West Ham issue statement on Boleyn Ground

West Ham United have issued a statement on the burial of ashes at the Boleyn Ground.

“No urns have been interned nor ashes scattered below or on the pitch since the current Board took ownership of the Club. Despite this, the current Board have explored all possible avenues to establish if it is possible to identify, locate and retrieve any urns buried under the pitch.  

Unfortunately, due to various building and maintenance work at the Boleyn Ground over many years, including the pitch being relaid on a number of occasions, urns have disintegrated or fragmented making them unidentifiable. 

The pitches were rebuilt in 1998 and 2002, in addition to being re-laid every year. 

The new owners of the site, Galliard Group, plan to preserve the Memorial Garden at the entrance to the Boleyn Ground so relatives and friends of loved ones remembered there can continue to visit and pay their respects. This is in addition to the open Memorial Service held at the Boleyn Ground for all supporters on Sunday 20 March. 

We appreciate this can be a sensitive and emotive issue, but regrettably we are assured no urns remain intact beneath the playing surface.”