Member Article

West Ham United's London Stadium joins illustrious list of elite world stadiums

Despite a rocky start to life at the London Stadium, West Ham United’s new home is in the running for a prestigious award recognising some of the biggest sporting venues around the world.

The Stratford ground has reached the final round of the Stadium of the Year competition where it will be vying with global stadia including Hard Rock Stadium, which is home to the Miami Dolphins and Besiktas’s new Vodafone Arena in Istanbul.

Recognising the best new stadia that has opened around the world in the last 12 months, the East London club’s stadium is the only UK-based ground to feature in the shortlist, after Belfast’s Windsor Park and Bristol City’s Ashton Gate were jettisoned for the final round.

The winner will be announced on 6 March by a panel of five architects from around the world in what will be the competition’s seventh year.

The award could prove a positive conclusion to what has been an up and down year for the club, which has experienced a number of teething problems since moving into the stadium at the beginning of this season.

Crowd trouble, over-zealous stewarding and question marks over the atmosphere at the stadium have been complemented by topsy-turvy form in the league which sees the Hammers currently sitting in 9th place in the Premier League table.