The Boleyn Ground, the former home of West Ham United, was one of the greatest stadiums in all of English football. Located in raucous Upton Park, East London, the ground was a constant source of sound and fury for visiting opposition. This year, West Ham will move into the Olympic Stadium in nearby Stratford.
Having called the Boleyn home since 1904, many supporters were worried about the ramifications of moving to the larger, less-soulful Olympic Stadium.
The capacity of the Boleyn was just over 35,000 while the Olympic Stadium holds 60,000. Any fears of losing that fabled atmosphere were quickly dispelled after West Ham sold out their 50,000 season tickets shortly after going on sale.
The £272 million stadium was constructed as the home stadium for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but West Ham look as though they’ll quickly settle into their new digs. On Thursday, the Hammers played their first home match in a Europa League qualifier against NK Domzale. Following a 2-1 first leg defeat in Slovenia, West Ham crushed Domzale 3-0 at the Olympic Stadium.
Surprisingly, West Ham finished last season as the fourth best team away from home but only the seventh best at home. If the Hammers can continue to turn the Olympic Stadium into a veritable fortress, it’s certainly easy to see them finishing above the seventh-placed finish they earned last year.
With players like Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini, Andy Carroll and the newly signed Carlos Bacca, West Ham look destined for an improvement this year. With the new stadium generating an increase of match day funds, the future is bright for the East London club.
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