West Ham has increased the matchday capacity at the former Olympic Stadium to 60,000 "in response to spectator demand," according to the London INDEPENDENT. The club is "due to leave Upton Park at the end of this season" and will play at the stadium in Stratford from the start of the '16-17 season. The original capacity was set to be 54,000 but "after the number of people registered on the Hammers season ticket priority list exceeded the number of seats originally available at the multi-use stadium, that has been increased by 6,000." West Ham Vice-Chair Karren Brady said in a statement, "Today's announcement is further evidence of the upward trajectory of this club." The 60,000 capacity "will match that of Arsenal's Emirates stadium" -- currently the second largest Premier League stadium after Old Trafford. David Edmonds, chair of E20, the body charged with converting the former Olympic Stadium, said, "It shows how eager people are to watch football at the stadium. By meeting this demand the use of the venue will be maximized, increasing its revenue and the return to the taxpayer" (INDEPENDENT, 3/24).
