East London’s Stratford is the home of the English professional football team West Ham United Football Club. The Premier League, the top division of English football, is where the team plays. The team relocated from their previous location, the Boleyn Ground, to the London Stadium in 2016.
Thames Ironworks, the original name of the club, was dropped in favour of West Ham United in 1900. In 1904, they relocated to the Boleyn Ground, where they played for more than a century. Prior to joining the Football League in 1919, the squad initially participated in the Southern League and Western League.
Origins of West Ham United
As Thames Ironworks F.C., the works team of the biggest and last-standing shipowner on the Thames, Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company was established in 1895 by the foreman and local league official Dave Taylor and owner Arnold Hills, it was published in the Thames Ironworks Gazette in June 1895. Leamouth Wharf at Blackwall and Canning Town, on either side of the river Lea, where the Lea meets the Thames, served as the headquarters for Thames Ironworks. The most well-known building constructed by Thames Ironworks was the HMS Warrior.
West Ham United is Founded (1901–1961)
For the 1901 season, West Ham United continued to compete in the Southern Division 1 while also joining the Western League. West Ham won the Western League Division 1B championship in 1907, and they went on to upset the Division 1A champions Fulham 1-0 to win the league’s overall championship. The resurrected team initially played their games at the Arnold Hills-funded Memorial Grounds in Plaistow, but in 1904 they relocated to a field near Upton Park under the name of the Boleyn Ground stadium.
Glory Years (1961–1978)
When Ron Greenwood was chosen as Fenton’s replacement in 1961, he quickly guided the team to two significant victories, including the 1964 FA Cup Final victory. The young Bobby Moore served as the team’s manager. The European Cup Winners’ Cup was also won by West Ham. West Ham players played an important role in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, helping England win the competition. These players included Bobby Moore, the team captain, Martin Peters, who scored in the championship game, and Geoff Hurst, who recorded the first-ever hat-trick in a men’s World Cup final. All three players were West Ham University graduates.
