The Premier League has evolved into a global phenomenon. Sure, it’s a British footballing competition. However, the money involved, the excitement of the games, and the celebrity status of the players mean that it attracts attention from the four corners of the world.
This holds for our beloved West Ham too! When you think of West Ham, you traditionally think of East London and our native fanbase. The club has a deep history in London, and this is usually where most of our fans hail from.
People grew up watching the Hammers and have gained their love of the club from their parents and previous generations. However, that love has extended overseas too! There are some genuinely amazing foreign West Ham fans, and we should embrace them!
In the below article, we look at some of the most notable West Ham fan bases outside the UK – hats off to you amazing people!
New York
Football (or soccer as the Americans like to call it) isn’t as big as the NFL or the NBA in the USA. Indeed, waging platforms like Super Bowl betting and wagers on NBA matches do huge business, while football, in comparison, has a small online gambling following.
West Ham has many supporters, clubs, and fan bases in North America. This includes Toronto, Vancouver, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, and Cincinnati. However, one of the most notable is the NYC Hammers.
Yes, an official supporters club in the Big Apple was founded in 2001! This is pretty incredible, and we tip our hats to our American fans!
Barcelona
Moving away from North America, what about a little closer to home? Spain is known for its die-hard football fans, and Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Surely everyone in the Catalan capital supports Barcelona FC. Wrong! There is a large group of West Ham supporters in Barcelona, if you can believe it. Therefore, whenever we play in our upcoming fixtures, remember that there are people in Spain cheering the lads on too!
Serbia
Another unlikely source of West Ham fans is Serbia in Eastern Europe. The Serbian SuperLiga is one of the lesser-known leagues in Europe, and it doesn’t usually have any teams that make a massive push in Europe.
The competition isn’t unique either, and Crvena Zvezda usually win the league (at the time of writing, they are 11 points clear!). Due to the lesser competition and smaller coverage, some Serbians also turn to other European leagues and support EPL teams.
There is indeed a West Ham following in Serbia, possibly due to the handful of Serbian players who have kitted up for the Hammers. This includes Luka Belic, Filip Kostic, Kristijan Belic, and Nemanja Gudlj.
Australia
West Ham supporters in Australia make more sense. There is a large ex-pat population down under – many of which continue supporting Premier League teams from back home.
Also, many Australians will have parents or previous generations who emigrated from the UK and followed football. Aside from that, many Australian players have kitted up for the Hammers, including Hayden Foxe, Dylan Tombides, and Lucas Neill.
In recent decades, the Hammers took a tour of Australia in 1995 to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary! This included a four-game tournament, and it was a great event that must have gained some fans!
Scandinavia
Scandinavia, by far, gives us the most foreign support, and it’s incredible! For example, the Scandinavian Hammers in Norway is the largest overseas supporters club.
This supporters club is a long-standing tradition in Norway and was formed in 1988! Currently, it has 800 active members, which is fantastic.
Aside from that, the Hammers also have support in Denmark. This is a much more recent supporters club, formed in 2014. However, they already have 300+ members!
Tenerife
Tenerife is another hotspot for British ex-pats and holidaymakers. It stands to reason that there is a substantial West Ham following there. The Tenerife Hammers have their own Facebook page, which seems incredibly active!
The supporter’s club was formed in 2006 and has over 100 active members. Some people used to buy season tickets and watch the games regularly back in the UK but have now moved on to a life in the sun. Regardless, they maintain their love for the sport and the club.
It’s incredible to see just how much global support the club has. Who would have thought this East London team had supporters in New York, Australia, Serbia, and Scandinavia? It is incredible, and we want to thank these die-hard fans who continue to cheer the Hammers on!
Comments
Apart from the Aussie hammers
On here,ashes,ausiron,alby foreverirons etc the only overseas hammers I know are from Canvey Island!! ;)
I made it a point to watch
I made it a point to watch the West Ham v MLS in Toronto. This was in 2008. However, when visiting UK have always made it a priority to show up at the London Stadium for a game or two. There is a substantial number of West Ham fans in Toronto. At one time we used to congregate at a Pub that had entry fees just to watch the FA Cup games. The last two times I did so was against Man City in 2006 when West Ham eventually reached the final. Liverpool were our opponents in the final, but all in all West Ham fans and Liverpool fans congregated in opposite sides of the Pub. No brawls or fist fights. LOL!!
Sorry Toronto
Forgot you mate & Moore 2 come!Also Dartford who is an Aussie refugee at the moment!!(only joking mate!)
New
Would make my life a lot easier watching from somewhere sunny .instead of worrying about train strikes ect
The time difference is
The time difference is probably the biggest hurdle Aussies face when watching the Hammers especially during the English winter months. Still when it's warmer here, sitting in front of a nighttime fire enjoying a couple of cold ones beats freezing your bits off!!
been around
initially mozambique, then cambodia now istanbul. Not too many irons fans in any of them but I know a few.
Have only been to the LS once, left disappointed. In fact been disappointed with stadiums since we had to sit down.
Agree mate
Never the same since they introduced all seater stadiums,admittedly it was done for safety reasons but it destroyed the atmosphere over night! I'm just glad I was there to see the Boleyn rocking an hour before kick off growing up
I'm actually in the
I'm actually in the Seychelles. Been here for 18 months but returning to Enfield in 2 weeks time.
Blimey
18 months in the Seychelles bet you cant wait to get back to Enfield mate! ;)
You know what 65. I can't
You know what 65. I can't wait. Apart from taring round the island on a Jetski it's pretty boring. Food is awful here. Very very expensive. I have to go up the Casino to watch my football or suffer it in French.