It is 6pm and more than 100 people associated with Bealonians FC are outside Redbridge Town Hall in east London. One man gets the crowd’s attention, switches on his microphone and starts to sing…
“Save our club, save our club, save our club.”
Within seconds, others join in. A banner appears: ‘Help us save our ground. Keep Bealonians at Oakfield.’ Those associated with the grassroots club are here to protest against Redbridge Council granting the Premier League’s West Ham United a long-term lease on Oakfield Playing Fields. Bealonians FC have played at the ground, in nearby Fairlop, since 2004.
The move would make Bealonians homeless and so raise major doubts over their future.
West Ham want to relocate from the Little Heath Sports Ground, where their women’s team and under-18s currently train, and have expressed to Redbridge council a preference for staying within the borough. According to the council’s report, West Ham leaving Little Heath would free up the land for “potential housing development”.
The report states the Premier League club’s bid includes “investment and employment opportunities” and two “state-of-the-art artificial” pitches.
West Ham declined to comment when contacted by The Athletic.
During a meeting last night (Thursday), the…
