Olympic Stadium deal under spotlight again
The deal under which West Ham are moving into the Olympic Stadium is continuing to attract criticism and arguments that it is highly disadvantageous to taxpayers.
Article Taxonomy: Stadiums
Football stadiums
Government rebuffs Olympic Stadium petition
The Department of Culture, Media & Sport has issued a firm rebuttal of an online petition calling for a public inquiry into West Ham’s tenancy of the Olympic Stadium. It argues that the detail of the tenancy agreement is commercially sensitive.
The Government points out that the matter has already been tested in the courts and investigated by the European Commission. It might be possible to trigger a new investigation if someone other than an individual complained.
Brady defends Olympic Stadium deal
Karren Brady has defended West Ham United’s move to the Olympic Stadium. It has been the subject of some criticism, including an online petition. There is also talk of trying to revive a state aid complaint to the European Union.
Sisu get their day in court again
Sisu are to get a replay in February 2016 their ongoing legal battle with Coventry City Council. Their original claim that the council’s loan to Arena Coventry Limited was illegal state aid was rejected. Two judges refused to allow an appeal, but it was a case of third time lucky.
Stockport County secure ground
Stockport County’s Edgeley Park ground has been purchased by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council which will now act as the club’s landlord. Previous owners Cheshire Sports Promotions have agreed a £2m deal with the council.
Cheshire Sports have owned the ground since 2003 when Stockport County was sold to Brian Kennesy, owner of the rugby union side Sale Sharks. In 2010 the club was taken over by a consortium and in 2012 Salle Sharks moved out of Edgeley Park.
Stadium dilemma in US
Football in the United States faces a big diemma when it cames to staging tournaments or hosting visiting teams from Britain. Do they use a purpose built soccer stadium which has smaller capacity? Or do they use an American football stadium where the configuration of the field is wrong and the pitch is generally in a poor condition?
Becks get his Miami stadium
After many setbacks David Beckham has finally got permission to build a privately funded stadium in Miami for his MLS franchise. The 25,000 capacity stadium will be built on the site of the Orange Bowl and next to the stadium of the Miami Marlins baseball team.
Beckham has been working on the project since 2014. Plans to build a stadium on a waterfront site next to a basketball arena were rejected. At one time it looked as if the project would never come to fruition.
Wembley may cost Spurs and Chelsea more
Renting Wembley for home games while their stadiuims are redeveloped may cost Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur a lot more than they anticipated. Chelsea had offered £11m a year, but Wembley may require £15m.
In addition, it may charge additional venue costs, such as security, which could run into millions of pounds. However, the clubs could derive revenue from the increased capacity available to them at Wembley.
Bristol Rovers lose court case
Bristol Rovers have lost a court case with Sainsbury’s over the sale of the Memorial Ground. Sainsbury’s had agreed to pay £30m for the ground to build a supermarket, then pulled out of the deal. However, the court ruled that the supermarket chain were within their rights.
Bristol Rovers had alleged that Sainsbury’s decided long ago not to proceed with the scheme but kept ‘stringing along’ the club to prevent a competitor accessing the site and eating into its market share.
Spurs unveil new stadium plans
Tottenham Hotspur have unveiled their plans for a new stadium to replace their existing ground at White Hart Lane. With a capacity of 61,000 it would be the largest Premiership ground in London. A retractable pitch would allow it to switch from grass for football to artificial turf for NFL matches.