EPL side West Ham "slammed the door on any notion" that Tottenham could share the Olympic Stadium when the Hammers move there in '16 and Tottenham is "likely to be homeless due to the redevelopment" of its ground, according to Mike Collett of REUTERS. West Ham Vice-Chair Karren Brady did not directly name Tottenham -- which wanted to move to the stadium itself -- but she "left no-one in any doubt who she was referring to at a media conference on Tuesday to announce West Ham's new hospitality facilities" when the club moves from the 110-year-old Boleyn Ground in two years' time. After explaining that one of the prime concerns for West Ham was that the stadium should look and feel like West Ham's own home, she "was asked if another club could play there on alternate Saturdays." Brady said, "In reality they probably could. But only with our permission, and no one has asked us for permission. And even if they had, we would probably say no, depending on who it is -- if you catch my drift. We are the anchor tenant for the winter matches and nothing else can happen in that time without our permission, and our football matches take priority over everything else" (REUTERS, 9/23). In London, Jacob Steinberg wrote the chair of the London assembly budget and performance committee, John Biggs, "has previously said that a temporary groundshare with Tottenham would be beneficial to the LLDC." West Ham has not received an approach "and ultimately it is more likely that Tottenham will look elsewhere" (GUARDIAN, 9/23).
'UNRIVALED HOSPITALITY': The PA's Mark Bryans reported Brady was talking at the launch of West Ham's new members' club -- "Club London," which offers fans the chance to experience what Brady labeled an "unrivaled hospitality experience." Season ticket holders and members "will soon be able to visit the new Reservation Centre at Westfield Stratford City to hand-pick their new seats at the Olympic Stadium" (PA, 9/23). In London, Jack Gaughan wrote Brady also confirmed that "the club would not receive any money from external events such as pop concerts, while next year's rugby World Cup's fixtures will not be used as dress rehearsals for the following year." Brady: "There will be lots of issues with that stadium. It'll be a shell of a stadium and won't be the finished article" (DAILY MAIL, 9/23).