West Ham United women s football home court battle has reopened, fans call for a return to London bowl

A new round of game between Premier League powerhouse West Ham United and London Stadium operator E20 has surfaced. The core contradiction of this venue battle that has lasted for several years is concentrated in the sky-high bill of the home event operation costs of the Women's Super League. Capacity dilemma: As the only women's football club in the Premier League that has not used the home court of men's team, the Hammers Women's Football Team has been forced to play in a community stadium that can only accommodate 6,000 people in the past five seasons. Negotiation deadlock: The venue rental quote involving millions of pounds per year has caused the two sides to have a tug-of-war. The venue requires the club to bear the full operating expenses

Conflict escalation: Women's football players jointly wrote a letter to the club's vice chairman last summer, demanding the return of the top stadium that can accommodate 60,000 people to boost influence

Regarding the key differences in the cost dispute, an E20 spokesperson responded that although they support the women's competition, they cannot ask taxpayers to bear the club's costs. The venue has provided a special offer, but has not been approved by the other party. Sources revealed that the operating cost of women's football teams is more than three times that of men's football regular leagues.

Faced with the increasing pressure on public opinion, the club management emphasized that a special consultation group had been established. In their statement, they reiterated their commitment to "promoting the women's football team to the London Bowl at any cost" while accusing the venues of undermining the prevalent principle of venue sharing in the Premier League. It is worth noting that as the 2025 European Cup of Women's Football Team approaches, such contradictions have attracted the attention of the General Administration of Sports of the UK.

The two sides have agreed to restart negotiations after the new season schedule is announced in late August. Industry insiders analyzed that this struggle involving the business logic of professional sports and the development opportunities of women's football may become an important turning point in the commercialization process of England's women's football.

(Doctor)