By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
These are incredibly exciting times for West Ham, the likes of which I’ve not seen since there was a brief glimmer of hope when the Icelandics took charge of the club many moons ago.
Over the last 24 hours, there have been a number of highly positive interactions with sources close to the new regime, and I’m delighted to report there are some seriously exciting projects underway.
Yesterday, I revealed that plans were in place for a state-of-the-art training ground, with West Ham consolidating their three separate sites.
Today, I’m buzzing to reveal that Daniel Kretinsky has already drafted up plans to convert the London Stadium so that it is more suited to football.
Long-Term Plans Already Drawn Up
Having jumped the gun slightly last week with some ambitious plans involving the current structure and foundations of the London Stadium being removed, it has now been made clear to me that the intention of Kretinsky and his team is to improve the stadium rather than knock it down.
Speaking to Claret & Hugh this morning, a source said:
“Daniel has big plans for the stadium and training ground. They were drawn up a long time ago so it’s not new. The track would go, the seats will be moved because everyone knows it’s not a football stadium.”
That would represent a huge change for West Ham supporters who have long complained about the distance between the pitch and the stands.
Track To Go And Seats Moved Closer
Details at this stage remain thin on the ground, but the intention appears to be clear.
The running track would be removed and the seating brought much closer to the pitch.
Plans are also understood to include significant upgrades to the stadium itself, hospitality areas and closing the gaps between the tiers, where the voids are currently disguised with trampolines and coverings.
In short, the objective seems to be transforming the London Stadium into something that feels far more like a traditional football ground.
A Completely Different West Ham?
Further details are expected regarding the Olympic legacy and UK Athletics’ continued use of the site unlikely.
It is understood that any long-term solution would likely involve athletics moving elsewhere, with Crystal Palace regularly mentioned as a potential future national base for track and field.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that there are a huge number of ambitious projects being discussed behind the scenes at West Ham right now.
And if even half of what is being spoken about comes to fruition, the football club could look completely different from the one supporters have become accustomed to over the last decade.
We’ll bring you more details as and when they emerge. Please click the “Follow on Google” button at either the top or bottom of the page to stay connected.
What a load of nonsense we don’t even own it
Yep – small problem – We don’t own it!!!
The landlord of my flat wont be happy if i knock the outside wall out …. Even though it improves the view
Hang on a minute, it’s all very nice having these plans but the fact is we dont own the stadium. Pretty sure as it currently stands athletics have got an option during the summer, and aren’t they proposing to have the World Athletics Championship in the next year or two?
Can’t polish a turd. He may be able to “improve@ the stadium all very well but the rake of the stands are too shallow. Will he change that? No. Knock the thing down and build a stadium.
And how much will the season ticket prices be,no one seems to even mention or worry what the consequences of all these massive plans will have on the fans pockets, I suppose you don’t care , the first thing kretinsky did when he took over royal mail was hike the postage up, he’s a business man he only cares about his own pocket , if he had to chose between between fans pockets and his I would guarantee he’d pick his , apart from that he always said his first love was Sparta Prague , he even once said it would not be right if he became west ham chairman , perhaps he tells porkies? I personally am not over excited by him taking over, don’t trust him , he’s seems to be saying the right things at the moment , time will tell
We are going to have a 200k seater stadium aint we!
I hope I’m wrong but I struggle to see how we can really adapt the stadium, quite simply it’s just the wrong shape and size! Moving the lower tier closer to the pitch makes the gap between the lower and upper tier bigger than it is currently. Moving the upper tier closer doesn’t seem feasible. The roof does not completely cover the running track so that would also limit the position of the seats without a roof adaption. I hope all these obstacles are able to be worked around, and that some very smart designers, architects and engineers come up with a solution!
Good noises coming out of the club though so that a positive sign.
Graham you’ve hit the nail on the head mate and said exactly what I came on here to say. Running track or no running track, there isn’t a physical way to move the lower tier close to the pitch without creating a larger distance between the rear of that tier and the front of the fixed upper tier. Simply because the height differential between the lower lip of the upper tier and the playing surface does not allow any stadium seating to fit in between the gaps already created in its current config. Okay yes you could possibly fit some corporate facilities within the gap, but they will look rather daft and exposed sat in between the even greater gaps created between the upper and a lower tier pushed even closer to the pitchside. I genuinely wished it not to be true, but it is. Te only way to create space is to create some height diff by dropping the pitch level much lower and allowing a lower tier to naturally sit and slope back at a traditional angle for sightlines. As you’ve identified this then creates another issue or maybe another couple of issues that being the roof structure probably needing to be completely replaced as its design being of lightweight nature means it can’t really be added to as the tension ring that supports it will only have been designed as such to support the roof at its current size. An increased roof weight may also mean a beefing up of the structure that supports it from below. The next problem is then capacity, by increasing the gap and fitting a larger stand and surface that sits lower will create a capacity that coild possibly exceed 85,000. This is bonkers. And lets be honest will rarely look full. All this and yet half the supporters are stuck even further from the pitch with it being lowered. Again, I really wish is wasn’t the case but it just is. However there is nothing stopping the order facade being dressed up as per Gonzo’s mock up which looked good and reasonably authentic.
Unfortunately the above isn’t the cynical part, it’s just an unfortunate reality. This is where the cynical bit starts to come in. It all seems rather timely that all these good news stories are being trotted out when there’s a hell of a lot of season tickets and soon shirts to be sold. We’ve been burned so many, many times before going back decades by being fed an absolute pack of lies by several club boardrooms about far off promises that have never been delivered let alone attempted and failed. I fear we could be treated again as walking wallets by the latest guise of people now running things.
Believe me, I’ve been so happy reading all the good news stories coming out over the last week, it’s made a very refreshing change of positivity but let’s see the real commitment to the boasts of players sticking around and the board spending on their promises before all rush forward with our credit cards for the latest exhumation from our bank accounts.
We should be more concerned about what players we will have for next season instead of talking about the stadium
I would much rather any money spent to be creating a futuristic and practical stadium rather than a traditional football ground.
Instead of giving the people what the architects think we want, it would be good to ask around and build something awesome. Something we can all enjoy and love in which to watch our beloved West Ham.
Some regular kick off times will also help together with easy transport links.
I’ve pondered how feasible is it to move the upper tiers closer towards the pitch on a steeper rake?
Filling in those gaps and all seating closer to the pitch would be most welcomed.
The key to buying stadium is likely to be the next London mayor election in May 2028. The current mayor seems to favour keeping it despite the horrendous cost to taxpayers. Mind you if Kretinsky offers a deal hard to refuse things could change!
Proofs in the Pudding…we’ve been promised a lot and it was all Bull so lets see if this is real or just a charm offensive