West Ham breaks club record with season ticket sales for 2016-17

West Ham United's move to The Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is already proving lucrative.

West Ham announced Thursday that the club has already sold more season tickets for the 2016-17 Premier League season, its first campaign at Olympic Stadium, than any other in its history. The Hammers still won't vacate Upton Park for months.

The club passed the milestone last month and says demand for season tickets is surpassing all expectations, as the number of people on its priority list exceeds the available number of tickets "several times over."

Controversy has surrounded West Ham's move to Olympic Stadium since the June announcement that the total cost of converting the ground, which is being significantly funded by public money, stands at £701 million rather than the initially declared £272 million.

Related - Report: Taxpayers will foot bill for games when West Ham moves to Olympic Stadium

Sky Sports reported in October that it received a redacted copy of the contract which didn't reveal how much West Ham is paying to convert Olympic Stadium.