British media “The Sun” said on the 5th (Korea Standard Time) that “West Ham has announced a plan to increase the number of seats in the London Stadium, which is currently used as its home stadium, to 68,000 seats, up from the current 62,500 seats.”
The London Stadium, West Ham’s home stadium, increased the number of spectators to 68,013 last year, but all seats are not available to the public due to licensing regulations signed with the West Ham club by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the real owner of the stadium and the general manager of the London Olympics held in 2012.
However, West Ham reached a deal with LLDC, leading to an agreement to use an additional 5,500 seats, which has been increased by ‘informal methods’. The agreement will be effective from the 2026/27 season and will be legalized through official procedures within the next two years. 사설 토토사이트
More seats means more rent. “West Ham will pay an increase of 200,000 pounds (about 330 million won) from the current rent it is paying to LLDC,” The Sun said. “Currently, the rent is 3.5 million pounds (about 5.8 billion won) per year. If the contract is signed, it will spend 3.7 million pounds (about 6.2 billion won) on rent.”
It’s not just that unused seats are being opened. It is expected that various facilities such as dining areas and toilets will be added as much as the increased capacity.
If London Stadium opens all seats and increases the capacity to 68,000, it will be the second largest stadium in the English Premier League. Currently, Manchester United’s Old Trafford (74,310 seats) has the largest capacity for spectators. Following this is Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,850 seats), which Tottenham Hotspur built in 2019 after demolishing its existing home stadium, White Hart Lane.
Meanwhile, the biggest stadium in the U.K. is Wembley Stadium, “the holy place of soccer,” which can accommodate up to 90,000 people. If expanded to include sports other than soccer, Tkenham Stadium, the exclusive stadium for the English national rugby team, can accommodate 82,000 spectators, ranking second in the U.K. Old Trafford is ranked third.