West Ham United’s Vice-Chair Baroness Karren Brady has unveiled detailed redevelopment plans for the Club’s award-winning Foundation headquarters, set to re-open in Spring 2025.
The £4.1-million, state-of the-art project – spearheaded by West Ham United, alongside Borras Construction and Adams-Sutherland Architects – will see the footprint of the current building treble, enabling the Foundation to serve thousands of children, young people, adults, families, elderly residents and hard-to-reach groups and individuals, doubling the current 2,000 weekly participant footfall in the process.
True to the London Club’s deeply held values of community and inclusion, and as recognised equity leaders, the site promises to deliver a thriving Hub and safe space, accessible and open to everyone.
At an event held in east London across dual sites at the London Stadium and Beckton this week, Baroness Brady provided an exciting update when addressing the 50-plus invited guests, including MPs, political leaders, community partners, representatives from the football world and Club ambassadors.
“West Ham United is a family Club, with deep roots in the capital, and what we are building here reflects our continued commitment to deliver a long-lasting Olympic legacy, in our community, the beating heart of the east London,” said Baroness Brady.
“This multi-million-pound investment brings to life our vision of an inspirational environment, a triumph of innovation, dedication, and grit – all the values that West Ham United prides itself on.
“The transformed site will generate over £75m in social value in its first five years of operation, through intervention, prevention and partnership.
“Our Hub will deliver over 35 programmes, offering services that range from health and wellbeing, to violence reduction, to tech and digital learning – and an area particularly close to my heart, an enterprise zone, inspiring future business leaders and budding entrepreneurs.”
Through its Foundation, the London Club is the first football club to lead a consortium of local partners and networks, with significant financial backing from the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, working to prevent and tackle violence across Barking and Dagenham.
This builds on the Club’s long track record of community investment and support, evidenced by reports released today from EY and Future Proof. For the Future Proof Impact Analysis report, click HERE.
The findings, from the 2022/23 season, demonstrate the significant ongoing contribution of West Ham United to the local economy, by serving as a local employer; engaging with local businesses in its supply chain; and by drawing thousands of visitors throughout the season.
In this period, West Ham United helped thousands of individuals across some of the UK’s most ethnically-diverse communities in east London and Essex, with the Club’s outreach efforts of increasingly vital importance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in the Borough of Newham, with its status as one of the hardest hit areas in the UK.
The analysis revealed:
- The Club contributed a total of £323 million in Gross Value Added to the regional economy (London & Essex), both directly and indirectly through its supply chain, supporting employment and the visitor economy.
- The Club supported over 3,300 local and regional jobs and has created over £77 million in social value – with a further £33 million created by our Foundation; together equating to more than £110 million in overall social value.
- The economic activity of West Ham resulted in a total figure of £150 million in UK tax contributions.
In addition, the Club provided nearly £24 million in social value linked to jobs from core matchday operations, showcasing the true entrepreneurial spirit which the Club prides itself on, and is integral to its ongoing delivery of the Olympic Legacy at London Stadium.
