EPL side West Ham announced its first game in its new London Olympic Stadium home will be a friendly against Juventus on Aug. 7, according to Martyn Herman of REUTERS. The club leaves the Boleyn Ground, its home since 1904, at the end of the season after agreeing to a 99-year lease with the London Legacy Development Corp. to rent the London 2012 centerpiece for a reported £2.5M ($3.6M) per season. West Ham joint chairs David Sullivan and David Gold said in a statement, "We are delighted to be marking such a monumental day in West Ham United's history by welcoming one of the world's biggest clubs to our fantastic new home. It was always our intention to open the new 60,000-capacity Stadium on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with a fixture fitting of the occasion, and the visit of the reigning Italian champions Juventus is most certainly that" (
REUTERS, 4/25). The BBC reported two-time European champion Juventus is "one game away" from winning its fifth consecutive Serie A title. It will be "the first time the sides have played each other." West Ham Manager Slaven Bilic said, "It will be a privilege to face one of the biggest clubs in the world in our opening game at the new stadium. Like us, they are a club steeped in tradition, so it is fitting that together we will create history with this match" (
BBC, 4/25).
