The Greater London Authority (GLA) has heard a five-point plan aimed at improving the financial performance of the London Stadium, home to West Ham United. The GLA covers the operating costs of the stadium, which have risen by about £2 million this year following the club's relegation to the Championship. Estimated losses for 2025/26 are around £19 million.
Strained relationship and new management
Lyn Garner, chair of the London Stadium LLP which owns and runs the ground, told the GLA’s Economy, Culture and Skills Committee that “the financial situation remains challenging.” She accused the football club of frustrating efforts to raise cash. Garner admitted the relationship between the club and stadium owners had “historically been quite tense” but expressed hope that a recent change of management could lead to more cooperation. Karim Virani replaced Karren Brady, who stepped down as vice-chair in April after 16 years.
More concerts
The London Stadium LLP wants to hold more concerts to raise revenue. While Tottenham Hotspur hosts up to 30 major non-football events annually, West Ham is limited by athletics meets in summer and a licence for only 10 concerts. The LLP is in talks with Newham Council to extend this limit, and discussions with West Ham include playing more away matches in September to free up the ground for gigs during the football season. Garner noted that Tottenham signed a 10-year contract with the NFL and asks the Premier League to play away during that window, saying: “Our club could do the same if we wanted to make use of the September window for concerts. That's what Tottenham do.”
Making the stadium less ‘sterile’
Fans have complained about the lack of atmosphere at the stadium, which was originally built for athletics. One idea is to change the white seats to the team's claret and sky blue colours. Garner said: “There could be some improvements for how the place looks and feels for West Ham fans. I think probably it feels a bit sterile. It doesn't feel like the home... One of the things we’ve considered inside the bowl is turning all the seats claret. It's an easy thing for us to do... but it's very costly, and it would take a long time to do that. But it would feel more intimate and more West Ham-like if the seats were claret as opposed to white.”
Women’s football
The LLP and West Ham are set to discuss hosting women’s football matches at the stadium. No women's match has been held there since 2019 due to cost concerns. Garner said: “We would really desperately like to see women's football played at London Stadium. It's not played at the moment because there's a dispute about how it interacts with the contract and the cost of it. We'd like West Ham to pick up the cost of the women's games. They'd like us to run the games on the same basis as the men's games. I think we'd all love it if we could get a bit of women's football into London Stadium. And I think that's going to be something that will come out of our discussions.”
Stadium naming rights
Selling naming rights could be a major revenue source, but past attempts have failed. Three deals have fallen through, including a potential £20 million sponsorship with Vodafone in 2017. A contract with a “major sponsor” collapsed in 2024 because the club refused to sign it off. Garner said: “We had a major sponsor at the table. At the end, we could not get the club over the line to sign that deal. Part of it was to do with the amount of money changing hands for the IP of the club, but it would have been a fantastic partner for us. It was the closest we've ever come.” She added: “It's probably not the right time to sell the naming rights when we're in the Championship. We need to get back into the Premier League. But there are lots of preparatory things that we can do to present a united front in terms of putting the naming rights to the market. Because one of the reasons the deal didn't work in 2024 was because we were not a united front, and any partner coming to the table wants a clean, easy deal where they have a single point of contact and they can get on with their commercial opportunity.”
Food and drink
Food and drink offerings outside the stadium are set to be expanded. Garner said: “We want to do that in partnership with the club. We get some return from food and beverage, and they get hospitality returns. So it's a partnership that is an easy one to pull off.”
