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Europa fixture clash at the Olympic Stadium

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europa-league-1418338658Should West Ham qualify for the Europa League by virtue of Manchester United winning the FA Cup they will face a new challenge in where to play early home games in the early rounds.

UK Athletics have exclusive use of the former Olympic Stadium until 1st August meaning the Hammers would need to find another ground or ask special permission to swap a possible home and away tie for the third round.

Should West Ham qualify, they would join the competition in the third qualifying round with the first leg scheduled on 28th July and the second leg on 4th August. It takes seven days to transform the osstadium from athletics stadium to football mode and West Ham are set to play their first game there on the 7th August against Juventus in a pre-season friendly.

The Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will see a two day Diamond League meeting take place on Friday 22nd July and Saturday 23rd July, with an IPC Grand Prix coinciding with National Paralympic Day on Sunday 24th July.

With the minimum seven day turn around, the very earliest the stadium could be ready for a football game is 1st August. West Ham would need to fit in another home match in August should they progress to the play-off stage with the first leg scheduled on 18th August and the second leg on the 25th August.

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I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball,

I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh.

Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons!

Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

0 comments

  • NorthDevHammer says:

    I wonder if a certain ground off Green Street might be available. Quick!……..stop them taking the seats out. Wouldn’t that be ironic

  • Hockley Hammer says:

    How embarrassing, possibly the 1st game in a new stadium and we might have to play it somewhere else. What will happen next year 2017/18. The world athletics championships are being held there. They don’t finish until August 15. Time the seats are put in, it will be September before we can play a home game. How long before the tenants fall out with the landlord. I can see us being homeless within 5 years

  • spez64 says:

    So the £51 I spent on the first ever game against Juve, which apparently cost a lot of money to set up may not be the opening game?

  • mooro66uk says:

    Did no one on the negotiating team foresee the distinct possibility that we may attain European qualification at some time? Surely it must have occurred to someone.

    • Hockley Hammer says:

      Mooro, I have been raving about this for ages. What happens when we have used our quota of 25 days, we have a cup run. Say Europa , apply for extra day. Sorry stadium is already booked. Everyone has been telling me I am being negative. We have not got there yet, already there are possible problems. This is football supporters being conned again.

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