London 2012

dibo · Post by **dibo** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 5:23 pm

Egan wrote:They have recreated Maracana...

that's far too kind.

it's not bad as much as bog ordinary.

the crow · Post by **the crow** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 7:23 pm

it looks like the big gasometer next to the oval...kinda suitable for the old sites re use.

it is a HOK design and Burro Happold are engineers...

why didnt they just raise the ground level and put a fekin track in Wembly? and who are the poor bastards who are going to be lumped with it as a footy ground post 2012

more links

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_s ... 082835.stm

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 7:33 pm

It's too oval on the wings but I like the exterior.

Cheesie-the-Pirate · Post by **Cheesie-the-Pirate** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 8:26 pm

Last I heard the ultimate destiny of the stadium was to be a lower-grade football ground. Is this not right? Why they'd go for a round ground if this is the case is a bit beyond me.

On the other hand though I kind of like it. It's strikes me as elegantly simple, plus I'm a sucker for tiers/concourses that extend well under the tier above them, providing additional seating undercover.

UPDATE:

BBC:

"London 2012 officials are looking for a tenant to occupy the stadium once the Olympics and Paralympics are over

But a tie-up with a major football team such as West Ham has already been ruled out by London mayor Ken Livingstone"

That's open to many different interpretations.

bazza · Post by **bazza** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 9:50 pm

the crow wrote:
why didnt they just raise the ground level and put a fekin track in Wembly? and who are the poor bastards who are going to be lumped with it as a footy ground post 2012

The talk at the moment is that Lleyton Orient (3rd division) would go there with the possibility of Sarecens RU club playing there. Neither has confirmed interest.

The best idea would have been to build a decent stadium and then afterward convert it to a 50,000+ seater and sell it to West Ham who are looking for a new ground. They could have a 10,000 seat athletics field nearby that could be used as the warm up track for the 2012 games.

However, Sebastian Coe seems to think that it has to have an athletics track

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:32 am

bazza wrote:However, Sebastian Coe seems to think that it has to have an athletics track

Sebastian Coe had 100,000 options to buy Fortescue Metals shares at f**k all but decided to forfeit them when he resigned from the board. They'd now be worth around 5 million bucks.

There's a man with foresight.

Simmo79 · Post by **Simmo79** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:01 am

bazza wrote:
the crow wrote:
why didnt they just raise the ground level and put a fekin track in Wembly? and who are the poor bastards who are going to be lumped with it as a footy ground post 2012
The talk at the moment is that Lleyton Orient (3rd division) would go there with the possibility of Sarecens RU club playing there. Neither has confirmed interest.

The best idea would have been to build a decent stadium and then afterward convert it to a 50,000+ seater and sell it to West Ham who are looking for a new ground. They could have a 10,000 seat athletics field nearby that could be used as the warm up track for the 2012 games.

However, Sebastian Coe seems to think that it has to have an athletics track

That's what was smart about the City of Manchester Stadium. Well not so much smart as just plain common sense. The first question about the functionality and design should be "what will this stadium be used for in the 2,500+ weeks after this 2 week event?".

Actaully I thought about this a little bit more and there are two precedents for major athletics stadiums built in London. One is Wembley which had the FA lined up as the major tenant after the Empire Games (great success).

The other is White City which was built in West London for the 1908 Olympics with a capacity of up to 110,000 with terraces. It never had the income of Wembley, only having speedway, dishlickers and an early attempt at a London RL club as tenants. It was demolished in 1985 and was certainly nowhere near as famous as Wembley or Twickenham despite its size and there being Chelsea, Fulham, QPR and Brentford within spitting distance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_City_Stadium

the crow · Post by **the crow** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:38 pm

bazza wrote:
the crow wrote:
why didnt they just raise the ground level and put a fekin track in Wembly? and who are the poor bastards who are going to be lumped with it as a footy ground post 2012
They could have a 10,000 seat athletics field nearby that could be used as the warm up track for the 2012 games.

i think you will find it is a requirement of the olympics anyway to have an athletics warmup track nearby the main stadium, with both running tracks put down the same time as the running track to maintain an equalibrium between warm up practice and main event

bazza wrote:However, Sebastian Coe seems to think that it has to have an athletics track.

i think Sebastian is getting a bit senile in thinking England is still good at athletics

bazza · Post by **bazza** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 2:55 am

the crow wrote: i think Sebastian is getting a bit senile in thinking England is still good at athletics

Yeah - he was quoted a lot in the papers last year when the original planning was being done about how he wanted the main stadium to be a legacy to athletics.

Sydney has a great athletics legacy with a new track at homebush that has a small modern grandstand and is used for regular athletics meetings with small crowds. While the stadium next door is used regularly for sports that attract lots of supporters.

You have to wonder about some peoples grasp on reality and if they actually pay attention to what is going on

bazza · Post by **bazza** » Fri May 16, 2008 11:32 pm

The latest report is that London rugby league club the London Skolars are looking at becoming tenents in the Olympic Stadium

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... =1952&ct=5

The club currently play at New River stadium in North London.
It is an Athletics field with a capacity of 2000 if the borken seats were repaired (it has a hill on the opposite side that is not used)

The club play in NL2 (2rd division) and have struggled to win much this year after a promising start. They get around 500 people per match.

The location at Stratford is not too far from the current location but is East rather than North London

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Sat May 17, 2008 9:05 am

I don't know what to make of this. It would be a bloody expensive move and fans may not respond to a move across town. Theother London club has struggled with the same issues.

That said, I went to New River Stadium and it's a tip.

hot_dogma · Post by **hot_dogma** » Sun May 18, 2008 1:52 pm

Going back to White City, QPR used it every now and then during the 60's as its home ground and it was a big failure.

bazza · Post by **bazza** » Mon May 19, 2008 6:58 pm

Jeffles wrote:fans may not respond to a move across town.

All 100 of them.
Stratford has excellent transport links being at the intersection of 2 tube lines, the overground, the DLR and mainline train.
It would be pretty easy to get to for these 100 who don't necesarily live in the Wood Green area and easier for potential new fans

the crow · Post by **the crow** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:18 pm

i might try and get to some of these proposed venue sites when im over there next week, i already have Wembly and Lords on my silt of venues to get too.

Sydney Cricket Ground 12 · Mon May 26, 2008 6:39 pm

There is a webcam.

The link is: http://apps.newham.gov.uk/Webcam/