Have London Stadium owners let slip the real reason for controversial seating changes which have upset many West Ham fans?

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Plans to reconfigure the stands behind each goal at the London Stadium have caused controversy among West Ham United fans.

West Ham fans initially welcomed the club’s plans to square off the stands in line with a more traditional football stadium.

The club also promised it would bring supporters closer to the action.

This week West Ham sent a pack to fans in those stands explaining the process.

And Hammers season ticket holders also got the chance to use an online tool to see the view from their new seat and where they have been moved to as a result.

Reality of stadium seating changes spark anger from some fans

A small number of fans in the middle of the stand have moved around 4m closer to the action. But the result is that thousands of fans have been left angry having been moved further away and some even split up from their friends and family.

There also appears to be an issue with some seats having an impaired or restricted view of the action on the right hand side of the stand.

Some West Ham supporters also pointed out concerns that the already vast gap between the upper and lower tiers will increase as a result of the move.

Hammers United, the fan group which has led protests against West Ham owners David Sullivan and David Gold and their vice-chairman Karren Brady this season, released a statement criticising the reconfiguration of the seating.

Supporter group behind protests describe move as a step in the wrong direction

Titled ‘A step in the wrong direction’ Hammers United questioned the move.

“This has led to confusion among some supporters with questions arising over price banding, apparent relocation to a seat further away from the action and the division of family members who had previously purchased seats together,” Hammers United said in a statement on their website.

“The information released from the club is non-commital as far as pricing, relocation and groupings are concerned. It is also unclear, from the diagrams released at this point, whether the gap between the Upper and Lower Tiers will increase (therefore dissipating any atmosphere that might be created across the two) and how many of the seats in the new configuration will be covered by the roof.”

But have the stadium’s owners just let the cat out of the bag on the real motivation for the changes, cost-cutting?

A statement on the London Stadium website said an advantage of the new seat set-up will be an improvement in seat configuration transition times for other events such as athletics, rugby, Major League Baseball and concerts.

Cost-cutting the real motivation for changes?

And the London Stadium owners also revealed the initial £5million investment would pay for itself within five years.

That means beyond those five years, the stadium owners – not West Ham’s owners – will be making significant savings on reconfiguration of seats between football and other events.

“This time-saving conversion will offset the cost of the new seating system for the north and south stands, paying back the £5 million investment within five years,” the London Stadium statement said.

Graham Gilmore, CEO of London Stadium, went further and admitted cost savings would be significant.

“We are always looking to build on our reputation as the country’s most successful multi-use venue, so while we have had to deal with the disappointment of postponements and cancellations to our scheduled 2020 summer events, we are delighted to make improvements to the seating, specifically for Premier League football matches,” he said on the London Stadium website.

“This work will enhance the customer experience and bring fans closer to the action, it will also allow us to adapt the venue for our other events in a reduced timeframe, saving significant costs. We look forward to welcoming fans back in the very near future.”

According to fans, West Ham will have received a host of complaints from fans about their new seating position and view.

Hammers United has gathered feedback from supporters and has since released a new statement criticising the club.

It remains to be seen whether West Ham will respond.

But the club and London Stadium owners plan to press ahead with the changes in time for the start of next season which could be September 12th.