West Ham United have announced plans to redevelop the club’s Foundation headquarters in Beckton. Work on the new building is expected to be completed by early next year.

The redevelopment of West Ham’s award winning Foundation building will have many benefits to the local area. These include job opportunities and also a variety of apprenticeship programmes for young people.

The club have said the work on the Foundation building will increase its usage from around 1,000 people per week to 2,600 people each week. This will allow the Foundation to reach a wider age range of participants, from parents and toddlers to the elderly within the local community. Work on the community hub will begin in the spring and it is said that the redevelopment process will use a range of sustainable materials as well as green technologies.

Speaking after the club’s plans were announced via the club’s Official Website, West Ham Vice-Chair Baroness Brady said: “This new state of the art facility will allow us to continue to grow and further serve East London, meeting the needs of our community, building partnerships and utilising insight and technology to create an environment where all can thrive.”

CEO of West Ham’s foundation, Joseph Lyons welcomed the announcement and mentioned how the new facility will be “the natural next step for us”: “The community site in Beckton has functioned well, but in recent years, as our work has advanced and need across our community has intensified, we have reached a stage where the building has become impractical and restricting.”

Lyons went on to add: “Everyone at West Ham United is excited about what the future holds for the Foundation, building on the amazing work that already goes on in our community, to maximise life chances and inspire better futures for all.”

Written by Finlay Jackson