Dear West Ham United supporters,
Firstly, let me express my sincere gratitude for your unwavering support throughout what has been a demanding season, on and off the pitch. Your loyalty remains the heartbeat of this Club, and it never goes unnoticed.
Although the campaign has posed its share of challenges, there’s much to be proud of, particularly the strides we’ve made in how we engage and work with you, our supporters.
One of the standout developments has been the introduction of the Fan Advisory Board, our primary platform for consultation and a cornerstone of our ongoing relationship with fans.
This season has shown what collaboration can achieve. Constructive conversations with the Board have helped us take meaningful actions such as freezing Season Ticket prices for both the Men’s and Women’s teams for the 2025/26 season and expanding our concessionary pricing to make football more accessible for all age groups in General Admission bands. These are real wins, made possible by listening to and acting on your feedback.
We recently published a web story inviting your questions, not simply to communicate, but to build on that growing sense of openness. The response was phenomenal. Thousands of you from across the world took part. While it’s impossible to answer every question in one sitting, we've focused on topics that touch the most supporters: from matchday experience and ticketing, to safety and atmosphere.
We received many questions relating to football decisions and player recruitment. However, the truth is that it simply would not be beneficial or appropriate – for reasons of protecting our objectives on the field – to reveal which players Graham Potter is keen to sign in the summer transfer window, which positions he is prioritising, or how much we will be spending!
A large number of you shared thoughts about the matchday atmosphere at London Stadium. This season, we introduced several initiatives based on supporter feedback, including trialling family-friendly fanzones, the return of our crest flags, and new pre-match messages encouraging supporters to take their seats. We’ve also supported the Ironworks Alliance with two impressive fan-funded TIFO displays, and we’re in active discussions about dedicated atmosphere sections. These ideas are being explored thoroughly and responsibly with the Fan Advisory Board to ensure they reflect what you, the wider fanbase, want.
On matters of safety and stewarding, the Club has been working closely with the London Stadium team. Entry and exit audits have helped us better understand pinch points, and we’ve introduced real-time bridge queue updates and early bird incentives to improve flow. Your safety remains our top priority, and every decision, no matter how inconvenient it may seem in the moment, is made with that in mind.
It’s also worth highlighting the progress made on more practical matters raised by fans. From ticketing procedures and accessibility to refreshment offerings and our retail store, we’ve documented your thoughts, insights and concerns and are continuing to act on them. The feedback loop is working, and we’re determined to keep it that way.
Our Supporter Services and Fan Engagement Team have reviewed all the questions in detail and below you will see the answers to each.
We know there’s more to do. Football never stands still. Neither will we. The upcoming 2025/26 season marks our 14th consecutive year in the Premier League, the Club’s second-longest top-flight run in its 130-year history. That continuity is no small feat, and we’re committed to using it as a foundation for even greater progress.
Football is about belief. Every summer brings with it a sense of renewal, of what could be. We share that optimism with you, and we’ll be doing everything in our power to ensure next season is one of pride, passion, and purpose.
Thank you once again for being part of this journey. Have a fantastic summer, we’ll see you back at London Stadium, ready to write the next chapter.
With warmest regards,
Baroness Karren Brady
Vice-Chair, West Ham United FC
Your questions answered...
When will we be getting rail seating?
The London Stadium is an all-seater stadium. As part of the match ticket Terms and Conditions, all supporters agree to remain seated during the match. We, as a Club, monitor guidance related to safe standing closely. There are no current plans to introduce further railed seating at London Stadium in the 2025/26 season. There are safety rails installed in the away section and supporters in Block 222, designed to ensure a safer environment in the upper tier.
Why don’t stewards help people up the stairs if they are struggling?
The role of stewards is to ensure the safety of all our supporters. The Club has a dedicated team of Disabled Supporters Assistants (DSAs) on matchdays who are here to assist supporters. We also encourage supporters with any accessibility needs to bring a personal assistant with them who will know what individual needs that person has and will best-placed to assist them on matchdays.
Can stewards take more action to remove away fans from the home end?
This is a matter taken extremely seriously by the Club. Before each fixture, daily checks are made on purchasing patterns, residential addresses and email addresses to identify suspected away fans and ticket touts. London Stadium stewards are trained to identify potential away supporters, including if they are wearing the colours of the away team and will take action accordingly at turnstiles. For the limited number of away supporters who manage to make it into London Stadium concourse or seats, the Club works, in line with a zero-tolerance approach, to share details with stakeholder authorities and take the strongest possible action, including indefinite bans from the London Stadium.
Can something be done to review the whole system of security and queue times?
The Club has been working closely with the London Stadium and has carried out audits of entry and exit times at two recent fixtures. Our priority is to ensure the safety of all our supporters whenever they attend a West Ham United match.
On arrival to the stadium we search bags and all persons, including our Junior Hammers, by way of wanding using a metal detector. We encourage supporters to avoid bringing bags, if they can and this information including size of permitted bags, can be found in our matchday guide. Our recent audits have found that over a third of supporters enter the stadium 20 minutes before kick-off, so the team have been sharing bridge timing comms and introduced new early bird offers to encourage fans to arrive earlier to reduce queue times.
The matchday exit time is heavily dependent on capacity at train station platforms and is again managed to ensure supporter safety and prevent overcrowding.
Is there a way we can put areas together for more vocal fans to sit in an area with people of the same mindset?
This was discussed at our most recent Fan Advisory Board meeting and you can read the minutes HERE. There are no plans currently to create this kind of fan area, but the members of the Fan Advisory Board are going to spend time understanding if there is appetite among fans for this kind of singing section.
Is there a plan to reconfigure the stands further?
The lower stands were moved closer to the pitch ahead of the 2020/21 season and there are no plans currently to further reconfigure the stands.
What is being done to improve the quality and value for money of refreshments inside and outside the stadium?
Delaware North are subcontracted by the London Stadium to deliver the catering in and around the stadium. This season, they have introduced a number of new catering outlets and worked with the Club to introduce four new early-bird offers for supporters in the 45 minutes after turnstiles open, to encourage fans to arrive at the stadium earlier.
Could you run a ballot for a small number of General Sale tickets for away games so this is not exclusive to Season Ticket Holders and Bondholders?
Due to the very small allocations of the tickets that we receive for away games, priority must always be given to Season Ticket Holders and Bondholders. As a result of the small allocations, we are unable to extend this to a General Sale.
Can we stop people from hoarding away tickets and then selling them on to their friends?
The Club issue Terms and Conditions which ensures compliance with usage is always adhered to. Failure to adhere to the relevant Terms and Conditions may result in ticket sanctions including issuing suspensions and/or bans where necessary.
How do the Season Ticket ballots work for away games?
The ticketing ballots for away fixtures apply to all games where the Club is in receipt of more than 2,500 tickets. Season Ticket Holders can apply online at https://www.eticketing.co.uk/whufc once an away ballot is opened. The ballot is then systematically run through our ticketing system. Successful supporters are then notified by email.
Why do you only get loyalty points for cup games and not Premier League games at the London Stadium?
Effectively, a Season Ticket constitutes your Loyalty Status which can be used to gain priority access to away fixtures. Domestic home cup fixtures are not included in a standard home Season Ticket. Therefore, an additional purchase is required, loyalty points are added accordingly.
Can I buy match tickets at London Stadium?
All tickets should be purchased online where possible. Tickets are available (subject to availability) pre-match and on matchdays.
Can more be done to encourage fans to put their tickets on the Ticket Exchange rather than just not turning up?
The Club monitors Season Ticket Attendance and regularly sends out reminders to list, forward or use tickets for upcoming games. We are proactive in encouraging supporters to list their Ticket on the Exchange or utilise ticket forwarding, through SMS reminders and emails, alongside video guides that show supporters how easy it is to list or forward a ticket. Having a full stadium is important; the team are lifted by the atmosphere and gives an opportunity for fans to come along who may not have been able to attend otherwise. We urge you to join us in encouraging your fellow supporters to attend as many matches as they are able to, and if they aren’t attending to list or forward their ticket.
Can we have fewer night games?
Any evening matches in the Premier League or Barclays Women’s Super League take place as a result of broadcast selections and are not decided by the Club. We appreciate and recognise that many of our supporters go to great lengths to get behind the team. We work hard to make the nights under the lights as special as possible with light and pyrotechnic shows, DJ performances and much more.
Could we see more of the Club ownership at women’s team games?
A number of the West Ham United Women Executive Directors are in attendance at every match at the Chigwell Construction Stadium and the majority of away fixtures.
