Mind the gap! Hammers fans fear Olympic Stadium design flaw will ruin atmosphere
|
04:00 |
No comments |
Official designs for transforming the
Olympic Stadium into a football venue have left West Ham fans fearing
that what appears to be a massive gap in the seating between the upper
and lower tiers behind the goals will wreck the atmosphere on match
days. The official drawings released by stadium designers Populous
reveal how the north and south ends of the 600million stadium, which
will be West Ham’s new home from 2016, will look.
The plans appear to include a massive gap between the tiers, meaning the two blocks of seats behind the goals will be separated by more than 15 metres. While the club are understood to be comfortable with the designs, the plans would provide a stadium unlike any other.
It is understood that the club have shown similar drawings to supporters’ groups, and the designers have solved the problem of moving some fans closer to the pitch, which is surrounded by an athletics track, by creating a gap much further back. Final configuration of the stadium has not yet been confirmed by the club.
Graeme Howlett, the editor of Knees up Mother Brown — West Ham United FC Online, summed up the feelings among many supporters. He said: ‘The designs would appear to confirm fears expressed by some fans regarding the stadium layout and the sizeable distance between the fixed upper tier and retractable lower tier — something which many believe will only serve to impact negatively upon an already diminishing atmosphere at home games.’
Work has got under way to transform the roof to ensure all fans are protected from the weather.
Removing the current roof is expected to be completed by March and the new one will be ready in time for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
West Ham will relocate to the new 54,000-seat stadium, rented from the Olympic legacy company, the season after next. In April, the club released information about how the Olympic Stadium will be redesigned before they move there, including an image of the converted East Stand ‘Kop’. But there has been no detailed mention of the North or South Stands.
A West Ham United spokesman said: ‘The multi-million pound conversion to turn the Olympic Stadium into the highest category available all-seater stadium allows the club and its fans an exciting opportunity to create a stunning new home.
‘These are technical cross section drawings, the purpose of which are to show simply the functionality of the retractable seating — a deliberate design to bring the seats closer to the pitch. They are not designed to represent how the stand will look on a matchday. ‘The feedback from fans on the designs released thus far has been overwhelmingly positive.’
The plans appear to include a massive gap between the tiers, meaning the two blocks of seats behind the goals will be separated by more than 15 metres. While the club are understood to be comfortable with the designs, the plans would provide a stadium unlike any other.
Worry: West Ham fans are worried a huge gap
between the upper and lower tiers of the re-designed Olympic Stadium
will ruin the atmosphere
It is understood that the club have shown similar drawings to supporters’ groups, and the designers have solved the problem of moving some fans closer to the pitch, which is surrounded by an athletics track, by creating a gap much further back. Final configuration of the stadium has not yet been confirmed by the club.
Graeme Howlett, the editor of Knees up Mother Brown — West Ham United FC Online, summed up the feelings among many supporters. He said: ‘The designs would appear to confirm fears expressed by some fans regarding the stadium layout and the sizeable distance between the fixed upper tier and retractable lower tier — something which many believe will only serve to impact negatively upon an already diminishing atmosphere at home games.’
Work has got under way to transform the roof to ensure all fans are protected from the weather.
Removing the current roof is expected to be completed by March and the new one will be ready in time for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Moving in: West Ham are due to move into the stadium from 2016
West Ham will relocate to the new 54,000-seat stadium, rented from the Olympic legacy company, the season after next. In April, the club released information about how the Olympic Stadium will be redesigned before they move there, including an image of the converted East Stand ‘Kop’. But there has been no detailed mention of the North or South Stands.
A West Ham United spokesman said: ‘The multi-million pound conversion to turn the Olympic Stadium into the highest category available all-seater stadium allows the club and its fans an exciting opportunity to create a stunning new home.
‘These are technical cross section drawings, the purpose of which are to show simply the functionality of the retractable seating — a deliberate design to bring the seats closer to the pitch. They are not designed to represent how the stand will look on a matchday. ‘The feedback from fans on the designs released thus far has been overwhelmingly positive.’
Artists impression: How the Olympic Stadium could look after it is re-designed
0 comments:
Post a Comment