An international history

West Ham United have travelled far and wide spreading the Hammers gospel, visiting more than 30 countries for competitive, challenge and friendly matches.

The Hammers have played in nations as diverse as the Australia, China, Egypt, Japan, Kuwait and the United States, as well as a number of countries that no longer exist, including the German Democratic Republic, Southern Rhodesia, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.

A squad representing West Ham first ventured on to foreign soil as long ago as 1921, when Syd King took the club on a summer tour to Spain for four matches against teams representing Madrid, Vigo, Bilbao and Corunna.

Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway were all visited before the 1920s were out, while the 1930s saw France, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia all host the Hammers.

The squad outside the Royal Palace in Madrid in May 1926

In a move that was decades ahead of its time, West Ham also welcomed international opposition to the Boleyn Ground, hosting Dutch side Haarlem in 1922 and a combined Peru/Chile XI in 1933.

The onset of the Second World War curtailed the club's travel plans, but they were off to neutral Switzerland again soon after hostilities had ceased in 1946.

The early 1950s saw a wide variety of sides visit east London, with the likes of Italian giants AC Milan, Brazilan club Olaria and Czech outfit Sparta Prague among those to showcase their talents at the Boleyn Ground.

The appointment of Ron Greenwood as manager in 1961 only served to increase West Ham's participation in international football.

After travelling to southern and west Africa in 1962, the Hammers took part in the International Soccer League in the United States in the summer of 1963. There, Greenwood's side topped a group including the likes of Italian club Mantova, Mexican side Deportivo Oro, Brazilian club SC Recife and Scottish outfit Kilmarnock before securing the title with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Gornik Zabrze of Poland.

The same trip also saw West Ham defeated by Czechoslovakian side Dukla Prague for the American Challenge Cup over two legs played in Chicago and New York.

The 1964/65 season saw the club compete in European competition for the first time with great success. Greenwood led his team to victory over La Gantoise (Belgium), Sparta Prague (Czechoslovakia), Lausanne (Switzerland) and Real Zaragoza (Spain) before lifting the European Cup Winners' Cup courtesy of a 2-0 win over German side TSV 1860 Munich at Wembley.

The Hammers won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965

The late 1960s saw West Ham continue to travel far and wide, most notably to Egypt to take on Cairo-based Zamalek, Houston to face Real Madrid CF and New York to lock horns with Pele's Santos.

Into the 1970s and the Hammers visited Israel before embarking on another European Cup Winners' Cup odyssey in 1975/76, defeating Reipas Lahden (Finland), Ararat Erevan (USSR), Den Haag (Netherlands) and Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) before being edged out in the final by Belgian side RSC Anderlecht in their home city of Brussels.

Italian club Fiorentina formed the opposition as West Ham reached the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1975, a competition they would compete in again in the early 1990s.

West Ham United faced Fiorentina in the 1975 Anglo-Italian Cup final

After hosting the Kuwait national team at the Boleyn Ground in 1977, the Hammers got their passports out again throughout the 1980s, despite the five-year ban that denied them a place in the UEFA Cup in 1986/87.

The decade's most exotic trip saw John Lyall take his squad to Japan in 1984, where they took on Santos, Japanese club Yomiuri and national sides representing Japan, Malaysia and Uruguay.

Eleven years later, the Hammers travelled even further afield when Harry Redknapp took his squad to Australia for four challenge matches in 1995, two of which saw them take on the Olyroos - Australia's 1996 Atlanta Olympic team.

The squad toured Australia for the first time in the summer of 1995

The final year of the last century saw West Ham win their second European trophy in the shape of the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Redknapp's side qualified for the UEFA Cup by defeating FC Jokerit (Finland), SC Heerenveen (Netherlands) and FC Metz (France), only to be knocked out at the first-round stage of the latter competition by Romanian side Steaua Bucharest.

Since 2000, the Hammers have continued to pit their wits against foreign opposition regularly, whether it be during pre-season trips to Sweden, the United States, Canada, China and Switzerland or by facing Italian club Palermo in the UEFA Cup first round in September 2006.

Always looking for opportunities to boost the club's profile abroad, West Ham travelled to North America in 2008, taking on Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew before being edged out 3-2 by the MLS All-Stars in Toronto.

The Hammers took on the MLS All-Stars in Toronto in July 2008

The following year, the Hammers joined Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur and local club Beijing Guoan at the Barclays Asia Trophy in China.

With the Boleyn Ground hosting an annual pre-season friendly that has seen clubs from Netherlands, Spain and Italy visit in recent years, the West Ham way continues to be spread far and wide.

The full list of countries where West Ham United have contested matches is as follows - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), German Democratic Republic (East Germany), German Reich, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Southern Rhodesia, Soviet Union (USSR), Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, United States of America, Wales and Yugoslavia.

International Supporters' Clubs

WALES

South Wales Hammers
Greg Shearman
Website: www.gwenthammers.com
email: gwenthammers@gmail.com
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/GwentHammers
Twitter: @SWalesHammers

IRELAND

Northern Ireland

Belfast Hammers
Contact Club Chairman: Peter O'Prey
Tel: 028 90223950
28 Glengoland Parade
Belfast
BT17 0JF
email: p.oprey@ntlworld.com

Republic of Ireland

Cork Hammers
Contact: John MacCurtain
Tel: (021) 508888
Sir Geoff Hurst Room
Telecom Eireann Social Club
8 MacCuratin Street
Cork
email: john.maccurtain@macb.ie

Dublin Hammers
Contact: Charlie O'Reilly
Tel: 00353 18205188
106 Huntstown Rise, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, Ireland
email: dublinirons@eircom.net

Mayo Hammers
Contact: Michael Heneghan
email: thehappyhammer@hotmail.com

Wexford Hammers
Contact: Declan Kearney
email: wexfordhammers@gmail.com

REST OF EUROPE

Austria

Austrian Hammers SC
Contact: Norbert Raimund
A-1050 Wien
Schusswall 2/3
email: norbert.raimund@chello.at
Website: www.austrianhammers.com

Belgium

Belgian Irons
Contact: Guy Buelens
46 Boerenkrijgstraat
2800 Mechelen
Belgium
email: belgianirons@pandora.be
Website: www.belgianirons.be

The Belgian Hammers
Contact: Franky Sarrasin(President)
Halfuurdreef 47
8210 Veldegem
Belgium
Tel: +32478360766
email: francky.sarrasin@pandora.be
Website: www.belgianhammers.be

Denmark

Hammers of Denmark
Contact: Kenneth Jorgensen
email: kenneth.jorgensen@image.dk

Germany

German Hammers
Contact: Mark Theising
Oberstr 62
D-45468
Mulheim/Rhur
Germany

Sauerland Hammers
Contact: Thomas Tigges (Chairman)
Talstrasse 104
D 57399 Kirchhundem
Germany
email: wh-sup-ger@freenet.de
Website: http://www.sauerlandhammers.de

Hammer Hearts Germany
Email: Hammer-Hearts@gmx.de
Website: Hammer-Hearts.de

Gibraltar

Gibraltar Hammers
Contact: Tim Reoch (Chairman)
The Victoria Stadium Bar
Bayside Road
Gibraltar
email: gibraltarhammers@hotmail.com
website: http://www.gibraltarhammers.webs.com/

Iceland

Icelandic Hammers
Contact: Sigthor Eriksson
Gardarsbraut 20
IS-300 Arkanes
Iceland

Italy

West Ham United Italy Fans Club Station 936
Contact: Vola Giampiero
email: woldanko@hotmail.it
website: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120039910457

Jersey

Jersey Hammers Supporters Club
Club Secretary Jamie Harkness
Chairman Antoni Miziolek
Hon President Herbert Miles
JHSC Secretary
Flat 2
4 Bereford Street
St Helier
Jersey
JE2 4WN
Tel 07797 717147
fax 01534 63288
Email: jerseyhammers@yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://jerseyhammers.tripod.com

Malta

West Ham United Fan Club - Malta/Gozo
Contact: Norman Galea
Tel: 00 356 21 432 863
Fax: 00 356 21 419 282
99 Lapsi Street
St. Julian's
Malta
email : freddies@onvol.net

Netherlands

Hammers Army Holland
Contact: Peter Bos
www.hammersarmyholland.nl

Poland

West Ham Poland
website: www.westhampoland.com

Scandinavia

Scandinavian Hammers
Contact: Gjermund Holt (chairman)
email: post@westham.org
Website: www.westham.org

Serbia

West Ham Supporters Club Belgrade
Contact: Chairman Veljko Illic or Secretary Ivan Sostaric
email: bioshole@eunet.yu

Sweden

West Ham fans Sweden
Contact: Peter Larsson (chairman)
email: whfs@westham.se
Website: www.svenskafans.com/england/westhamutd

Spain

Tenerife Hammers
Contact: Sean Murphy
Tel: 0034619088521
Contact: Barry Murphy
Tel: 0034664319356
Contact: Tony Smith
Tel: 0034617289952
email: sean@tenerifehammers.com
Website: www.tenerifehammers.com

NORTH AMERICA

United States

New York Hammers
Contact: Jamie Noone or Dennis Martin
email: jnoone02@worldnet.att.net or denzil1@mail.idt.net
Website: http://idt.net/~denzil1/NYHammers/index.html

Tampa Hammers
Contact: Sean Lengell
email: JIPZE2@aol.com

OCEANIA

Australia

Oz Hammers
President: David Lewis
email: david@dlagroup.com.au
Website: http://www.ozhammers.com

Adelaide Hammers
Contact: Paul and Kaye Southerton
email: kaye.southerton@bigpond.com

Brisbane Hammers
email: brisbanehammers@hotmail.com
Website: http://whu-au.blogspot.com

Canberra Hammers
Contact: Danny Brosnan or Micky
email: Hammersince72@hotmail.com or whudownunder@iprimus.com.au

Melbourne Hammers
Contact: Fash or Arthur Derian
email: westham_vic@yahoo.com.au or arthurderian@bigpond.com

Perth Hammers
Contact Nick Ellis (Chairman), Peter Hamersley (Secretary)
email: ironswa@tpg.com.au

Sydney Hammers
Chairman: Simon Mann
Website: www.sydneyhammers.com.au
Email: chairman@sydneyhammers.com.au
Twitter: @SydneyHammers

New Zealand

New Zealand Hammers
Contact: Pete Wilkinson
Tel: (09) 473 6076
1150 East Coast Road
Redvale
R.D. 4 Albany
Auckland
New Zealand

South Africa

Cape Town Hammers
Contact: Steve Burd
email: burd@telkomsa.net or outdoorworkz@icon.co.za

ASIA

Jordan

Jordanian Hammers
Contact: Ismail Dawwas
email: idawwas@owss.com

Malaysia

West Ham United Malaysia Supporters Club
Contact: Darul Ehsan
email: Pete.H@whumsc.com.my
email: Jim.H@whumsc.com.my
Website: www.whumsc.com.my
Kelab Puchong United
1 Jalan Kenari 12A
Bandar Puchong Jaya
47100 Puchong
Selangor