About the Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium was build for the 2012 Summer Olympics and the Paralympics in London, and is located in Stratford in eastern London. After the olympics, there were plenty of interested parties who wanted to take over the arena, but West Ham were eventually successful. Renovating the arena took a few years, and it wasn’t until the 2016/2017 season that the team started playing their home games there.
The Olympic Stadium’s History
West Ham was founded in 1895, and played their home games at Boley Ground (also known as Upton Park) from 1904. The arena, with seats for 35,016 fans, was refurbished and renovated a number of times, but after 112 years, it was time to move to the Olympic Stadium – with double the capacity at 60,000.
The club has signed a 99 year lease for the arena, and sold season tickets for the 2016/2017 season, which is a positive sign that the move has gone well. However, they have to hold their place in the Premier League to be able to cover the enormous costs.
Transport
The easiest way to get to the arena is by tube. The closest station are Stratford and Stratford International, and you can get to the arena in less than 40 minutes from most major stations in London.
If travelling by car, the arena is about a 25 minute drive from the M25 – the London ring – and an hour’s drive from all of London’s international airports.