So by now I am sure you are aware of the news that we have been given first bidder status on being the main tenant of the Olympic Stadium. I wanted to chuck in my thoughts on the matter, the hope of maybe persuading a few people that this really is good news for us.
Look, I love Upton Park – I remember seeing it with my own eyes for the first time in 1982. I've been there through think and thin and have seen the great from Bonds to Di Canio to Nolan 😉 – I love the place and have so many happy memories of it. But football is a different game now – we can complain about that till the cows come home, but we are in a big business industry with billions thrown around it. Do we sit around in our 34,000 seater or do we move with the times? Gold and Sullivan are not stupid – they know that they will not fill the stadium if we are playing Barnsley and Doncaster, so we will always be looking to strengthen.
We need Premier League football and we need to be able to draw players to want to play for us. Think of the next generation who watched the Olympics this Summer all over the world. something about the stadium will have stirred their imagination and the thought of scoring a goal at such an iconic venue will surely have the goose pimples rising.
The potential revenues are massive – it will be a huge tourist draw and people will come and spend. and there will be enough tickets for everyone, from the lifelong supporter to the curious European. The parralel I can draw is Old Trafford, which attracts thousands of tourists every game, and that United club are not too bad are they? Think of the visitors to London, going to a game, buying the shirt, going back home and spreading the word of West Ham United.
Fanciful thinking? Maybe, but no unrealistic. I've waited all my life to taste real success as Hammers fan. Sure, I enjoyed standing at Prenton Park on a rain soaked Friday to watch us get beat 4-2, but I'd rather be continual Premier League football and looking forward to the day Barcelona come to town. The stadium is the first step to putting us in this position, and with Sam's careful management we are slowly building the team to take us there. Keep the faith, believe and be safe in the knowledge that the future is bright, the future is West ham United…..London's Premier club….