Let’s not go into the details of the London Stadium.
We all know the fans don’t like it. We all know it’s not a football stadium. We all know West Ham fans deserve a far better home.
But at the moment, we’re stuck with it and there’s not much we can do.
Still, in light of Man United announcing their plans to rebuild Old Trafford with a 100,000-capacity arena, I wondered what it would look like if West Ham were to rebuild London Stadium.
Thankfully, in the age of Artificial Intelligence, there’s not much left in the world that can’t be made a reality.
So, I booted up Grok and got to work. To start, I asked the following: “Can you redesign West Ham’s stadium? It has to follow all the traditions of West Ham United. Make it more like Upton Park.”
It immediately protested. “I’m not an architect or stadium designer,” Grok replied. Alright then, at least prove that you understand the assignment.
Oh, it understood alright. Before showing me any designs, Grok went to work by outlining a concept for a full London Stadium redesign, and it included some very interesting points that will raise some eyebrows. Here’s what it had in mind…
Redesign Concept: The “New Boleyn”
The goal is to transform the London Stadium into a spiritual successor to Upton Park, blending tradition with modern requirements while keeping West Ham’s soul intact.
Reduce Capacity and Tighten the Stands
Capacity Adjustment: Shrink the capacity from 62,500 to around 40,000-45,000 to recreate the intimacy of Upton Park. This would involve removing upper tiers in certain sections and focusing on a denser, louder crowd.
Pitch Proximity: Reconfigure the retractable seating to bring stands as close as 5-10 meters from the pitch, especially behind the goals. This enhances the “wall of noise” effect West Ham fans are known for.
Steep Stands: Model the stands after Upton Park’s steep gradients, such as the West Stand’s sharp incline, making the stadium feel like it’s “bearing down” on the pitch, intimidating opponents.
Incorporate Iconic Upton Park Features
Castle Turrets: Add two prominent turrets at the stadium’s main entrance, echoing the Boleyn Ground’s gateaway. These could be claret and blue, with “West Ham United” and “1904” etched into them.
Stand Names: Rename the London Stadium’s stands to honour West Ham legends and history:
Bobby Moore Stand (main stand, facing east for tradition).
Sir Trevor Brooking Stand (opposite the main stand).
Billy Bonds End (behind the goal, for the hardcore fans).
John Lyall End (behind the other goal, honouring the legendary manager).
The Chicken Run: Recreate the infamous East Stand’s “Chicken Run” – a narrow, raucous terrace-style section – by designing a safe-standing area with a low roof to trap the noise.
Atmosphere Enhancements
Low Roofline: Lower the roof height significantly (where feasible within the existing structure) to trap sound, mimicking Upton Park’s cauldron-like feel. Add acoustic paneling to amplify chants.
Fan Zones: Create pre-match fan zones outside the stadium with East London street food stalls (pie and mash, jellied eels) and a stage for live renditions of “Bubbles” by local bands or fans.
Memorial Garden: Dedicate a corner of the grounds to a “Boleyn Memorial,” with bricks from the original Upton Park site, a statue of Bobby Moore and plaques for other club icons.
Why this Works
This redesign keeps the London Stadium’s footprint but shrinks its scale and corporate vibe, making it a true home for West Ham. The tighter stands and lower roof recreate Upton Park’s intensity, while the turrets, stand names and claret and blue identity tie it to the club’s heritage. It balances tradition with the practicalities of a modern venue.
London Stadium Redesign Concept 1
So we’ve got off to the best start. Grok understands London Stadium’s faults and knows what the fans want for a home. I was particularly impressed by its plans to bring back the Chicken Run, while I was intrigued by its reasoning behind significantly reducing the capacity.
But what would this wonderful new home for West Ham look like? I asked Grok “generate an image to make your concept come to life.”
The result?
Just ignore the fact it’s just whacked a castle on the roof for a minute.
It doesn’t look too bad. It’s not the worst first attempt at redesigning the London Stadium.
But the castle has to go, doesn’t it?
London Stadium Redesign Concept 2
I asked Grok to “remove the castle” but “show the steep stands, pitch proximity and focus on how the Chicken Run would look.” I also asked it to give me an aerial view of the stadium and a wide angle view from inside the stadium.
It failed to give me a look inside the stadium this time, but did provide an aerial view…
Yeah, no, sorry, Grok, that’s not really going to work. I mean, it looks better that London Stadium from the outside, but it just doesn’t really scream “West Ham United” does it?
Time to go back for another go.
London Stadium Redesign Concept 3
This time I asked Grok to make it more modern and to “remove all gaps between stands and pitch” before making clear that it had to be a “better stadium than any other club in London.”
Surely it would get it right this time…
Nope, it’s still not doing it for me. It’s clear the stands are closer to the pitch, but it’s not really making me want to become an architect.
I asked it to generate more designs but to stick with the original specifications it had originally laid out in its first response.
In fairness, it tried very hard to deliver the brief. Here’s what followed…
Please no. Do it again, please.
That is literally the London Stadium without the carpet!
Presumably those fans are looking on in complete and utter disgust. If this is the answer, I’ve completely forgot the question at this point.
London Stadium Redesign Concept 4
I have to admit, I’m losing faith at this stage. Perhaps the London Stadium is so bad not even AI can make it look better?
I decided to have one last go and made clear to Grok that it had to “ignore the existing design of the London Stadium” and generate something completely different but “still in keeping with West Ham’s history.”
And here are the results…
YES! More like it!
It looks impressive. It looks compact. The seats are close to the pitch. It almost looks intimidating just looking at it. But I want a closer look inside please, Grok.
That. Will. Do.
Yes, the goal is in the middle of the pitch. Yes, the pitch markings are all over the place. Yes, it’s not absolutely perfect.
But it’ll do. It’s already a thousand times better than London Stadium.
Thanks, Grok.
London Stadium Redesign – Suggested Name
The final question I had for Grok was “what should West Ham call the newly redesigned London Stadium?”
Erm…
The Boleyn Fortress
Hammers Cathedral
Moore’s Arena
The Claret Citadel
Bubbles Stadium
East End Bastion
Think we’ll stick with London Stadium, don’t you?