West Ham asked Prem for Boxing Day away game – report

Matt Stead

West Ham specifically asked the Premier League for a Boxing Day away game due to the influx of post-Christmas shoppers at Westfield shopping centre.

The Hammers will travel to Bournemouth on December 26 in a journey that is likely to delight their fans immediately after Christmas.

But the Daily Telegraph have revealed that West Ham requested an away fixture on that date due to problems that a game could cause when combined with post-Christmas shoppers at Westfield Stratford.

West Ham made the same request last season and were handed an away game against Swansea.

Sam Wallace writes that this problem is ‘likely to continue’ with the club’s tenancy at the London Stadium, with the nearby Westfield shopping centre a popular Boxing Day destination.

The club feared that holding a Premier League fixture on the same day as a busy shopping day would cause problems with the rail services, and that it would be ‘not feasible to accommodate sale shoppers and fans’.

West Ham’s restriction on home games on Boxing Day is likely to further anger supporters who have criticised the poor planning behind the club’s move to their new stadium last year,’ Wallace continues.

West Ham’s owners are better than yours.