West Ham football club co- owner David Gold poses in front of the Olympic StadiumHotspur.

Hammers want more clarity from the Olympic Park Legacy Company

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West Ham are considering whether to scrap their plans to move to the Olympic Stadium after this year’s Games unless the terms of the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s (OPLC) draft contract are improved.

The Hammers were previously interested in a 99-year lease option for the stadium, but any work on a new bid will not happen until the OPLC offers more clarity as to what will be asked of any bidders.

The main sticking points for the club, who currently occupy top spot in the Championship, include the share of naming-rights revenue, match-day branding, flexibility on fixtures and the identity of any 
co-tenants.

It has been hinted that London Wasps are considering a move to the stadium, but West Ham would not be interested in sharing with a rugby team because of any damage to the pitch.

However, Hammers joint-chairman David Gold is more concerned with the design of the stadium and how it will be converted to accommodate football, with retractable seating high up on his list of necessities.

“I am probably the last person that wants to leave Upton Park,” he said.

“But equally I understand that if things are to change for the better, we probably have to grasp this nettle.

“There is no way that we can go to the Olympic Stadium unless our seats are a similar distance from the pitch as they are now.

“It cannot be any more than that.”

West Ham are also not keen to waste more money on another bid without greater clarity from the OPLC.

It is estimated that the club spent nearly £1million on the first bidding process which resulted in the club being awarded the stadium, only for an anonymous complaint to the European Commission about the legality of a £40m loan from Newham Council resulting in the collapse of the agreement in October.

Another football club interested in the stadium is Leyton Orient, who are currently considering what offer they could make to the OPLC.

However, an issue for both football clubs is that the OPLC will have the power to force tenants to share with each other.

This would mean that tenants would have no choice about who they share the stadium with, which may result in pairing a football team with a rugby club, or West Ham with 
Orient.