As I said in the footnote to Bobby Shovels’ piece entitled ‘It’s all about the profit’ I disagreed with virtually every word in it so I think it’s only right I offer some balance and clarification on a few arguments he made in the piece. I felt it was unfair in places and based more about a person’s political allegiances than what they have done for West Ham United, which should be the most important thing for any of us.
To take his first point about the ticket prices in the Olympic Stadium, my question would be ‘Well what would you want the Board to do?’ As Karren Brady pointed out in her press interviews at the time, the Club could have used the opportunity of moving into a fantastic new Stadium to freeze or even raise Season Ticket prices. But they didn’t. They stayed true to their word and brought prices down for every Season Ticket band available.
Yes, prices have gone up by 5% for the last season at the Boleyn (after a price freeze the year before) but when you consider that every band will come down by at least 7% and in some cases up to 25%, every current Season Ticket holder will be better off. Not to mention that every Under-16 will now cost only £99 for a whole season.
With the bigger capacity and new bands at the top and bottom, fans now have a greater choice and the new £289 ticket will open the door to thousands of fans that were previously unable to attend our matches. What’s bad about that?
I find it hard to understand the negative reaction from some to what, in my eyes, should have been viewed as a hugely positive announcement from the club. If they had frozen or put the prices up they would have been criticised and yet when they drop them there are still complaints. It seems they couldn’t win whatever they did.
So then on to main crux of the piece – the sale of the Boleyn site to developers Galliard and whether that offers a good deal for the local community as well as West Ham United. I have it on good authority that the club could have made more money by selling the ground to a supermarket or a retailer but went with Galliard as they were a local developer and because of the pledges they made to protect West Ham’s legacy on the site.
Galliard have stayed true to their word in that regard with the memorial garden, sculptures of former players and buildings named after West Ham legends. But where there still seems to be some debate now is around their plans for the site and whether it truly serves the needs for social housing in the borough of Newham.
I should clarify here at the very top that Karren Brady and the West Ham Board sold the site as just that – a site for development. And, as such, they have no input or say over how the ground is developed.
Having purchased the site, Galliard then submitted an application for planning and there was a strong reaction, including this from the Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales. He said:
“This initial offer from Galliard Homes is insulting and totally unacceptable. Their plans lack any substantial affordable housing offer making this development financially out of reach to many of our residents. The developers need to drastically rethink this ridiculous offer and ensure it offers a good mixture of tenures including social, affordable and intermediate rents.”
But what Bobby Shovels’ piece failed to mention is that Karren also came out publicly in the Evening Standard [link here ] at the same time to urge both sides to work together to resolve the issue to the benefit of the local community.
‘Today Ms Brady said Newham council and Galliard should work together to meet the “community’s housing needs”. ‘She added: “We have always been clear we want to see our move to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park regenerate not one but two areas of east London. Our plans for our new home will ensure we fulfil our end of the promise by bringing jobs, business and people to Stratford. We chose to sell to Galliard Group because of their pledge to work with the local community and fans to honour the memory of West Ham United’s time in Upton Park, and their plans have proved that they will do so. I would now encourage them to work closely with Newham council to develop a plan that also serves the local community’s housing needs as well.”’
So Karren could not have made her feelings any clearer on the matter and I understand she continues to lobby on behalf of the local community behind the scenes so she obviously is concerned about the future of the Upton Park area. Remember she also personally sought to overhaul and improve the club’s community work and as a result they have made a significant difference in helping some of the most socially deprived people in our Borough.
What I think we’re really seeing here is a standard public negotiation between the developer and Newham Council, with both sides starting at opposite ends. I’m sure Galliard’s plans will change to include more social housing and Newham will then respond accordingly.
So while I know the Board are not perfect – show me a Board that is – we must remember where we have come from with them at the Club. David Sullivan and David Gold have personally invested tens of millions of pounds of their own money to help keep us afloat and competitive and it will be a long time before either of them might see any profit on that investment.
I think sometimes it’s easy to forget what you’ve got. A quick look at the likes of QPR and Newcastle should be warning enough.