West Ham has announced an agreement to sponsor the West Ham United Supporters Club this season, enabling the seventy-year organisation to survive.
The Hammers social club shut the doors of their Castle street clubhouse earlier this year on health and safety grounds and are looking for £60,000 to make urgent repairs to re-open. They are also in the process of selling one of two flats they own in Green-street to raise much-needed funds.
West Ham has stepped in to pay the rent and running costs for the new matchday venue at Stour Space, near to Hackney Wick close to the London Stadium in a sponsorship deal worth said to be worth around £25,000 to the social club.
Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold told WHUFC.com: “We are delighted to be able to offer our support and assistance to the Hammers Supporters Club and we hope it will go some way to helping them get back on their feet and re-establish the organisation as an integral part of our local community. As we have always said, the heart and soul of West Ham United is its supporters, who have followed the Club for generations in the past and will continue to follow it for generations in the future.The Hammers Supporters Club isn’t about a connection to a stadium or a building – it is about a connection to West Ham United Football Club. Our football club is now located at Stratford, and we want the Supporters Club here with us, to ensure that our rich and proud history is always recognised and cherished.
“We hope, in time, that a permanent venue near to London Stadium can be secured so that the Hammers Supporters Club can provide a safe and welcome social environment for its members all year round.”
West Ham United Supporters Club spokesman Paul Christmas said: “We are really pleased that West Ham United have taken our issues on board and managed to come up with a way to help us. It is a real shot in the arm for the Supporters Club and great news for the committee and the members. We took over as the new committee in May, and in recent months have had regular discussions with the Club. They have listened to our situation and responded to it.
“Historically, the board of directors at West Ham United had a very close relationship with the Supporters Club, and it is fantastic that the current board have now rekindled that commitment and come to help us in our hour of need. Hopefully it is the start of a very strong and close relationship going forward.”
Membership to the Hammers Supporters Club is available at a cost of £10 per year for a single adult membership, with members’ children admitted free. Supporters can sign up at Stour Space before this evening’s home match against Leicester City, open from 4pm to 8pm, or visit whufcsc.com for further information.
For details of how to get to Stour Space, visit: http://www.stourspace.co.uk/visit/