West Ham United visitor guide | Boleyn Ground, Upton Park guide

The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park, is the home of West Ham United F.C. The team, founded in 1895 as the Thames Ironworks team, has played here since 1904, though due to redevelopment over the years, the oldest stand in the current stadium dates from 1969. The latest and by far largest addition to the ground, the striking Dr Martens Stand, was opened in 2001. The stands large two-tiered design has a capacity of 15,000 making it the largest football stand in the capital. As well as 15,000 supporters it houses the club offices, executive boxes, dressing rooms, club shop and the grounds very own Upton Park hotel, the Quality Hotel West Ham. The total capacity at Upton Park is 40,003 all seated. The grounds record attendance since becoming an all-seater stadium is 35,550 for a Premier League match against Manchester City during the 2002/2003 football season; the attendance record before the conversion was 42,322 against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 17 October 1970.

Just outside the ground on Barking road is the Champions Statue, commemorating Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters the famous West Ham players who helped England win the 1966 World Cup.

Away fans will find themselves in the lower tier of the Centenary Stand (North Stand). West Ham United usually allocates about 2,000-3,000 tickets to away supporters with any remaining being re-sold to home fans. Despite its capacity, Upton Park has a compact nature with fans seated close to the pitch, coupled with a loyal fan base (it should be noted that the more vocal home fans prefer the Centenary Stand) this makes for a spirited atmosphere that some could find a little intimidating.

The usual match refreshments are on sale in the stand but be warned, the half time crush can make getting served tricky business.

Getting To Upton Park

By Car

The roads around Upton Park can be a nightmare on match day, a combination of heavy traffic and very restricted parking options means that away fans are strongly advised to travel to the ground via public transport. A good suggestion would be park in the suburbs and travel in on the tube or to stay at one of the hotels near Upton Park and walk to the ground.  Those who need to travel to Upton Park by car are advised to try the car park at Newham General Hospital that costs £3.50 for up to six hours.

By Public Transport

Those taking public transport will find the London Underground (tube) to be the most convenient way of getting to and from Upton Park. The Upton Park tube station is the closest station to the ground but be warned, the post match queue can be quite unpleasant. East Ham and Plaistow tube stations are also a relatively short walk away and may be a good alternative if you wish to avoid the crush. An advantage of the good transport links is that away fans can choose an Upton Park hotel nearer the centre of London and make the most of all the capital has to offer during their stay.

West Ham United Supporters Clubs

West Ham Fans Sweden

West Ham Fans Sweden was established in the Autumn of 2004, to facilitate contact between supporters of the east London club based in a country as big as Sweden.

Its members normally travel twice a year to London to watch the Hammers, with over 32 fans making the trip on one occasion.

The amount of members varies from year to year, but tends to hover around the 500 mark.

West Ham United Poland

The West Ham United Polish Supporters’ Club was established in January 2008, when ten people turned up for a rally in Górki Wielkie to show their support for the club.

At this meeting a proposal was made for the creation of a supporters’ club flag, which was eventually hung at Upton Park for the first time in May 2008 during a match against Aston Villa.

Since then a steady stream of new members have joined the club. However, for many of them, travelling to a league match in support of their beloved West Ham is still an unfulfilled dream. They hope that in the near future, they are able to make it a reality.