A PREMIER LEAGUE football stadium is completely unrecognisable after undergoing a transformation to become a baseball ballpark.
The London Stadium, home of West Ham United, is amidst a radical transformation to host a Major League Baseball game this summer.
The stadium is part-way through a crazy 18-day transformation that will see the arena ready to host a completely different sport.
New images have been released of the pitch since work has begun and the surface looks a world away from being able to host a Premier League match – something it did just over three weeks ago.
Work began on May 20 and is expected to be completed by June 6 with over 144,000 square feet of synthetic turf to be laid down for the MLB London Series this weekend.
The West Ham pitch is subsequently sat underneath the faux playing surface with some 345 tonnes worth of clay and 4,300 tonnes of aggregate laid on top of it.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Irons fans shouldn’t worry though with special flooring protecting the hallowed turf ahead of next season.
In fact the incredible temporary baseball field will be removed in just five days after the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets have faced off on the surface this Saturday and Sunday.
There’s plenty still to be added with 18-metre-tall foul poles and the build of a batter’s eye, backstop, batting cages, dugouts, temporary clubhouses, and 46,000 square feet of netting set to be finished by Wednesday.
The London Stadium already hosted the MLB London Series last summer and is well equipped to withstand the transformation.
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
And the building itself has already seen a number of major changes just to be the home of the Hammers with it’s original purpose being as an athletics arena during the London 2012 Olympics.
Transforming stadiums is becoming the norm these days with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium famously integrating an NFL field UNDERNEATH their football pitch.
The astounding architecture means that when the Spurs stadium is used for NFL games the pitch can be changed with ease.
To ensure sustainability, similar measures have been taken at the London Stadium with the baseball field stored from last year’s games to be reused this weekend.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
