West Ham United FC

West Ham United were founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC, a works team for the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company in east London. The club became West Ham United in 1900 and joined the Football League in 1919 after a successful spell in the Southern League. The 1923 FA Cup final, the first at Wembley Stadium, saw West Ham face Bolton Wanderers in a match forever associated with the famous white horse that helped control the crowd of over 200,000.

The club established their identity as the Academy of Football during this era, developing a philosophy of playing stylish, technical football and nurturing young talent from east London that would define the club for generations. The foundations were being laid for the greatest era in West Ham’s history.

Ron Greenwood’s West Ham produced the most remarkable generation of players in the club’s history. Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were all developed at Upton Park and went on to form the spine of England’s 1966 World Cup winning side. Hurst scored the famous hat-trick in the final, Peters added the second goal, and Moore lifted the trophy as England captain. Three West Ham players at the heart of England’s greatest sporting achievement.

The club won the FA Cup in 1964, defeating Preston North End, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965, defeating TSV 1860 Munich at Wembley. It was the high watermark of West Ham as a trophy-winning club, built on the passing philosophy Greenwood had instilled throughout the academy.

John Lyall’s West Ham won the FA Cup in 1975, defeating Fulham with a Alan Taylor brace, and again in 1980, beating Arsenal 1-0 through a Trevor Brooking header in one of the great cup upsets. The 1980/81 season brought a League Cup final appearance against Liverpool and a remarkable run to second place in the First Division, West Ham’s best ever league finish. Brooking, Billy Bonds and Pop Robson were the heroes of an era that came tantalisingly close to delivering a first league title.

West Ham’s Premier League years produced some memorable moments and some painful near misses. Harry Redknapp brought flair and entertainment with Paolo Di Canio, John Hartson and the Di Canio scissor kick goal against Wimbledon. Alan Pardew’s side reached the FA Cup final in 2006, losing to Liverpool on penalties after a Steven Gerrard thunderbolt. Sam Allardyce twice saved the club from relegation with typically robust organisation.

The farewell to Upton Park in May 2016 was an emotional occasion. Winston Reid’s header on the final whistle against Manchester United sent Upton Park out in style. After 112 years, the Boleyn Ground was gone. West Ham moved to the London Stadium in the Olympic Park, a controversial but ultimately transformative move that gave the club a 62,500-capacity home.

David Moyes’ second spell in charge produced the finest sustained period in West Ham’s modern history. Back-to-back sixth-place Premier League finishes, European football in three consecutive seasons and then the pinnacle: the Europa Conference League trophy in 2023, won in Prague against Fiorentina. It was West Ham’s first major trophy since 1980 and sparked jubilant scenes across east London. Jarrod Bowen, Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta were the stars of the era before Rice’s world-record departure to Arsenal. Graham Potter took charge in 2024 to begin a new chapter.