The Club was founded in 1895 as a company team of the Thames Ironworks. Many of the star players
have been local men while the Board has mainly been comprised of people from generations of the local
families most prominently the Cearns and the Pratt family.
The Thames Ironworks was a famous ship building yard and the Club had as a sponsor the head of the
Company, Mr Arnold Hills. Mr Hills was responsible for the Club moving to a new arena at the Memorial
Ground which was equipped with a grandstand. This also became well known as a venue for athletics
and cycling meetings.
In 1900 two events took place which were vital to the progress of the Club. Firstly, they were elected to the
Southern League and they then became a Limited Liability Company under the name of West Ham United
which severed it's former association with the Ironworks. In 1904 the Club decided to move to its present
ground at Upton Park. In the period between 1900 and 1914, the Hammers had a good record in the
Southern League and when soccer was resumed on a national level after World War 1, the Club obtained
entry into the 2nd Division of the Football League. 1922/23, they ended as runners up in the 2nd Division
and appeared in the first ever Wembley F.A. Cup Final - a match famous for the White Horse incident. The
Club lost to Bolton by two goals to nil.
The Club enjoyed nine seasons in the 1st Division but was relegated to the 2nd Division and did not
regain it's senior rating until 1958 when it won the 2nd Division Championship. Meanwhile, it had won the
Football League war-time Cup in 1940 at Wembley by defeating Blackburn Rovers 1-0. The Club then went
on to win the F.A. Cup three times at Wembley in 1964, 1975 and 1980. They won the European Cup
Winners Cup in 1964/65 beating TSV Munich by 2-0 at Wembley in a game which thrilled many millions on
European TV and is still rated as one of the finest games at the Stadium. In 1965/66, the Club were
defeated in the Semi-final of the European Cup Winners Cup. They reached the final of the European Cup
again in 1976 but this time lost 4-2 to Anderlecht in a Brussels Final. The Club were relegated to the 2nd
Division in 1978 after 20 seasons in the top section of the League.
The 1980/81 season was another remarkable year for the Club and the team went to Wembley to play in
the League Cup Final against Liverpool. In the same year the Club reached the quarter finals of the
European Cup Winners Cup and finished the year in style by clinching the 2nd Division. The Club's most
successful season in the 1st Division was in 1985/86 when it finished third. The Club was relegated to the
2nd Division in the season 1988/89 and in the same year reached the semi-final of the Littlewoods Cup. In
the 1990/91 season the Club reached the F.A. Cup semi-final and were runners-up in the 2nd Division. In
the 1991/92 season the Club were relegated to the new Football League Division One but in the following
year, season 1992/93, the Club were promoted to the F.A. Premier League.
There have been three major visits by Royalty to the Boleyn Ground. The Prince of Wales attended a
Charity match between West ham United and Tottenham Hotspur on 8th December 1930. It was in aid of
the East Ham Branch of the British Legion Earl Haig Memorial Building Fund. King Olav of Norway has
been a visitor on two occasions. The first on 6th November 1971 for a League match v Sheffield United;
and the second on 12th November 1988, when Nottingham Forest were the opponents in a First Division
game.
The Club is noted for the long service record of its players and officials and, during it's history, there have
been eight managers; Syd King, Charlie Paynter, Ted Fenton, Ron Greenwood, John Lyall, Lou Macari,
Billy Bonds and the present manager, Harry Redknapp.
During the history of the Club, five West Ham United players have appeared in the Royal Honours List.
They are Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds.
The Clubs appearance record for a player currently stands at 663 League games and 132 Cup games
with Billy Bonds. The previous total appearances record was held by Bobby Moore with 554 League and
98 Cup games. Close to him was Frank Lampard with 551 League and 114 Cup.
In 1966, three players from the Club played for England in the World Cup Final at Wembley, a record for an
English Club. Bobby Moore was the captain of the team which won by 4-2 (Geoff Hurst scored three and
Martin Peters scored one).
West Ham United has always been noted as a Club for developing its own players. The Youth section for
players under the age of 19 has recently produced well over 30 Youth Internationals. The Club has won
many trophies including the F.A. Youth Cup on two occasions in 1962/63 and 1980/81 and have been
beaten finalists four times. In the Southern Junior Floodlit Cup they have been winners four times, joint
holders once and runners-up twice. They won the South East Counties League Championship for the first
time in 1984/85.
The Boleyn Ground takes its name from the house which stood in Green Street, next to the ground, until
the 1950's. It became known as the Boleyn Castle after Anne Boleyn, but this was not founded on fact, as
the "castle" was indeed a building known as Green Street House. When West Ham United left the
Memorial Grounds at Canning Town in May 1904, their new home at Upton Park was originally a cabbage
patch where a Catholic School and reformatory stood. The first buildings were a small grandstand on the
West side and a covered bank opposite. A Director's Box with press facilities was situated in the
South-West corner of the Ground and in the North-West corner was the changing rooms hut.