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Woodford Green
4:35 Wed Jan 19
Re: Going Forward.-Hammers United.
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Dear West Ham United supporters,
On behalf of the Hammers United Committee, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all West Ham United supporters a belated Happy New Year. May 2022 bring you good health, much happiness and maybe even a West Ham cup triumph!
The start of a new year is a time both to look back on what we have achieved thus far and look ahead to the challenges that await us as we move forward. We remain, as we always have been, resolute in our commitment to simply improving things for all West Ham United supporters.
Our stance on the key decision makers at our Football Club, mandated by our membership, is a strong and steadfast one. It does not chop and change based on the form of the team. We firmly believe supporters are not valued at our club and our survey (taken by thousands of West Ham United fans) made it clear that, for many, trust in our owners is lost. ‘GSB OUT’ remains our view.
The arrival of Daniel Kretinsky, and the hope that his continued involvement will bring about the much-needed changes we have all been calling for, allows us to include building a good working relationship with our (potential) new owner as an element of our focus.
Although the wheels of change turn slowly, Hammers United has made progress in a number of areas in 2021.
We have helped many members with ticketing problems and seat relocations. We have assisted others in overturning unfair and unwarranted stadium banning orders.
We are making progress towards identifying taxi pick up / drop off points at London Stadium, which would be of great help to many loyal West Ham supporters, and we have received overwhelming support for this initiative. We are made a presentation to the Safety Advisory Group / Matchday Committee on 11 January. Please check out the link below for more details.
An application has been made for planning permission to erect the giant crest onto the old Supporters Club in Castle Street. This would be a fitting reminder of, and memorial to, the Boleyn Ground. This crest, which once adorned the outside of the Southbank at Upton Park, was rescued from storage by HU having been cast aside by the club. We have been helped in this initiative by many across the West Ham family and our thanks go out to you all. Please check out the story to date on our website.
But there is so much still to be done to improve the matchday experience for all West Ham supporters.
Poor stewarding remains an issue as does the large numbers of away fans in West Ham sections of the stadium. The Season Ticket Waiting List (now the priority list) still requires clarity and transparency so that those wishing to become ST holders can fully understand why they are still waiting and when they are likely to get a season ticket.
We are still working on behalf of street vendors who wish to trade on the approaches to the stadium; something which many thousands of West Ham supporters voted for as a top priority in our survey. This would go a long way towards improving the matchday experience and making London Stadium feel more like the home we left nearly six years ago.
Hammers United had discussions with the club on the subject of street vendors on 24 March, and were asked to feed this back through the ISC. The club promised a further meeting and asked us to have potential sellers on standby to attend. We have been ready since day one. We still await a date from the club and supporters will note that it is now 9 months since our initial meeting. We hope for progress early this year. The most recent information can be accessed via the link below.
The subject of Digital Ticketing remains a cause of dissatisfaction among supporters and despite promises from the club, there is still no effective strategy in place. Although trials to rectify the issues experienced at the turnstiles are underway, the results so far are unclear and we will continue to push for improvements.
The club has many items of memorabilia, including Bobby Moore and Sir Geoff Hurst’s medals, and despite promises made when they were taken off display while we were still at Upton Park, the club has done nothing to deliver on its commitment to display these in a club museum.
The official supporters club is doing a sterling job for its members. There is welcoming feel around the club and this could be developed, to make it a throwback of sorts, to the feeling you might have experienced if drinking in the vicinity of Upton Park before a game. We urge the club to consider how they might offer support in making this happen. They must consider how every aspect of our match-day experience can look and feel more like home.
We believe that the Independent Supporters Committee can be a representative voice for thousands upon thousands of West Ham supporters and is the best means by which these voices can be heard. It took a monumental effort behind the scenes to formulate and agree a memorandum of understanding with the club on behalf of the ISC. This MOU ensures that the club is committed to dialogue over matters of interest to supporters – with the independent body that is the ISC and the independent groups themselves (including HU), who sit on this committee.
However, with this opportunity comes a responsibility for all those who sit at the table during discussions. It is incumbent upon all of us in this unique position to engage with our members, understand specifically what they want, effectively communicate their wishes to the club and do everything within our power to work with the club and hold the club to account to ensure positive change is brought about.
The new Independent Supporters Committee (ISC) has been in existence for almost a year now and it has to be acknowledged that progress has been very slow. This is a disappointing for Hammers United and its members. Both the club and the member groups of the ISC must shoulder responsibility. When progress is slow, we feel the frustration in the same way that we know you do.
Hammers United will continue to do everything we can to make the club engage in a meaningful way.
The new year also brings new challenges. The issue of safe standing needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. If West Ham fans want to see the introduction of safe standing, then we must treat this as a priority and ensure that the ramifications of any seat reallocations are considered and consulted on. It is imperative that we do not have a repeat of the issues that occurred with the last reconfiguration of seating, in the lower stand behind the goal.
This consideration must also be extended to the planned reconstruction of the West Stand lower tier. The club has committed to consult with the ISC and those supporters whose seats might be impacted by the proposed restructure. We will be pushing for early consultation on this matter.
We also have to consider the implications of the proposed Police Bill which could become law this year. This could have considerable ramifications for our fans and we will continue to liaise with the FSA to consider possible knock on effects to West Ham supporters.
Hammers United will be canvassing our membership, currently standing at 18,407, again in 2022. We identified fans’ priorities in our survey last year and will continue to give our members the opportunity to tell us exactly what we, as Hammers United, should be doing on their behalf.
It is great that things are much improved on the pitch, but we all know there is room for so much improvement off it, particularly in the matchday experience. Hammers United will continue to strive to make things better for all of you.
It is you, our members, together with many thousands of West Ham supporters in East London, Essex, all over the UK and all over the world that are the heart and soul of our great club. We have all endured the ups and downs of following West Ham and will continue to do so – after all, supporting your team is a lifelong commitment. Owners may come and go but supporters are for life.
It is our privilege to serve our members and the West Ham United fans.
Come on You Irons.
Paul Colborne (Chair)
On behalf of Hammers United Committee.
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