West Ham United

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Lore & Background

West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. It moved to the Boleyn Ground, which remained its home ground for more than a century, in 1904. The team initially competed in the Southern League and Western League before joining the Football League in 1919. It was promoted to the top flight in 1923, when it was also losing finalist in the first FA Cup final held at Wembley. In 1940, the club won the inaugural Football League War Cup. West Ham United has won five major honours in its history. Domestically, it has been winner of the FA Cup three times (1964, 1975 and 1980) and runner-up twice (1923 and 2006). In European competitions, the club has reached three major European finals winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965, finishing runner-up in the same competitions in 1976, and winning the second edition of the Conference League in 2023. The club has also won one minor European trophy by winning the Intertoto Cup in 1999. West Ham United is one of eight clubs never to have fallen below the second tier of English football, spending 68 of 100 league seasons in the top flight, up to and including the 2025–26 season. The club's highest league position to date came in 1985–86, when it achieved third place in the then First Division. Three West Ham players were members of the 1966 World Cup finals-winning England team: captain Bobby Moore and goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Millwall, and the fixture has gained notoriety for frequent incidents of football hooliganism. West Ham adopted their claret, sky blue and white colour scheme in the early 1900s, with the most common iteration of a claret shirt and sky blue sleeves first emerging in 1904.

In Their Own Story

The fog rolled off the Lea River, clinging to the terraces as the floodlights hummed to life. It wasn't a European night under the stars, but something more primal: a London derby in the mud and rain. Inside the stands, the air was thick with the scent of damp wool and roasted chestnuts, but beneath it lay the electric tension of old grievances. A Spurs supporter, his scarf pulled tight against the chill, locked eyes with a Hammers fan across the aisle. There were no words exchanged, only a silent acknowledgment of history—the shipyard workers versus the schoolboys, the Ironmen versus the Lilies. As the referee blew the whistle, the roar that erupted wasn't just for the game; it was for the neighborhood, the street, and the right to claim London's East as their own.

Reader's Guide

The earliest generally accepted incarnation of West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks F.C. Thames Ironworks won the West Ham Charity Cup in 1895, then won the London League in 1897. They turned professional in 1898 upon entering the Southern League Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division at the first attempt. Following growing disputes, in June 1900 Thames Ironworks F.C. was disbanded, then almost immediately relaunched as West Ham United F.C. on 5 July 1900. West Ham United joined the Western League for the 1901 season while also continuing to play in the Southern Division 1. In 1907, West Ham were crowned the Western League Division 1B Champions, and then defeated 1A champions Fulham 1–0 to become the Western League Overall Champions. The reborn club moved to the Boleyn Ground in 1904. In 1919, West Ham gained entrance to the Football League Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division in 1923, also making it to the first ever FA Cup final to be held at the old Wembley Stadium. In June 1940 the club won its first major trophy, winning the War Cup. The club spent most of the next thirty years in the second division. Ron Greenwood was appointed as manager in 1961 and soon led the club to two major trophies, winning the 1964 FA Cup Final and the European Cup Winners' Cup the following year. After a difficult start to the 1974–75 season, Greenwood moved himself 'upstairs' to become general manager and appointed his assistant John Lyall as manager.

Did You Know?

• West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks F.C., the works team of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company.
• The club's first game at the Boleyn Ground in 1904 was a 3–0 win against Millwall.
• Three West Ham players – Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters – were key members of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team.
• West Ham won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965 and the Conference League in 2023.