but organisers would need it in advance of that to set everything up inside and outside the stadium.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE West Ham and London Stadium landlords clash once again as dispute erupts over cost of staging WSL matches
Fresh tensions have erupted between West Ham and their London Stadium landlords due to a dispute over the cost of staging matches in the Women's Super League. West Ham's female side have not used the ground at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park since one match in 2019, which has become a source of friction among elements of the fanbase and a matter of some urgency at board level. West Ham were conspicuous as the only side of the 12 in the WSL to not play a single fixture in the 2024-25 campaign at the larger grounds used by their corresponding men's teams. They were instead based at Victoria Road, the 6,000-capacity home of Dagenham & Redbridge. Mail Sport can reveal efforts to correct the situation have led to a fraught stand-off between the stadium operators and the club, with both sides currently unable to agree a hiring fee and A London Stadium spokesperson said: 'London Stadium has always been positive about welcoming women's football to the venue. However, as with every other one of the capital's football clubs, we cannot ask London's taxpayers to subsidise the cost of West Ham putting on these matches. 'London Stadium has made a very good offer to West Ham to stage women's matches at the stadium but has so far not been accepted.' Mail Sport understands that Baroness Brady, West Ham's vice-chairman, was asked directly about occasional fixtures in the more prominent ground in a letter from the club's female players in summer 2023. The club has been pushing to stage a game at the London Stadium but described their landlord's demands as 'excessive' and out of proportion to the six-figure fees attached to hosting Premier League fixtures. A West Ham statement said: 'Securing another Women's game at London Stadium is a key priority for West Ham United, one the club have been working on tirelessly for some time and remain fully committed to delivering. 'This can only happen in line with the dual commitment to growth and sustainability for West Ham United Women, an approach supported in updated WSL governance guidance. 'West Ham United strive for parity between the men's and women's teams, wherever practically possible and as such are willing to invest the sums required to put on a game at the London Stadium. The barrier to progress is the excessive charges E20 are demanding to host West Ham United Women, significantly more than the comparative costs to stage Men's home games. 'The club remains hopeful of reaching a fair way forward for Women's Football at the London Stadium.' Further talks are planned for after the publication of WSL fixtures on August 25.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Government backs London 2029 World Champs bid
The UK government has confirmed its support for London's bid to host the 2029 World Athletics successful, the event would return to London Stadium, which last hosted the event in are also backing a UK bid for the World Para Athletics Championships in 2029, saying they are "committed to taking [it] beyond the capital with a host city to be confirmed in due course".In a statement the government said that "subject to funding from partners being confirmed, [it] has agreed to provide significant funding for both bids".The news is a major boost to the sport, with London Stadium hosting a sold-out Diamond League meeting in front of 60,000 spectators on Saturday. In June more than 100 of Britain's most renowned athletes wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urging the government to back London's bid to host the World Athletics came after concerns that a bid could be at risk, with uncertainty over the estimated £45m that government was being asked for amid spending cuts, despite claims that the event would deliver £400m of economic championships were not referenced when ministers unveiled half a billion pounds of investment into sporting events in a spending review last month. However, talks have been taking place with UK Athletics and UK Sport, and Starmer said he is "delighted to support the bid"."Bringing the World Athletics Championships to the UK would be a moment of great national pride, building on our global reputation for hosting memorable sporting events that showcase the very best talent", he said."Hosting these championships would not only unlock opportunities for UK athletes but it would inspire the next generation to get involved and pursue their ambitions."The event would provide a boost for UK businesses and support jobs as well as bring our communities together."Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics, said: "After superb medal hauls over the last few years on the world, Olympic and Paralympic stage, athletics in the UK is on an upward trajectory, with new partners, record participation and sold-out stadia. This support will drive the sport on to new heights."Josh Kerr, 1500m world champion and double Olympic medallist, said: "London 2017 was my first senior World Championships and it lit a fire in me."Being part of a home team in that kind of atmosphere was incredible - it made me hungrier than ever to become a world champion and chase Olympic medals."Having the government support to bid for 2029 and potentially bring that experience back to London would be massive."It would inspire so many young athletes and give the sport the platform it deserves."I'm proud to support the bid and hope we get the chance to show the world what we can do on home soil."
