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We have some good news for music fans and bad news for sports fans. Plans have been revealed for London Stadium in Stratford to host fewer sporting events to make way for more music concerts.
In a proposal submitted to Newham Council, bosses at the West Ham stadium said they want to reduce the number of days per year it hosts sports events from 87 to 70 to accommodate an increase in other events. They said sports needed to be cut ‘to balance the increase in the number of concerts and other leisure events the stadium can stage’.
Hammers, fear not, because this will have no impact on West Ham fixtures at the stadium.
The stadium, which is owned by the Greater London Authority, told City Hall last month that it loses £19 million every year as the rent it gets from West Ham United doesn’t cover the running costs.
Currently, the venue is only allowed to host 10 non-sports events each year, but bosses want to increase this to 24. In the past, the 80,000-capacity stadium has hosted gigs by Foo Fighters, Burna Boy, Muse and Green Day.
A spokesperson for the stadium said: ‘There is no impact on West Ham matches or their capacity (62,500). West Ham are entitled to play matches at the stadium as per the concession agreement, under which there is no circumstance they could play 70 matches a year.’
They added: ‘The stadium can use the balance of sports events after West Ham matches for international friendlies, baseball, athletics etc. There have been typically two to three such events in a year.
‘If a major athletics championships was held it could increase to 20 in a year. This remains all well within the 70 sport event cap, allowing for West Ham matches.’
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