A dozen special Park Champions are helping West Ham United settle into the Club’s new London Stadium home.
Dressed in eye-catching pink rain jackets and Hammers-branded caps, the 12 volunteers play a big part in assisting supporters on each and every home matchday.
Patrolling the bridges which carry 57,000 people onto the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium Island, the Park Champions give home and away fans a warm and enthusiastic welcome by providing directions, local knowledge and information.
The matchday Park Champions come from a variety of backgrounds, from lifelong Hammer Graham Soames, who attended his first match in 1952, through Iranian-born mother Lily Mostafavi to West Ham-based Wolverhampton Wanderers fan Kathryn Taylor-Saunders.
“I was originally a Games Maker and after the Olympics I thought to myself ‘I’d like to keep volunteering’,” Soames explained. “So I came down here and have been here for four years now, volunteering at the various events held on the Park, whether it be the swimming at the Aquatics Centre, events at the Copper Box or now the West Ham matches at the Stadium.
“We get people here from all around the world and they all have questions for us, and helping the fans is wonderful for me because I’ve been a Season Ticket Holder since I was a kid and seen all the greats. I just love meeting people and talking with them!
“We get lots of questions, especially the away fans and those looking for the hospitality areas. Those who have Season Tickets are getting used to their new home, but we still get questions and have a laugh with them too, so there’s a good atmosphere.”
“I just love volunteering and welcoming people to the Park is what it’s all about,” “We’re the West Ham hosts and were really happy to be chosen. It’s a big thing for the Park and a big thing for us.
“We’re here to answer questions about everything, really. We answer questions about transport, about food, about the Park or even about the football itself!
“We work in twos or threes on the bridges and near the entrances to the Stadium. The most common questions we’ve been asked about where the turnstiles or toilets are, and some about mobility and access issues, because we run a Shuttle Bus from Stratford Station to the Stadium.
“It’s all about making a difference to people’s days and I feel like I’m contributing to something bigger. It’s a big deal for West Ham and a big deal for the Park.”
Another of the 12 West Ham Park Champions is Mark Orton, who took on a volunteering role after being diagnosed with depression.
“We get asked loads of different questions, from where the Ticket Office, Champions Place or Stadium Store are, to which turnstiles to use to those who have mobility issues,” he said.
“When you’re helping people and make their day, it makes you go home feeling good yourself. It’s nice to interact with the fans and put smiles on their faces before they go into the ground. I love football so it’s enjoyable to have a laugh and joke with the fans, and I really enjoy it.
“I am in between jobs and suffer from depression, so someone suggested I do volunteering, and I started on the Olympic Park in March, and it’s such a rewarding thing that I’m feeling good and I’ve had my medication reduced. Volunteering has helped me a lot in my life."
The 12 West Ham matchday Park Champions are members of a family of volunteers based at the Park Mobility Service, situated at the entrance to the Stadium Island opposite the London Aquatics Centre, from where they offer assistance to visitors every day of the year.
The woman who looks after the 700 Park Champions who volunteer for more than 6,000 hours every year, attending the wide variety of events held there – from pop concerts and huge sporting fixtures to cultural and community events – and helping to look after the Park’s extensive gardens and landscapes, is volunteer manager Adele Lefebvre.
“I am in charge of the Park Champions programme and we have more than 700 volunteers registered at the moment,” she revealed. “Part of the activities we do is West Ham United, so we are really excited to be here for the games taking place in London Stadium.
“We were wondering how things would go and it’s going really well for us. The fans are really excited to be here.
“We have 12 volunteers working at games at the moment, but this is a pilot programme so we are trying and testing at the moment, and this number might increase. So far, so good, so we hope it will evolve into something bigger in the future.
“We also do other kinds of events, have our Customer Mobility Service, our conservation and gardening and other activities around the Park.
“These Park Champions are amazing, as they are giving up their time to be here all year round, rain or shine. They are really passionate about the Park, the legacy of the Olympic Games and now West Ham!”
With the majority of Park Champions hailing from the east London area, the volunteers possess a strong sense of local ownership and pride, while their important role helps to improve their own skills, confidence, wellbeing and earning potential.
For more information about the Park Champions programme, including details of how you can get involved, please email [email protected]