The ugly row between West Ham[1] and their landlords at the London Stadium has intensified after the club claimed it was being asked to pay double the cost of a men’s fixture to host their women’s team at the ground.
West Ham head into the opening round of WSL[2] fixtures this weekend having not played a match at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park since 2019.
The awkwardness around that scenario has caused anger among fans and unease at boardroom level, with West Ham Women the only side among last season’s top-flight to not stage a single game in the 2024-25 campaign at the larger grounds used by their men’s teams. They were instead based at Victoria Road, the home of Dagenham & Redbridge.
In a messy, long-running dispute, West Ham are pointing to the agreement signed prior to their controversial move to the stadium in 2016, which allows them to stage a designated number of ‘competitive fixtures’ each season.
Daily Mail Sport understands the existing terms permit them to 25 games per campaign at the home of the 2012 Olympics[3], but the latest stage in the furore involves the question of whether WSL matches fall outside the arrangement.
A London Stadium spokesman insisted the women’s team are not part of their deal with West Ham.
West Ham have claimed they were being asked to pay double the cost of a men’s fixture to host their women’s team at the ground
West Ham head into the opening round of WSL fixtures this weekend having not played a match at the ground since 2019
A West Ham spokesperson told Daily Mail Sport: ‘West Ham United would like to make it clear that hosting a Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at London Stadium in the 2025-26 season remains a key and absolute priority for the club.
‘Furthermore, we wish to place on record the fact that we have not sought any preferential treatment or subsidy for the hosting of competitive women’s first-team matches at the stadium.
‘The club is proposing to pay exactly the same fee to host a WSL fixture that we pay for a competitive men’s first-team match at London Stadium – even taking into account the fact that operational costs attached to a WSL fixture are significantly reduced.
‘London Stadium have repeatedly failed to acknowledge a WSL game as one of West Ham United’s allocated competitive matches, nor accepted our offer of paying a fee equitable to a men’s fixture, and have instead suggested that the club should pay more than double the fee paid to host a men’s first team game.’
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EXCLUSIVE West Ham locked in another row with their London Stadium landlords over Women’s Super League matches
The stand-off, first revealed by Daily Mail Sport in July, remains some way from being resolved. Sources at the London Stadium claim the staging fee offered to West Ham – believed to be in the low six figures – remains significantly below the charges for an outside party to hire the facility.
A London Stadium spokesman told Mail Sport: ‘London Stadium has always been positive about welcoming women’s football to the venue. However, as with every other one of the capital’s football clubs, we cannot ask London’s taxpayers to subsidise the cost of West Ham putting on these matches.
‘The current agreement does not apply to West Ham women’s team therefore separate arrangements are required to be made. However, London Stadium shares the club’s enthusiasm to stage women’s matches and has made a very good offer to West Ham for use of the venue. We remain open to continuing the conversation.’
It is understood that Baroness Karren Brady, the club’s vice-chairman, has broached the topic with London Mayor Sadiq Khan. A West Ham statement said: ‘Given the Mayor of London’s public commitment to supporting the growth and development of the women’s game in the capital, we remain hopeful that we will come to an agreement on the matter.’
West Ham said that ‘hosting a Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at London Stadium in the 2025-26 season remains a key and absolute priority for the club’
There is debate over whether WSL matches fall outside the arrangement of games that the Hammers are allowed to host
In response, a spokesperson for the Mayor said: ‘It is unrealistic and unfair to expect the taxpayer to provide a competitive advantage to one of the capital’s football clubs by subsidising the staging of events at the Stadium.
‘The Mayor understands London Stadium has made a very good offer to West Ham United for use of the venue and that they remain open to further discussion with the club on this.’