In the 1970s, the Netherlands were at their footballing peak.
The national team, the Oranje, reached back-to-back FIFA World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978, Amsterdam giants Ajax won three straight European Cups between 1971 and 1973, with three-time Ballon d’Or winner Johan Cruyff and company dazzling the world with their totaalvoetbal.
Among the millions of proud Dutch supporters left mesmerised by the patterns painted by the men in bright orange shirts was Amerentia Pot, who grew up listening to Cruyff’s heroics on the radio.
Now 85, Amerentia moved to east London at the height of the Oranje’s powers in 1974, where she quickly picked Claret and Blue as her new favourite colours.
“I was born and raised in Holland, but I was posted to England for my job with Unilever in 1974 and have been living here ever since,” she explained. “That year, colleagues who lived in Liverpool told me ‘You haven’t seen Liverpool play, so come along and we’ll get you a ticket for the match’, so I went along and stood on the standing Kop and I loved it, but I couldn’t become a Liverpool supporter because I live here in London.
“I had many commitments at the weekends but, once they were gone, I said to myself ‘Now I’m going to football’, so I took the District line to see how it worked and went to West Ham, got tickets, then became a member, then a Season Ticket Holder. I have become lost in it!”
As an adopted East Ender, it is no surprise who Amerentia’s all-time favourite Hammer is.
“I love Mark Noble best. He is Mister West Ham. I like having a boy from the area as it’s old fashioned,” she smiled.
Despite her advancing years, Amerentia has no plans to stop making her fortnightly pilgrimage from her home in the City of London, and has already renewed her Season Ticket for 2017/18. The renewal deadline for the 2017/18 season is 5pm on Wednesday 31 May 2017.
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For every home match, she boards the London Underground to Stratford before taking the Accessibility Shuttle Bus across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – a service she believes is invaluable for supporters like her whose mobility is limited.
“I have had a Season Ticket since 2000,” she confirmed. “I come to the home games on my own but, when I go to the away matches, I always meet the same people on my coach and we have such fun. I love the away matches!
“I have a Season Ticket in the East Stand and I love where I sit on the first row, so I can see the pitch well and it’s a beautiful stadium, so I like it. My passion for West Ham continues to grow. I love it and it’s only West Ham for me. I live in EC4 and it’s an easy ride and I love the Club and I love the East End.
“The Shuttle Bus is a blessing and without it I wouldn’t be able to get to the matches, particularly in the winter, you see, because the wind gusts and it takes your legs from underneath you. That’s horrible, so I’m so grateful for the Bus. It was a wonderful idea.”
Amerentia’s friendly face and amicable manner have made her something of a character on the Shuttle Bus, where her personality endeared her to the Club’s accessibility officer Julie Pidgeon and her team of Pink Ladies.
She was invited to play a starring role in the Club’s emotive We Are West Ham United video, which features the Hammers’ most loyal Season Ticket Holders, who will benefit from a price freeze when renewing for the 2017/18 campaign.
“I didn’t expect it but it was a big thrill,” she revealed. “I expected one man to turn up at my house with a microphone, but two vans turned up with more equipment than you would need to film Doctor Zhivago!
“They all fitted into my little flat and it was amusing in a way.”
Keep checking whufc.com for more stories about some of the people who make West Ham United much more than just a football club.
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