West Ham are not aware of any request from Kidderminster Harriers to switch their FA Cup fourth round tie to the London Stadium.
Speculation has been mounting claiming that the National League North outfit – who faced West Ham in the fifth round back in 1994 – may ask the FA if there is a possibility of moving the match from their 6,444 capacity Aggborough Stadium to the 60,000 former Olympic Stadium.
The rumours – which is all they are at present – have been doing the rounds this week, fuelled by a lack of ticket details being announced for the match on February 5th.
West Ham not aware of any request from Kidderminster Harriers to switch FA Cup tie
Beyond a lack of detail regarding ticketing for the match there is nothing at present to suggest there is any substance to talk of a venue switch. And Kiddy welcomed Championship side Reading to their home ground in the last round.
With West Ham’s ground having nearly 10 times the capacity, Kidderminster would – in theory – stand to make much more money from their share of the ticket sales.
But West Ham say they are not aware of any such request and insist the matter would sit with the FA.
Requests to switch venues are not uncommon in the history of the FA Cup.
But the FA clamped down on what was described as the ‘lucrative and controversial loophole’ after Farnborough were allowed to switch their fourth round FA Cup tie against Arsenal to Highbury back in 2003 (The Guardian).
From the next season the FA insisted no club would be able to benefit financially from such a switch and those who move for the wrong reasons could be barred from the competition the following year.
That was 18 years ago and since then FA Cup replays have been scrapped, denying small clubs like Kiddy the chance of big paydays in the competition.
Point Nine of the FA’s Challenge Cup rulebook seems to make the situation perfectly clear that venue switches will only be considered on security or unsuitability grounds. With the advent of Covid and protocols in place surrounding it, this could be a potential avenue for moving venue. But again that is mere speculation.
It seems highly unlikely any such request to move the Kidderminster v West Ham FA Cup fourth round clash to the London Stadium would be permitted. Below are the rules over venues in the FA’s own words.
FA CHALLENGE CUP RULES: 9. VENUE FOR MATCHES
(a) Venue
(I) The venue of each match (save for the Semi-Finals or Final which will be played at venues selected by The Association) will be that of the first named Club. Subject to Competition Rules 9(a)(ii), 9(a)(iii) and 11 such match shall be played on that ground unless the consent of the Professional Game Board has been obtained to any change
of venue or the Professional Game Board has directed that there should be a change of venue.
(ii) For a tie to be played on the ground of a Club outside The FA Premier League or English Football League playing a Club from The FA Premier League or The English Football League, the Home Club shall take all necessary steps to liaise with the local enforcing authority and/or Police to assess the suitability from a safety or security point of view of staging a tie at the ground. Any such assessment shall be completed within three days of the date of the Draw (or the date at which the Home Club’s participation in the relevant fixture is confirmed, whichever is later) or such longer period as shall be agreed by The Association.
The Home Club shall forthwith notify the outcome of the assessment to The Association along with such documentation supporting the assessment as may be required by The Association. The Association will decide whether to allow and require the match to be played at such ground or not, taking into account the assessment and any supporting documentation.
In the event that The Association allows and requires the match to be played at that ground, the Away Club may still lodge a protest under the provision of Competition Rule 9(b) if applicable.
In the event that The Association decides not to allow the match to be played at that ground then the first alternative ground shall be the nearest ground considered suitable by the local enforcing authority and/or Police (taking into account all relevant circumstances) subject to the agreement of the Professional Game Board.
(iii) In any event, the Professional Game Board shall have the power to order that any match be played on an alternative ground or date, including a Sunday, if it is considered appropriate and necessary. For ties switched from the ground of the Club first drawn, then the Professional Game Board shall determine the financial conditions in which the
tie shall be played and this may include, any excess receipts to be paid into the Pool.
(iv) No monetary or other consideration shall be asked for, offered or paid in connection with negotiations for a change of venue.
(v) Any Club with a tie switched after declaring that the ground has been authorised to a capacity agreed with the local enforcing authority or Police may be refused entry into the Competition for the following season and be subject to such other action as the Professional Game Board shall deem necessary.
(b) Protests Regarding the Suitability of Ground
(i) A Club may protest to the Professional Game Board that the ground of the Home Club is unsuitable for the match. Such protest must be made to the Professional Game Board and must be accompanied by a fee of £250, which may be forfeited if the protest is not sustained.
(ii) The Professional Game Board shall have the power to consider the protest in such manner and following such procedures as it considers appropriate. The Professional Game Board may amongst other things order the match to be played on the ground of the protesting Club, or on a neutral ground. The payment of the costs incurred by either
Club or The Association incidental to the protest shall be at the discretion of the Professional Game Board.
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