Essex County Cricket Club pitches Olympic Stadium bid

Essex County Cricket Club has lodged a bid to become the long term tenant of the London 2012 Olympic stadium.

The club has launched a joint bid along with the University of East London to be the legacy occupier of the 80,000-seater stadium, which will be reconfigured to 60,000 seats after the Olympics.

Essex is competing with football clubs West Ham United and Leyton Orient to takeover the stadium.

Essex said in a statement: "We can confirm that the University of East London and Essex County Cricket Club have jointly put in a bid to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) to utilise space in the Olympic Stadium.

"We cannot provide any further detail at this stage, as we are bound by a legal confidentiality agreement.

"We see this as a fantastic opportunity and are committed to supporting the achievement of the best possible outcomes from the legacy operation of the Olympic Stadium."

County Championship Division Two side Essex currently play in Chelmsford, their home for 87 years.

West Ham were initially awarded the Olympic stadium in a partnership with Newham Council in October last year, but the deal fell through following threats of legal action from rival clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient.