The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has appointed a new operating contract for the Copper Box Arena to charitable social enterprise GLL for the next decade.
The ten-year contract is for the Copper Box at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with the aim being to continue building on the venue’s legacy.
The news comes a decade on from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which the venue was initially built for.
The Copper Box Arena has a maximum seating capacity of 7,500 and the ability to stage top sports, esports and other live cultural and entertainment events. Lease holders say the arena has established itself as ‘the UK’s home of esports’ and base to the London Lions basketball teams and London Pulse netball team.
Esports tournaments at the Copper Box have included the Apex Legends ALGS, League of Legends MSI 2023, Clash Royale, Call of Duty and Rocket League events.
A series of events for 2024 and beyond will shortly be announced, while in the short-term London Lions home fixtures, the London Youth Rowing championships and the launch of the London Pulse netball season are scheduled for March 2024.
Major music events held at the Arena have included Dizzee Rascal: Boy in Da Corner Live; corporate events such as the One Bauer Media Awards and the Fiat 500x launch; sporting events spanning WBO title fights, the Billie Jean Cup/Fed Cup Tennis, Skateboarding World Championships, Open Pool Championships, Table Tennis World Cup, England Netball Internationals, the Vitality Netball Superleague Grand Final, Wheelchair Rugby League matches and the Invictus Games.
The Arena also houses an 80-station gym and the new contract announcement coincides with confirmation of a £600,000 investment into the site’s gym and fitness class spaces – in response to increased demand from a growing local population. The upgraded gym facilities will include a new ‘state-of-the-art functional suite and an expansive new fitness class programme’. A range of memberships will be on offer including discounts for local residents and concessionary memberships.
Edward Fane, Head of Venues at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, said:
“The Copper Box Arena is established as a thriving venue for national and international events as well as community sport, health and fitness. We are excited to continue working with GLL to build on the success of the last 10 years and bring in more high-profile events.”
Edward Fane, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
“This exciting high value contract is critically important to the long-term legacy of the London 2012 Games. Now working alongside the new cultural district at East Bank the Copper Box links the sporting legacy of 2012 with cultural and community events too and this is something we are keen to see flourish.
“We are delighted to be continuing to work in partnership with GLL to bring more high-profile events to the Park and build on the Arena’s hugely successful first decade.’
GLL’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Bundey added: “We are delighted to have retained the contract for the Copper Box Arena, safeguarding the venue’s Olympic Legacy for years to come.
“It is an extraordinary facility that brings thousands of people together to enjoy sports and community activities and is an integral part of the regeneration of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
“We have strong relationships with the world class organisations, clubs and event promoters who call the venue home – so this extension of our partnership with LLDC ensures continuity, sustainability and further benefits for community users, spectators and sport.”
GLL will work with CBRE Global Workplace Solutions – a commercial real estate services and investments leader – to ensure the highest standard of maintenance for the venue, bringing improvements to technical operations, including health & safety, extended asset performance/life cycle, energy efficiency and staff training.
Alongside GLL, CBRE is a signatory to the Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) Buy Social Corporate Challenge, an initiative which will see CBRE commit to engaging with more social enterprises as part of a collective £1bn spend with social enterprise suppliers.
Wes Montgomery, Business Unit Director at CBRE, commented: “We look forward to working with charitable social enterprise GLL as part of their operational contract at leading events venue CBA.
“We share GLL’s service excellence ethos and also have a strong relationship with other social enterprises in our supply chain. In partnership, we will provide strong support for the facility and its many and varied users.”
The award has been made in another year of evolution for the Park, with the new East Bank cultural quarter at the Park, opening from summer 2023, and more and more people choosing to work, live and study on the Park.
Further information on Copper Box Arena events or memberships and sports activities can be found at copperboxarena.org.uk
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
