Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Mark Noble today delivered the club's joint bid with Newham Council to run the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games to Number 10 Downing Street.
They were joined by Newham Young Mayor Kaycee de Belen and pupils from Cleves Primary School, Upton Park, to hand in the radical plan. The proposal is to make the venue a vibrant centre of sport, education and culture.
West Ham and Newham formally delivered their bid to the Olympic Park Legacy Company earlier in the day.
The plan would see most of the iconic stadium structure retained after the 2012 Games. It would be adapted to have a 60,000-capacity and host football and athletics, alongside other major sports, concerts and community facilities.
The joint bid has already been welcomed by Lord Sebastian Coe and Ed Warner, the chairman of UK Athletics, as well as a number of major businesses in East London.
Parker said: "I've been around the stadium and it is fantastic. It is going to be a superb venue for the Olympic Games and one we can all be proud of. But it also offers great potential after 2012, not just for West Ham and sport in general but for the local community. I really hope we get it."
The Premier League football club and the council believe the move could result in the best-ever legacy for an Olympic Stadium. It would generate much-needed employment in the area and make for a healthier East London by increasing sports and physical activity.
Newham Young Mayor Kaycee de Belen, aged 16, said: "The London 2012 bid promised a legacy of regeneration in East London and local young people have so much to gain from living in the Olympic host borough. But it's essential we secure the use of the stadium to benefit Newham's youngsters as well as those living in the neighbouring host boroughs."
The plans would see the stadium playing a key role in inspiring learning and achievement, with thousands of youngsters visiting each year to make use of its facilities. It is hoped the venue will house innovative and exciting education resources.
Local adults will also be encouraged to take up health and well-being programmes at the venue.
West Ham and Newham say the initiative could bring a wider benefit too. One of the proposals is to incorporate an Olympic visitor centre and football museum at the stadium. Together with the other attractions in the Olympic Park and the neighbouring Westfield Stratford City shopping centre it could make the venue one of the nation's favourite destinations.
The relocation of West Ham to the Olympic venue would also offer the opportunity for the current Upton Park stadium site to form part of a regeneration scheme that would include new homes, shops and community facilities.
Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales said: "The 2012 Games promise to be the best yet. Our proposal with West Ham is the natural and logical solution that will provide a legacy for decades to come.
"Our plans will deliver upwards of two million visitors each year and provide a significant beacon in the East End that will fulfil the original London 2012 bid commitments.
"A busy stadium will enhance the regeneration of the wider area and importantly, there will be no cost to the public purse after the stadium's conversion."
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "We believe this is the only bid that can deliver London's legacy commitment to the International Olympic Committee.
"The last thing anyone wants is for the Olympic Stadium to become a ghost of Olympics past. The only realistic solution is to make the stadium work for a Premier League football team and that should be West Ham United.
"As a top-flight football club we have the necessary expertise in running a major multi-purpose venue. Working with Newham Council we could ensure extensive use of the stadium that would create prosperity in the local area and see this club grow and move on to another level. Our plan to keep most of the stadium in place protects the public investment."