Tottenham's Olympic Stadium bid "will stand the test of time" claims leading AEG Europe executive

By Andrew Warshaw

January 26 – The global entertainments group backing Tottenham Hotspur’s controversial plans to take over the Olympic Stadium after 2012 today went public for the first time over why they have decided to partner the Premiership club.

Tottenham are vying with West Ham to turn the Stratford venue into a 60,000-seater football stadium and both have submitted details proposals to the Olympic Park Legacy Company who were expected to make a recommendation this Friday (January 28) but have postponed the decision on a preferred bidder for at least another fortnight.

Sarah McGuigan, senior executive director of AEG Europe, said that if Spurs are chosen the two parties would have “some exciting and innovative plans for the Stadium and surrounding area that would ensure an amazing visitor experience all year round”.

On the highly sensitive subject of legacy, McGuigan insisted Tottenham’s bid “will stand the test of time” and pointed out it would require “no public subsidy”.

AEG run the O2 Arena in London as well as a string of other lucrative entertainment venues and McGuigan said the same variety and scale of activity would be applied to the Olympic venue to “help ensure it becomes a vibrant and sustainable place to live and visit, not just for a year or two, but for the long term”.

A range of high profile athletics chiefs and political figures, not least London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, have denounced Tottenham’s bid and are supporting West Ham’s counter-proposal, mainly because it preserves the running track as outlined in the original bid documents presented to the International Olympic Committee.

But McGuigan urged opponents to take a practical, long-term view: “We chose to work with Tottenham Hotspur as we believe that, as a partnership, we can have a stadium tailored to reflect its customers’ needs that will be filled week in, week out.

“We know the importance of getting this decision right has huge implications not just for the Stadium site, but for the long term success and viability of the Olympic Park as a whole.

“We know we can deliver something very special, as well as being commercially viable, that the whole country can be immensely proud of.”

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