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The Blind Hammer Column

Petulant E20 To Oppose Safe Standing?

Blind Hammer looks at a likely consequence of E20’s continuing hostility to West Ham

One of the least edifying spectacles of the summer was the continuing exposure of E20’s ineptitude in the management of the London Stadium. Despite perennial reviews and the commissioning of expensive consultancy in the form of the Moore-Stephens report E20 shows no sign of any business acumen. Losses for this year are reported to be in the region of £20 million.

So far the only public strategy E20 appear to have adopted in response to these shocking losses is to institute a sulky “work to rule” mind-set opposing any Stadium developments West Ham propose. Their approach appears to be that if they can create a hostile enough environments they can make the tenancy agreement untenable. The hope presumably then is that they will be able then to force a renegotiation of terms. Such an approach is destined only to shoot E20 in the foot. Seemingly an Expert Determination has already found against them in 4 of the more petty disputes. However E20 has not had a great record of responding to expert views. Moore-Stephens identified the huge yearly cost of relocating seating for the tiny Athletics window as the major burden in the Stadium Business Model. Even if West Ham doubled their rent this would only marginally improve matters. A massive Budget deficit would remain. This structural budgetary impasse seems inevitable whilst E20 cling onto a dream of shared use with Athletics.

The news this week that the FA is to support a move for Safe Standing is likely then to receive little support from an increasingly sullen E20. The times reports the FA is preparing to tell a government review that it supports a right for clubs to choose to develop standing areas for fans if the Government inquiry finds that they can do so safely.

The news of the FA support comes on the back of similar announcements from the Premier League and the Football League. There is an increasing united front within Football for at least the trial of Safe Seating areas. Reportedly Tottenham have already designated 7,500 seats as safe standing. These seats can be converted from current normal seating to safe standing within hours.

Whilst all-seating stadiums are vastly safer than their older predecessors the reality is that few, if any stadiums are genuinely all –seater. Fans simply take matters into their own hands and defiantly stand behind seats. Regulating standing on an official rather than a nod and a wink basis is better for all concerned. West Ham and the London Stadium would certainly benefit from regulated standing. Disabled fans are amongst those who have suffered with unregulated standers obstructing their view.

All this, if the experience of this year is anything to go by, will cut little ice with a grumpy E20 and Mayor’s Office. Even if West Ham offer to fund the extra seating they are likely to fall back on their normal peevish knee jerk reaction. “Can we use this as a bargaining chip to force extra rent from West Ham?”

It seems that the Stadium will only develop positively when the dead hands of E20’s loss making operators are removed from power. Personally I believe that West ham should offer to double their rental payment but only with the guarantee of a positive strategic partner in the operation of the Stadium. Clearly E20 have shown themselves incapable of working positively with their main Business partner and Anchor tenant preferring instead to identify them as their main enemy.

It seems obvious that any future financial viability of the Stadium relies on a model that relocates Athletics rather than seating. Estimates of the yearly cost of seat relocation vary from £10 million to £12 million. Tax payer’s money is poured into a black hole of pulling down and building an additional small stadium inside the actual London Stadium every year. This wasted money should be re-directed to creating a permanent national home for Athletics.

However not just seat relocation as a model, but E20 management have shown themselves not fit for purpose. If E20 change their spots and embrace a range of Stadium developments I will be the first to acknowledge my error.

David Griffith

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