West Ham chief makes honest London Stadium admission - Newcastle United must take note
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The future of St James’ Park has dominated headlines with a decision on whether to expand the current stadium or build a new one expected in due course.
Newcastle United face a major decision on what the future will hold for St James’ Park. Unprecedented demand for match tickets has seen plans for either an extension to the current ground or a completely new stadium come to the forefront of supporters’ minds.
Neither will be a cheap option for the club, with both having major benefits and drawbacks for all parties involved. It will not be an easy decision for the club to make and recent Premier League stadium moves will almost certainly serve as both warnings and incentives for what can be achieved.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is held up as the shining light of what can be achieved with a new purpose-built stadium, whilst Everton’s Bramley Moore Dock Stadium also has Toffees fans excited about a move away from a stadium, Goodison Park, with a rich and long history. However, with every successful move comes a warning and West Ham’s decision to switch Upton Park for the London Stadium is often held up as a warning to clubs over hitting the ‘new stadium’ button.
Criticism over the atmosphere at Hammers games have been a constant factor ever since the move and they are concerns that Newcastle must take into consideration if they decide to build a new stadium. West Ham CEO Karren Brady has recently opened up on criticism surrounding their decision to move to the London Stadium, with her response likely to intrigue many on Tyneside.
Karren Brady on West Ham’s move to London Stadium
Speaking to Sky Sports, Baroness Brady opened up about how fans have had to adapt to their new surroundings for the benefit of the club - something that Magpies fans may have to do in the future: “I always make the decisions that I believe are right and for the right reasons,” Brady said. “Coming here [to the London Stadium] was the right decision for the right reason.
“I knew there would always be an element of supporters that didn’t want to, people don’t like change. It’s true, most people want things to stay the same.
“But actually, without change you can’t evolve and this stadium has given us a platform on which we’ve continued to grow the club. It’s led us to a European trophy, it’s given the opportunity to 35,000 families to come here every matchday.
“We have the cheapest season tickets, despite being in a new stadium, in London in the Premier League - we have the cheapest adult season ticket at £345. All of those things are possible because we’re here.
“All of the good work we do in the community, the tens of tens of millions of pounds we invest locally is all because we are here. I think you have to try and bring people on the journey with you. We tried really hard, lots of people are now used to the stadium, you get into new habits, you find new friends, you find new routes to get here, new places to drink.
“Now people are beginning to realise that it’s not stadiums that create atmospheres, it’s supporters. They’ve had some brilliant nights here and long may that continue.”