Earlier in the month, West Ham were awarded the Olympic Stadium after the London Olympics & Paralympics in favour of rival club Spurs, but now lower league club Leyton Orient has entered the battle.
Leyton Orient who are currently in League One are one the closest club to the Olympic Stadium ground and worried that a Premiership club such as West Ham getting the former Olympic Stadium could seriously damage their revenue and fanbase.
Chairman Barry Hearn of Leyton Orient said he was worried about West Ham flooding the market with cheap tickets which might encourage people to visit their ground instead of Leyton Orient. He has even threatened legal action against West Ham if his concerns aren’t addressed, which would mean West Ham would be facing potential legal action from both himself and Spurs.
Another possible plan proposed by Mr Hearn was a move to a new stadium on the Olympic site by Leyton Orient, although exactly who would fund this is unclear, as it how this would help the lower league club’s situation.
A more sensible proposal would simply be that West Ham is blocked from selling large numbers of discounted tickets as Premiership tickets are often much more expensive than the lower leagues. The situation does prove that sport is a little like politics – just when you think everything is settled, someone kicks a curve ball into the net!
We’ll wait and see what happens as all this is at least 2 years away.
Leyton Orient Links:
Leyton Orient Football Club
Hotels near Leyton Orient Brisbane Road ground
