West Ham: Women’s game at London Stadium is ‘big priority’ for Hammers

Hosting a women’s game at London Stadium is still “a big priority” for West Ham Women, despite them not playing there since 2019.

The only time they have played there was a 2-0 defeat by Tottenham five years ago.

“I know that it’s a big priority for the club,” said boss Rehanne Skinner.

“It’s something they are working towards making happen.”

Fixtures on 23 and 24 March are known as Women’s Football Weekend, which generally takes place in the men’s international break and provides an opportunity for the women’s teams to play at their male counterpart’s larger stadiums.

After this weekend, all of the 11 other WSL teams will have played at their men’s grounds.

West Ham v Chelsea and Sunderland v Durham are the only fixtures across the WSL and Women’s Championship not taking place at the men’s stadia on Women’s Football Weekend.

“All of us want to play in stadiums and we want to try keep evolving the stadium forward in that sense,” Skinner added.

“Hopefully, whether it’s this year or next year, we get a solution for that and we can do that more frequently.”

BBC Sport understands the women’s team board are keen to host a WSL fixture at the London Stadium but also want to continue to grow attendances at their current home, the Chigwell Construction Stadium, which is also home to non-league side Dagenham & Redbridge.

Just over 11 miles separate the two grounds but an additional 56,422 spectators can fit inside the London Stadium than at Chigwell.

The club have seen a significant increase in season ticket sales and attendances this season and had a record sellout crowd against Arsenal in their 2-1 victory over the Gunners last month.

Paul Konchesky, the Hammers’ previous manager, said in 2023 playing at the 62,500 capacity London Stadium is “not a big deal” for his side after former West Ham defender Lucy Parker criticised the club for failing to hold a match there.

Responding to the Hammers’ announcement that their men’s under-18s team will play their FA Youth Cup semi-final at the stadium, Parker posted on X: “When will we get a game at the stadium? Only WSL side not to have a game at the men’s stadium and haven’t played there since 2019.”

Playing women’s matches at the home of the 2012 Olympic Games is not straightforward as the club do not currently own the stadium.

The current concession agreement in place, which was initially signed in 2013, only caters for friendlies and youth matches outside the men’s matches.

West Ham currently pay close to £4m a year to play at the venue, which is funded by the taxpayer and run by London Stadium 185 Ltd with the London Legacy Development Corporation as the overall landlords.

It means a women’s match would be regarded as an additional fixture and bring a hosting charge of £100,000, plus inflation over the intervening period.