Olympic Stadium: A Distant Dream?

Trevor Brooking says that the notion of West Ham playing in an Olympic stadium if London makes a bid for the 2012 games is a distant, if not inconceivable, idea.

With a London bid a possibility, though no decision by the International Olympic Committee will be given until 2005, there have been suggestions that West Ham would fit the bill of going to the stadium after the games finished.

Says Trevor: "It's a little speck on the horizon. The Olympic bid is under discussion and the government are scheduled to make a decision towards the end of January.

"If the bidding process did happen then the region that is selected is in the east London and north east London area.

"I suppose the two clubs that come to the surface then are Spurs and West Ham.

"If there was a successful bid and the stadium got built, part of that remit would be very similar to what happened with Manchester and the Commonwealth Games, where you look for what they term an 'anchor tenant' to take on the revenue costs each year.

"Naturally, if you have a football club that is going to be using it regularly, the revenue costs the are taken up.

"I am sure then discussions would be in much greater detail and I am sure in principle both clubs would be interested in them.

"What you are talking about is taking it on in 2013 or even 2014, 11 or 12 years away from that happening - so there is plenty of time to utilise the present stadium!"