Following the team’s promotion to the Barclays FA Women’s Super League (Barclays FA WSL) in May 2018, the Club has significantly invested in all areas of the women’s team. This backing saw West Ham United women’s team enjoy a hugely successful first season, finishing a respectable seventh in the Barclays FA WSL, as well as reaching the Women's FA Cup Final. This successful growth and investment has continued this season, with the team playing at London Stadium in front of a record home crowd of almost 25,000 supporters.
In line with their success on the pitch and to align with how the Club engages with its wider fanbase, a West Ham United women Official Supporters’ Board (WSB) will be created. The WSB will be dedicated to all things West Ham United women’s team and will lead the way in supporter consultation for Barclays FA WSL Clubs. It will have a Chair and Vice Chair who will represent the WSB on the Club’s Official Supporters’ Board.
Our aim is to keep on improving the experience for fans of the women’s team so that we keep growing our attendances, driving the sport forward and inspiring the next generation of young girls to play football.
Jack Sullivan
Managing Director of West Ham United women, Jack Sullivan, said; “Our fans are the lifeblood of the Club and seeing the number of women’s Season Ticket Holders rocket this year is something we can all be immensely proud of. With more people coming down to Rush Green each week, we need our fans’ input on the issues that matter most to them and setting up the West Ham United women’s team Official Supporters’ Board will allow us to do that.
“Our aim is to keep on improving the experience for fans of the women’s team so that we keep growing our attendances, driving the sport forward and inspiring the next generation of young girls to play football.”
The WSB will complement the Clubs’ comprehensive supporter consultation strategy, which already includes the Official Supporters’ Board, Disabled Supporters’ Board and Junior Supporters’ Board, all established over the last two seasons.
Hammers fans who want a unique opportunity to play a leading role in shaping the future of the women’s side can do so by applying to join the WSB. To apply, supporters will need to submit a 200-word statement on why they would like to join the WSB, and what makes them the best person for the role. Applications will be anonymised, and passed to the three-person selection panel, including Russ Fraser, General Manager, Gilly Flaherty, First-Team Captain, and Sara Hunter, Senior Commercial Manager for Women’s Football at the Football Association.
Sara said; “It’s really important that fans remain at the heart of the growth of the women’s game. West Ham United’s creation of an Official Supporters’ Board (WSB) encourages two-way consultation between fans and club and is an interesting model for other Barclays FA WSL clubs to consider. I’m really pleased that West Ham have asked me to be a part of the panel to launch this initiative. Hopefully this will mark the start of wider supporter engagement in the Barclays FA WSL.”
Supporters will be able to apply to represent specific areas of the fanbase. For a guide on being a supporter representative, please click here.
The areas of representation available on the WSB are:
- Families and Juniors
- Over 65s
- Under 25s
- Accessibility
- Local Supporter
- Match by match supporter
- Supporters’ Groups
For an FAQ guide on the West Ham United women Supporters’ Board, please click here.
To download a copy of the application form, please click here. Completed forms can be emailed to [email protected].