West Ham United’s co-owner David Gold believes that The Hammers are doing the taxpayer a service by providing a legacy for the Olympic Stadium, as the Evening Standard report.
Speaking in an interview about the stadium, Gold said:
This is a great deal for us, a great deal for the taxpayer and a great deal for the Olympic site – and everyone should be reporting on what a fantastic legacy this deal is providing.
Gold is right; the 60,000 capacity stadium is a fantastic move for West Ham United and a move to it will surely delight fans who now have access to 25,000 more seats than they have at the current Boleyn Ground.
However, some may disagree with the statement regarding the taxpayer, as a recent BBC report found that the stadium’s new tenants will be living in the £700m stadium almost rent-free, with the taxpayer covering the running costs, even going as far to say that the cost of the corner flags will be coming from the pockets of UK taxpayers.
Gold went on to say:
There are too many Olympic Stadiums around the world that are not being used and there is no kind of legacy, which is a tragedy for the cities involved.
The Hammers are due to move into the stadium at the start of the 2016/17 season.
