Home
Register
Portal
Log in
Hernia at it AGAIN
By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports ReporterLast Updated: 8:30PM BST 04/10/2012
Leyton Orient will change their name to ‘London Orient’ if they succeed in their bid to ground-share in the Olympic Stadium alongside West Ham United.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that Orient owner Barry Hearn is proposing the name-change as part of a raft of proposals intended to make the club an integral part of the Olympic Park legacy.
London mayor Boris Johnson’s decision over the future of the Olympic Stadium is expected in the next two weeks, with West Ham bidding to be the sole football tenant of the arena, which will also host athletics and other entertainment events.
Hearn has been interested in moving Orient to the stadium ever since London won the Games, and has tabled an ambitious bid to the London Legacy Development Corporation that he hopes will give his club a new start and a new name.
As well as changing the name to associate the League One club with the whole city as well as the 2012 Olympics, Hearn is proposing a number of other initiatives including free season tickets, and investing any profit from the sale of Brisbane Road in the playing squad.
Hearn says his intention is to put Orient at the centre of the new community, and help create a genuine legacy for a stadium that has faced questions over its long-term viability from the moment its design was unveiled.
“West Ham might not like it but a ground share with Orient makes a lot of sense to the legacy company and for the Park,” Hearn said.
“You would have the commercial Premier League entity coupled with the local community club serving the community.
“To enhance the point I am going to make Leyton Orient as attractive as possible as a bidder.
"Now our television rights are around £750,000, not £65 million, so commercially we are not as attractive, but we can offer a huge amount as a community club.
“We are going to change the name of the club to London Orient. We are going to give free season tickets to under-18s in London, students and members of the Armed Forces, and free family season tickets to new residents of the Olympic Park housing.
“We are going to try to go from 5,000 capacity to 30,000 by giving things back to the community.
"We are not interested in making money. It’s very handy but we have only managed it once in the last 19 years.
“We are saying to the LLDC they can put someone on the board to make sure that we fulfil our legacy commitments.
"We are saying that if we are lucky enough to go up the divisions we will pay more rent, and we are also saying that any profits from the sale of Brisbane Road will be directly invested into the squad to give us the chance to succeed.
“Some of the hardcore fans will be grumbling [about changing the name] but we have got to do something dramatic.
"That begins with the name change and it begins with opening our arms to a whole new audience.”
Hearn said to give the Olympic Stadium to West Ham alone would amount to subsidising the club’s £90 million debt.
“They are owned by two of the richest men in the country so why should the taxpayer effectively service their debt after years of mismanagement by previous owners?
“The stadium needs more than one football club so it is open and attracting people every weekend.”
Hearn also wants Johnson to take the bold decision to build retractable seats over the running track, even if they cost as much as £200 million.
Current plans being discussed by the LLDC and West Ham would see demountable temporary seats built on the track behind the goals, but these would have to be erected and taken down each season.
“As we have said all along the stadium was badly designed and it does not w**k for football without seats on the track. Temporary seats will make the stadium look like a mishmash. We can get it right but it will cost money.
“It is a bitter pill to swallow, but I think Boris will try and do it properly.”
By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports ReporterLast Updated: 8:30PM BST 04/10/2012
Leyton Orient will change their name to ‘London Orient’ if they succeed in their bid to ground-share in the Olympic Stadium alongside West Ham United.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that Orient owner Barry Hearn is proposing the name-change as part of a raft of proposals intended to make the club an integral part of the Olympic Park legacy.
London mayor Boris Johnson’s decision over the future of the Olympic Stadium is expected in the next two weeks, with West Ham bidding to be the sole football tenant of the arena, which will also host athletics and other entertainment events.
Hearn has been interested in moving Orient to the stadium ever since London won the Games, and has tabled an ambitious bid to the London Legacy Development Corporation that he hopes will give his club a new start and a new name.
As well as changing the name to associate the League One club with the whole city as well as the 2012 Olympics, Hearn is proposing a number of other initiatives including free season tickets, and investing any profit from the sale of Brisbane Road in the playing squad.
Hearn says his intention is to put Orient at the centre of the new community, and help create a genuine legacy for a stadium that has faced questions over its long-term viability from the moment its design was unveiled.
“West Ham might not like it but a ground share with Orient makes a lot of sense to the legacy company and for the Park,” Hearn said.
“You would have the commercial Premier League entity coupled with the local community club serving the community.
“To enhance the point I am going to make Leyton Orient as attractive as possible as a bidder.
"Now our television rights are around £750,000, not £65 million, so commercially we are not as attractive, but we can offer a huge amount as a community club.
“We are going to change the name of the club to London Orient. We are going to give free season tickets to under-18s in London, students and members of the Armed Forces, and free family season tickets to new residents of the Olympic Park housing.
“We are going to try to go from 5,000 capacity to 30,000 by giving things back to the community.
"We are not interested in making money. It’s very handy but we have only managed it once in the last 19 years.
“We are saying to the LLDC they can put someone on the board to make sure that we fulfil our legacy commitments.
"We are saying that if we are lucky enough to go up the divisions we will pay more rent, and we are also saying that any profits from the sale of Brisbane Road will be directly invested into the squad to give us the chance to succeed.
“Some of the hardcore fans will be grumbling [about changing the name] but we have got to do something dramatic.
"That begins with the name change and it begins with opening our arms to a whole new audience.”
Hearn said to give the Olympic Stadium to West Ham alone would amount to subsidising the club’s £90 million debt.
“They are owned by two of the richest men in the country so why should the taxpayer effectively service their debt after years of mismanagement by previous owners?
“The stadium needs more than one football club so it is open and attracting people every weekend.”
Hearn also wants Johnson to take the bold decision to build retractable seats over the running track, even if they cost as much as £200 million.
Current plans being discussed by the LLDC and West Ham would see demountable temporary seats built on the track behind the goals, but these would have to be erected and taken down each season.
“As we have said all along the stadium was badly designed and it does not w**k for football without seats on the track. Temporary seats will make the stadium look like a mishmash. We can get it right but it will cost money.
“It is a bitter pill to swallow, but I think Boris will try and do it properly.”
you have a way with words SOI
