West Ham would pay £380,000 in pitch colour row

Published on: 16 August 2018

West Ham moved into the London Stadium for the start of the 2016-17 season

West Ham are willing to pay up to £380,000 to change the pitch surround at the London Stadium to claret.

Until now a green material has covered the athletics track during games.

The Premier League club are in dispute over the issue with landlords, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), and have taken legal action.

The LLDC has been ordered to pay to change the covers, although the Hammers would consider taking on that cost - if changed to their main club colour.

It is understood the corporation would prefer not to use claret and is interested in the "sponsorship potential" of the carpeted area.

While a West Ham source has indicated they would pay £380,000, other estimates have suggested the work could be carried out for closer to half that amount.

West Ham, famous for their claret and blue colours, insist their plan would save taxpayers' money at the venue, which has been dogged by controversy over running costs.

West Ham pay the LLDC £2.5m a year to use the stadium as part of a 99-year lease.

But the club and the corporation were in dispute over who should pay to make the stadium more supporter friendly, and a mutually agreed legal expert has ruled in West Ham's favour.

This means the LLDC must pay for:

Work to replace the material around the pitch perimeterThe installation of pumps to allow the sale of draught beer at all barsHospitality staff who work in the corporate boxes at the stadiumEnsuring all televisions at the ground are allowed to show live sport - West Ham paid for the licence but the London Stadium had adverts on some screens

The expert said the perimeter material was of poor quality and the green colour should be changed because of the difficulty in seeing where the playing surface ends and the pitch surround starts.

An LLDC spokesperson said: "We are complying with all of the decisions made through the expert determination process, including supplying a pitch surround in contrasting colour, and continue to discuss the solutions with West Ham United.

"We have begun the procurement process for the new pitch surround, which will be in place within the next few weeks.

"We are not going to comment on private negotiations. However, we wish to protect our commercial rights, which involve securing the best deal for all our assets such as the sponsorship potential of the pitch surround."

Source: bbc.com

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