West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady has confirmed a new upgrade has been installed at the London Stadium while fans have been away.
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Hammers supporters will finally return tomorrow as 10,000 attend the season finale against Southampton.
West Ham used the absence of fans during the pandemic to accelerate the reconfiguration of the stands behind the goals at the much-criticised London Stadium.
Broken promises over the bowl shaped arena have been at the heart of resentment between West Ham’s fans and the club’s board.
Brady talks up London Stadium improvements
The stands behind the goals were squared off in line with more traditional football stadia. Although it only brings a small number of supporters closer to the action, aesthetically it is an improvement.
They are not the only improvements that have been made at the ground while fans have been away, though.
Speaking to supporters in a statement sent to email inboxes ahead of their return, Brady revealed a “state-of-the-art” LED floodlight system was also installed over the winter.
And it means West Ham can now emulate the dramatic light to music shows seen at matches elsewhere in the Premier League and Europe.
New floodlight system installed at West Ham ground enabling special effects and light to music shows as seen at other grounds
“Fans will return to see the lower tiers of the Bobby Moore and Sir Trevor Brooking Stands reconfigured,” Brady told supporters.
“The stands have been brought closer to the pitch and squared-off to improve the overall supporter experience. This was a change that fans requested and the club has delivered, adding to recent enhancements at the stadium including the naming of the Billy Bonds Stand in 2019 and introducing more Claret and Blue last year.
“Safety rails have been also been installed for around 3,000 supporters in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand upper tier while, for those evening fixtures at London Stadium, a new state-of-the-art LED floodlight system is now in place to further enhance visibility and uniformity for players on the field of play and for our supporters in their seats.”
Musco Lighting has installed custom systems utilising its Total Light Control LED technology at the London Stadium.
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It comes after the company installed similar systems at other major venues including Tottenham’s new stadium, Wembley, the San Siro and others.
It allows West Ham and others using the London Stadium facilities for concerts, athletics and anything else to perform special effects with controls provided by StadiumFX.
These include light-to-sound synchronisation, enabling individual fixtures around the stadium to sync with music for exciting new light shows.
Graham Gilmore, CEO, London Stadium, told Soccerex: “As a venue, we pride ourselves on giving the visitor the best possible experience, regardless of the occasion.
“The upgrade to LED lights allows us to do that across our multi-event calendar, ensuring we meet the highest standards of sports and concerts at the stadium. We are looking forward to welcoming fans back… so they can enjoy the improvements we’ve implemented.”
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