AEG To Team With Hammers?

AEG is reportedly talking to West Ham United soccer club about a presenting a joint bid to run the Olympic Stadium in London after the 2012 Olympic Games.

The West Ham proposal to be sent to the Olympic Park Legacy Company by the May 17 deadline will keep the stadium in its entirety, but will re-configure it with more spacious seating by reducing the capacity from 80,000 to 60,000, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The move to open talks with AEG, which operates the city’s O2 arena, is to ensure the soccer team’s submission is as comprehensive as possible and can include providing live musical entertainment as part of the tenancy deal.

“We don’t want a white elephant, London wants the greatest Games and we want to help it provide the greatest legacy and create this centre of sport, education and culture that everyone is proud of and makes the best use of the taxpayers’ money,” a West Ham spokesman told the Telegraph.

After the May 17 deadline, the Olympic Park Legacy Company will spend a month sifting through the 100 or so submissions it expects to receive. The decision on who will run the stadium isn’t expected before the middle of June.