West Ham United F.C. Club History

West Ham United F.C.

About the club.

Club History

West Ham United Football Club was initially formed in 1895 by employees of the Thames Ironworks shipyard (as Thames Ironworks F.C, hence the current nickname 'The Irons'), following an idea of managing director's Arnold Hills to set up an amateur football club for the firm's employees.

The Ironworks entered the F.A Cup at Chatham in it's inaugural year and entered the London league the following season. The club was wound up after just five years in 1900, but reformed as West Ham United just one month later.

Thames Ironworks F.C.

In 1904 the club moved to the Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) where it still plays today. Following twenty or so years in the Southern League United won a place in the second division of the Football League under the management of Syd King (who went on to manage the Hammers until 1932).

West Ham were promoted to the (old) First Division for the first time in 1923 and remained there for nine seasons before relegation saw them back in the Second Division, where they were to remain until 1958. The years since have been the most successful ever for the club; the Hammers have only spent six seasons since outside of the top flight.

KUMB.com's extensive daily news archive began in 1997 and can be explored further here.

The Boleyn Ground - or Upton Park?

Even today much of the media (and many of the club's own supporters) still refer to West Ham United's stadium as Upton Park - however its actual name is The Boleyn Ground. Upton Park (geographically E6, E13) is simply the name of the area in which the Boleyn Ground is situated - so although it is correct to say that West Ham United play in Upton Park, they actually play at the Boleyn Ground!

The new West Stand of the Boleyn Ground

Training Sessions

West Ham United no longer allow public access to the training ground. They do however hold occasional open sessions to which supporters are welcomed; contact the club for more details.

Facts and figures

The Boleyn Ground: Capacity: 35,303; Record attendance: 42,322 (vs Tottenham, League Division 1, 17th October 1970); Pitch size: 112 x 72 yards

Managers: Syd King 1900-1932; Charlie Paynter 1932-1950; Ted Fenton 1950-1961; Ron Greenwood 1961-1974; John Lyall 1974-1989; Lou Macari 1989-1990; Billy Bonds 1990-1994; Harry Redknapp 1994-2001; Glenn Roeder 2001-2003; Alan Pardew 2003-2006; Alan Curbishley 2006-2008; Gianfranco Zola 2008-2010; Avram Grant 2010-2011; Sam Allardyce 2011-current day.

Most appearances: Billy Bonds (793); Frank Lampard (674); Bobby Moore (646); Trevor Brooking (635); Alvin Martin (601); Jimmy Ruffell (548); Steve Potts (505); Vic Watson (505); Geoff Hurst (502); Jim Barrett (467).

Most goals: Vic Watson (326); Geoff Hurst (252); John Dick (166); Jimmy Ruffell (166); Tony Cottee (146); Johnny Byrne (107); (Bryan) Pop Robson (104); Trevor Brooking (102); Malcolm Musgrove (100); Martin Peters (100).

Honours (as West Ham Utd): European Cup Winners Cup winners 1965 (runners-up 1976); Intertoto Cup winners 1999; FA Cup winners 1964, 1975, 1980 (runners up 1923, 2006); Football League War Cup winners 1940; Charity Shield winners 1964 (shared); Second Division champions 1957-58, 1980-81 (runners up 1922-23, 1990-91); Championship Play Off winners 2005 (runners-up 2004); League Cup runners up 1966, 1981; International Soccer League winners 1963.

Alan Taylor parades the FA Cup the day after his brace brought the trophy back to East London

Honours (as Thames Ironworks): London League champions 1897/98 (runners-up 1896/97); Southern League Division Two champions 1898-99; West Ham Charity Cup winners 1896 (runners-up 1897).

Honours (youth): FA Premier Academy League winners 1998-99, 1999-2000; South East Counties League winners 1984-85, 1995-96, 1997-98; FA Youth Cup winners 1963, 1981, 1999 (runners-up 1957, 1959, 1975, 1996); Milk Cup Junior winners 1996, 1997.

Club sponsors: Avco Trust 1983-89; BAC Windows 1989-93; Dagenham Motors 1993-97; Dr Martens 1998-2003; JobServe 2003-07; XL 2007-08; SBOBET 2008-current day.

Transfers: Craig Bellamy from Liverpool £7.5million (or Savio from Brescia est. £5million+clauses); Rio Ferdinand to Leeds Utd £18million.

Record wins/losses: League 8-0 v Sunderland 1968, 8-0 v Rotherham 1958; Cup 10-0 v Bury 1983; League 2-8 v Blackburn Rovers 1963; Cup 0-6 v Manchester Utd 2003.

Highest top-flight finishes: Third 1985-86; Fifth 1998-99; Sixth 1926-27, 1958-59, 1972-73; Seventh 1929-30, 2001-02; Eighth 1961-62, 1968-69, 1983-84, 1997-98.

Vic Watson: West Ham United's greatest ever goalscorer

The West Ham United anthem - 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles'

Did you know that the version of 'Bubbles' sung at the Boleyn since the 1920s is just one verse of the full song? Here's the words:

I'm dreaming dreams
I'm scheming schemes
I'm building castles high

They're born anew
Their days are few
Just like a sweet butterfly

And as the daylight is dawning
They come again in the morning

I'm forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles in the air
They fly so high
Nearly reach the sky
Then like my dreams they fade and die

Fortune's always hiding
I've looked everywhere
I'm forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles in the air.

When shadows creep
When I'm asleep
To lands of hope I stray

Then at daybreak
When I awake
My bluebird flutters away

Happiness you seem so near me
Happiness come forth and cheers me

I'm forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles in the air
They fly so high
Nearly reach the sky
Then like my dreams they fade and die

Fortune's always hiding
I've looked everywhere
I'm forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles in the air

Words/Music by Jaan Kenbrovin/John William Kellette

The 1923 FA Cup Final: an estimated 200,000 fans saw the first Wembley final

Some famous supporters

Kriss Akabusi - former athlete, turned TV presenter; Robert Banks - author; Nick Berry - actor; Billy Bragg - musician; Martin Brundle - former F1 driver; Frank Bruno - retired boxer; Todd Carty - actor; John Cleese - comedian/actor; John Cole - former BBC journalist; Phil Collen - Def Leppard; Simon Day - comedian; Sean Day-Lewis - TV critic (and father of actor Daniel); Richard Digance - singer & 'comedian'; Frank Dobson - politician; Noel Edmonds - TV presenter; David Essex - musician; Perry Fenwick - actor; Keith Flint - Prodigy frontman; James Gaddas - actor; Simon Geoghan - former rugby player; Graham Gooch - former test cricketer; Leslie Grantham - actor; Martin Hancock - actor; Steve Harris - Iron Maiden; Johnny Herbert - former F1 driver; Lee Hurst - comedian; Phill Jupitus - comedian; Mark Kaylor - ex-boxer; Lennox Lewis - former boxer; Matt Lorenzo - newsreader; Colin McMillan - boxer; Jim Munro - Sunday Times; Glenn Murphy - actor; Jeremy Nicholas - radio presenter; Roger O'Donnell - The Cure; Steve Roberts - boxer; Paul Ross - TV presenter; Martin Samuel - football writer; Rob Shepherd - football writer; Alex Walkinshaw - actor; Louise Weiner - former Sleeper vocalist; Billie Whitelaw - actress; Ray Winstone - actor; Keira Knightley - actress; Ben Shepherd - TV presenter; Russell Brand - radio/TV presenter; Frankie Cocozza - X Factor/CBB contestant.

 

Useful Numbers

General Enquiries020 8548 2748
Ticket Office/Travel Club0870 112 2700
Hammers Quality Hotel
0870 460 8200
Membership Office
0870 112 2700
Football In The Community
020 8548 2707
Conference and Banqueting
020 8548 2775
Emailyourcomments@westhamunited.co.uk
MailBoleyn Ground, Green Street, London E13 9AZ

• Club
• Background
• Kits
• Sources

West Ham United

Formed 1900
Elected to Division Two 1919

Kit History

Thames Ironworks

1895

1895-1896 a j k

1896-Oct 1897 b

Nov 1897 -1900 j l s t

West Ham United

1900

1900-1901 j l s t u

1901-1903 i j k s t u

1903-1905 c s v

1905-1907 v

1907-1922 v

1922-1926 v

1926-1934 c v

1934-1949 c

1949-1950 v

1950-1952 f v

1952-1954 c v

1954-1955 v

1954-1955 v

Worn in floodlit international friendlies

1955-1957 c

1957-1958 v

Crest may have been worn in some games

1958-1960 v

1960-1961 v

1961-1963 c q u v

1963-1966 c u v

1965 ECWC Final v

1966-1973 c u

1973-1974 x

1973-1975 c u

Bukta

1975-1976 n o

Admiral

1976 ECWC Final w x

Admiral

Aug-Dec 1976 g

Admiral

Dec 1976-1977 g

Admiral

1977-1980 d g

Adidas

1980-1983 d

Adidas

1983-1984 d h

Adidas

1984-1985 d h

Adidas

1985-1987 d h

Scoreline

1987-1989 d g

Bukta

1989-1990 r

Bukta

1990-1991 d p

Bukta

1991-1992 d m

Bukta

1992-1993 d m

Pony

1993-1995 d

Pony

1995-1997 d

Pony

1997-1998 d h

Pony

April 1998-1999 d h

Fila

1999-2001 d

Fila

2001-2003 d

Reebok

2003-2005 e

Reebok

2005-2007 e

Umbro

2007-2008 e

Umbro

Aug-Sept 2008 e

Umbro

13 Sept 2008 e

Squad numbers replaced sponsorship on shirt

Umbro

6 December 2008 e

Umbro

2009-2010 e

Macron

2010-2011 e

Macron

2011-2012 e

Macron

2012-2013 e

 

If you can help fill the gaps or correct errors in these records please contact me!

Background

In the early 1890s, the Canning Town and West Ham area of East London was awash with football clubs. In 1895, Arnold Hills, Chairman and Managing Director of the Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company decided to form a works team to be called Thames Ironworks FC. Hills was himself a prominent player, having played for Oxford University in the FA Cup final of 1877 and won an England cap two years later. The club initially played in Harrovian blue, latterly with a union flag on the left breast. Research by Grant Hole has brought evidence to light that in 1895, the club took over Castle Swifts FC, the works side of the Castle Mail Packet Company. Thames Ironworks acquired a set of blue and white kits from the Swifts and wore these for the first time in the second half of a rain-soaked game against Novocastrians in November 1897. "Castle blue" shirts, white knickers and vermillion socks became the team's colours until 1900 (the colours of the Castle Mail Packet Shipping Co).
There is a story that in the summer of 1899 Bill Dove, a sprinter of national repute who was involved in coaching the Ironworks team, was challenged to a race with four Aston Villa players at a fair in Birmingham. Dove won but the Villa men could not pay the wager so one of them pinched a set of claret and blue shirts from his club (he was responsible for doing the laundry) to settle the bet. There is, however, no evidence that the team ever wore their new shirts.
In June 1900, the club was formally wound up. The Ironworks had become a company owned by shareholders who were not prepared to fund the team. For every share sold in the new company to the public, Arnold Hill bought one too. The club was allowed to continue playing at the Ironworks sports ground for a generous rent and Arnold Hills became the president of the new West Ham United, who signed professional players. A set of light blue shirts were obrtained, claret stripes were added to the shorts, claret being the commercial colour of the Ironworks, and the old vermilion socks were replaced by black ones. The next season a claret hoop was added to the shirt, which became known as the "Union Jack" strip and in 1903 the now familiar claret shirts with light blue sleeves were adopted. The team continued to be known as the "red, white and blues" for some time.
West Ham retain their connection to the older club through their badge (a pair of crossed riveting hammers) and their nickname (The Hammers). The new club took over Ironworks' place in the Southern League and steadily built a reputation. In 1919 West Ham were elected to Division Two when the League was expanded after World War One. In 1923 the Hammers won promotion to the First Division and appeared in the first Wembley FA Cup Final where they lost 0-2 to Bolton. This match is probably the first in which the famous crossed hammers appeared. Nine years later, the club was relegated back to Division Two where they stayed for the next 26 years.
From 1950 the crossed hammer badge was worn regularly, usually embroidered in claret on a light blue patch but with several variations until it was retired in 1966. (A good example is the 1958 version, embroidered onto a shield-shaped patch and in which the rivetting hammers have a different shape.)
In 1954-55 West Ham played a number of European sides in friendlies under floodlights, wearing shirts made from shiny, rayon material.
In 1958 The Hammers won the Second Division championship in the season that the young Bobby Moore made his debut. Three years later Ron Greenwood became manager and West Ham's golden age began. In 1964 they won the FA Cup for the first time, beating Preston North End 3-2. A year later they were back at Wembley in the European Cup Winners' Cup final, defeating TSV Munich 1860 2-0. The crests worn in these important matches added Boleyn Castle, a local landmark, to the crossed hammers.
In 1966 the Hammers lost in the League Cup final but the club will always be remembered for providing three key members of England's victorious World Cup winning side, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore.
It would be eight years before West Ham won more silverware, winning the FA Cup by beating Fulham (now captained by Bobby Moore) in 1975. A year later they reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final for the second time but lost to Anderlecht. The club unveiled a prototype of their new yoked strip, designed by Admiral, in this match.
In 1978 West Ham were relegated and while in Division Two they won the FA Cup for the third time, beating hot favourites Arsenal in the final. A year later they were back in Division One having won the Second Division title.
Adidas took over as West Ham's kit supplier for their first season back in the top division and their new strips featured a redesigned crest. This was dropped in 1983 in favour of a simple crossed hammer design but it was reinstated in 1985. After 1987 the colours were changed from gold on blue to light blue on claret.
In 1986 West Ham achieved their highest ever League placing, third in the First Division behind Liverpool and Everton. Between 1989 and 1993 West Ham were relegated twice and promoted twice, finally enjoying a settled period in the Premier league that lasted until 2003 when once again they were relegated.
In 1997 the crest was given a facelift.
On 17 May 2010, West Ham and Newham Borough Council submitted a plan to take over the Olympic Stadium following the 2012 Olympic Games. A rival bid from Tottenham Hotspur was rejected but the future of West Ham's plan was thrown into doubt by an objection from Leyton Orient, whose ground is less than a mile from the new stadium.
West Ham United is a club of strong traditions. The claret and blue shirts may have been re-interpreted over the last 20 years but the classic 1960s design worn by Moore, Peters and Hurst remains the standard by which they are judged. More significantly, the club has always placed a premium on playing open, attacking football regardless of whether they are fighting relegation or winning silverware. In 2011, the Hammers were relegated to the Championship, throwing further doubt on the viability of the proposed move into the Olympic Stadium. A quick return to the top flight would be necessary if the club were to attract crowds sufficiently large for a ground with a planned capacity of 60,000.
In October 2011, negotiations over the move to the new Olympic Stadium collapsed after an anonymous complaint to the European Commission was made, alleging that a £40m loan from Newham Council amounted to state aid. Both Spurs and Leyton Orient had also given notice that they would appeal against a decision to dismiss their original objections giving rise to fears that legal action could rumble on through the courts for years to come. As a result the London Legacy Development Corporation published a new biding process for the Olympic Stadium, based on a 99-year lease rather than outright sale and West Ham renewed their intetrest. They also returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking.