West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady has told West Ham TV of her pride and delight after the club's joint bid for the Olympic Stadium was unanimously recommended by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) Board.
Karren paid tribute to the hard work carried out over the past year by the Hammers and their partners, the London Borough of Newham, that made the success of the bid possible.
With the OPLC recommendation to before to the Legacy Company's founder members - the Mayor of London's Office and the Government - for approval next week, the Vice-Chairmen said the process of moving the club into the 60,000-capacity stadium had only just begun.
WHY THE OPLC BOARD RECOMMENDED THE JOINT WEST HAM UNITED/NEWHAM BID
"It's a historic day - not only have we been made preferred bidder today, but we've also been made unanimous bidder and I think it's real credit to the things we've put into our bid and the things that we've promised," the Vice-Chairman told West Ham TV.
"It's now that the hard work really starts because we've got to deliver on our promises."
West Ham and Newham's joint bid was praised by the OPLC for offering an 'all-round legacy in serving the needs of sport, culture, entertainment and the local community', with plans afoot to stage football, cricket and American football matches at the stadium, as well as community sports events and pop concerts.
Karren explained how the Olympic Stadium and the surrounding Olympic Park and Westfield Stratford City shopping and entertainment complex would provide a focal point for the football club, the Borough and the whole of east London and beyond.
"Not only is the stadium in our area but it's at the heart of our community in the East End of London and it's a symbol for our area and that's why it was important that we got it for our community, we got it for our football club and we got it for the people of the East End.
"Obviously you are being judged on five criteria and all of those criteria were equally important in putting together a proposal that deals with each one. It's been a long and complex process but we've worked very hard with our partners to make each one of those processes as smooth as possible. That's why I think we were announced as the unanimous bidder today.
"The important thing was that the athletics legacy was promised and delivered. We believe we can be a conduit to that and we can make that happen in the stadium alongside a number of other events like pop concerts, cricket matches and, of course, football.
"To bring those four things together will benefit the community, create jobs and become the heart of this area, which is what this process has been about for us.
"This really can change the face of east London and it will. Stratford is a great place to come to, it's got fantastic transport links and it's very important to all those West Ham supporters who have moved out to Essex and further afield that they can get here, reignite with the football club, come back and come home.
"It's about new memories and making new dreams happen."
While the West Ham/Newham bid will provide a sporting legacy for decades to come, the Vice-Chairman was quick to point out that the views and feelings of Hammers supporters are as important as any as the club prepares to move home in the summer of 2014.
"The most important thing for us now is not just deliver on the promises that we've made to the OPLC, but to really engage with the supporters, take them to the stadium, show them what we're going to do and explain to them how and why it is so good for us and really make them a part of everything that we're going to do.
"I think it's just breath-taking. It's a historic day for this football club. It's really important that we make it work and it's really important that the supporters understand what it means for them, it's really important that we engage with them and, together, we go on this journey.
"Not only did West Ham supporters want us to have it, but nearly 80 per cent of people across London wanted us to get this stadium and I'm pleased on behalf of all the people in Newham and at West Ham that we've been able to do that. The hard work starts now."