‘academy’ Proposed For Olympic Stadium

London 2012 officials are reviewing the new option of turning the Olympic Stadium into a ‘sports academy’ after rugby and football clubs failed to show interest in moving to the venue after the Games.

Olympic bosses had originally hoped either a rugby or football team would want to make the stadium their home base after London 2012 came to a close – thus ensuring both a legacy and financial stability of the £500m site. However, no team has stepped forward.

New options are now being proposed, the favourite among them being to make the stadium an academy. It would be a sports college for up to 1,000 14 to 19-year-olds primarily from the London area.

 The plans suggest the stadium would also be a hub for athletics meetings and other sporting events, as well as a venue for concerts, large conferences and possibly American football matches.

The sports academy idea has emerged following a stream of conflicts surrounding the Olympic Stadium, including whether the track would remain intact after the Games were over or whether it was going to be used solely for football.

But now, with the possibility of a base football or rugby team looking bleak, concerns have been raised regarding the issue of legacy behind the Games and whether the stadium will be able to remain viable without the backing of a club.

A sports academy would not be expected to lower the costs of maintaining the stadium, and it wouldn’t bring in the revenue that a professional sports club would.