A football club could one day own the 2012 Olympic Stadium, MP Hugh Robertson has suggested.
MP admits stadium shouldn't always be under public ownership
A football club could one day own the 2012 Olympic Stadium, minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson has suggested.
Such a move would come in the future as the current plans are for the stadium to be publicly owned, but leased out for a mixture of sporting events and concerts.
Robertson told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: "It is not our intention that it should remain in public ownership indefinitely."
Robertson explained that it could be possible for a club to buy the stadium, but that there would be an agreement in place protecting the rights of UK Athletics and other members of the legacy deal signed up as part of the original agreement for post-games stadium use.
West Ham's proposed move to the Stadium fell through after a legal challenge from Tottenham and Leyton Orient.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company, Government and London mayor Boris Johnson then decided the stadium would be leased out and retain the running track.
Manchester
Robertson also told MPs that they had learned from how the City of Manchester Stadium (now the Etihad Stadium) had been handled after the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
He added: "We have absolutely looked at the sensible lessons that have been learned out of Manchester, which to be fair, was regarded as a great success.
"It is a pretty good argument for how to get it right. We will certainly build all that into the negotiations.
"If a football club was one of the legacy users and there should be a change of ownership in the future - and they should want to acquire the stadium in the future, that will certainly be built into the process.
"It is not our intention that it should remain in public ownership indefinitely.
"There is no reason why it should be a public stadium forever and a day."
