“Supporting West Ham United has improved my life so much, and I feel part of a family.”
Those are the words of NYC Hammers member Chris Torres, and as we prepare to kick-off our Premier League Summer Series participation at MetLife Stadium in nearby New Jersey on Saturday, this is a moment he’s long dreamed of, and excitement levels are now reaching fever pitch.
The Big Apple’s Smithfield Hall sports bar in the heart of Manhattan is where Torres’ love affair with the Hammers began.
Immediately after entering the New York City pub, he started chatting with a small but devoted group of Hammers, including Sean Fewell, Co-Chair of the NYC Hammers, and after he was personally delivered a Claret and Blue shirt to his workplace a few days later, there was no turning back.
Now a member of one of West Ham’s biggest and most active Official Supporters’ Clubs anywhere on the planet, you only have to speak with Torres for a matter of moments to understand his excitement levels as he prepares to attend his first-ever West Ham match this weekend against the Red Devils.
After years and years of watching Irons’ games on TV across the Atlantic Ocean, his Hammers will visit the Tri-State area for the first time since 1971, when they faced the great Pelé’s Santos at Downing Stadium on Randalls Island in New York’s East River, drawing 2-2.
West Ham are unbeaten in seven matches played in New York, and while that record will remain intact as they face Manchester United across the Hudson River in New Jersey in the Premier League Summer Series on Saturday, Torres and his fellow NYC Hammers members will flock to the MetLife Stadium to cheer on their heroes in Claret and Blue.
“My name is Chris [Torres], aka Shady, and I’m from New York City,” he began. “Like a few Americans, I acquired an interest in West Ham United through Green Street, but it was after visiting Smithfield Hall for the first time that I really got invested in West Ham.
“I walked into Smithfield Hall and I saw everybody cheering, and everybody welcomed me when I walked in.
“It was all something that stood out to me, and I was hooked almost instantly, and from that moment, I just became a member.
“Sean (Fewell), who runs NYC Hammers, I hit him up and asked for a shirt, and he actually came to my job, gave me the shirt, and said, ‘You're a part of this now,’ and there is no turning back.
“I've been part of it since, and it’s like a family.
“Being a West Ham fan means three things to me: working class, loyalty and family, and even when we're not watching West Ham, we go out together to eat, drink and have fun in the city.
“When I go to a bar and I have something West Ham-related, whether it be my hat or NYC Hammer shirt, people go, ‘Oh, you like West Ham?' I'm like, Yeah.
“I love it. It's something that I'm passionate about, and we also have the incredible Academy of Football.”
For Torres, West Ham’s visit to MetLife Stadium on Saturday will live forever in his memory, with it set to be his first-ever game watching the Hammers, where he will be joined by members of the NYC Hammers and supporters across the country and beyond.
“We’ve got tickets to Premier League Summer Series on Saturday, when we face Manchester United at the MetLife Stadium, and we'll all be going together,” added Torres.
“A couple [of NYC Hammers members] went out to Tampa, Florida, last year, and some guys fly to London all the time, including home and away matches.
“I can't wait. It's my first match as a West Ham supporter, and it’s a moment I’ve waited a long time for.
“It means everything. All the passion you put into it, all the loyalty, and all the respect you put into it. It's everything.”
