By Andrew Warshaw
July 19 – Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has renewed his call for sharing the Olympic Stadium with West Ham United once London 2012 is over.
The future of the Stratford venue (pictured above) has been feverishly debated and Orient, a League One club in the third tier of English football, are one of four organisations now bidding to use the iconic site.
Orient are facing competition from newly promoted West Ham, Intelligent Transport Services in association with Formula One, and UCFB College of Football Business.
Hearn has waged a bitter campaign against West Ham gaining sole tenancy, claiming it would put the existence of his club in jeopardy.
Last month West Ham ruled out a ground share, claiming they were the only club in East London capable of filling the arena on a regular basis.
They remain the clear favourites to be given the 99-year lease when the London Legacy Development Corporation (LDDC) – formerly the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), makes its choice, probably in September.
However, Hearn (pictured below) said: “On the one hand, a Premier League giant with all their money and on the other a community club with dreams.
“I think the more the merrier.
“Personally, as an event person who does hundreds of events all over the world every year, I do know that venues have got to be used.
“They’ve got to create vibrancy and be energetic.
“You’ve got to create volume and traffic to make it sustainable and make sure it stays on the map.
“I think [Orient being tenants on their own] would be a waste.
“You’ve got this amazing stadium and it needs to be utilised.
“You need to have a plan.
“This is a big building that has a lot of public money locked into it, and you need to be able to use the facility.
“There’s a long way to go before the decision is made.
“It has to create a legacy that benefits everyone, not a chosen few.”
The £486 million ($761 million/€620 million) stadium will be reduced from 80,000 seats to 60,000 after the Games and will also retain a running track.
Although West Ham have said no to Orient, Hearn is refusing to give up.
“I don’t need to have a conversation with West Ham, because I’m applying for tenancy,” he told BBC Radio.
“It’s up to the Olympic people to decide which tenants they are going to accept.
“It doesn’t matter if West Ham are for it or against it, because it’s not their decision.”
Orient’s average home league gates at their neighbouring ground is around 4,300.
“A lot of people said, ‘what are we doing moving?'” Hearn continued.
“[But] I had a Martin Luther King moment.
“I had a dream.
“We are a community club and we tick a lot of boxes.
“We are debt-free and have a sensible business plan.
“I looked at the Olympic Stadium and said ‘why not?’
“If our dream is shared by those people that are in charge of the Olympic facilities, who’s to say what can be achieved?
“Is it about money legacy, or the real ethos of the Olympic Games, which is the community aspect?
“We think we could create an innovative and creative way forward and maybe do something quite remarkable.”
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