- Thousands of supporters attend West Ham United's biggest-ever Family Fun Day at London Stadium
- Day featured activities, an open training session and fun and games involving the manager and players
- Event also saw squad and fans take part in a unique team photo, a press conference and party
Thousands of West Ham United supporters enjoyed a record breaking Family Fun Day at London Stadium – the biggest free fan event in the Club’s history.
Arranged during half-term to give avid Hammers of all ages the opportunity to watch their heroes train up close, the Family Fun Day saw fans flock from all over the country to London Stadium.
West Ham’s commitment to affordable family football meant a children’s Season Ticket for the inaugural season at London Stadium was just £99, with Adult prices starting at £289. As a result, the Club has almost 10,000 Junior Season Ticket holders, many of whom were in the crowd for the history-making event.
Slaven Bilic put his players through their paces, with captain Mark Noble, top-scorer Michail Antonio and new signings Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass all impressing the crowd, while the injured Andy Carroll and Aaron Cresswell came out to acknowledge the Claret and Blue Army.
Following the training session, the squad took part in a series of light-hearted challenges, cheered on by supporters, before posing for the biggest team photo in West Ham United history.
The squad then joined a group of 300 lucky Junior Hammers for a Party on the indoor warm-up track at London Stadium, fully equipped with a disco, face-painting, table-tennis tables, a FIFA station and the opportunity for the children to stage their very own press conference with the manager Bilic and captain Noble.
Today’s Family Fun Day was another shining example of our ongoing commitment to the supporters who have been so exceptional in our first year here at London Stadium
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady
“You could tell by the smiles on the lads’ faces how much they were enjoying it and I think it’s important for us to thank the fans for all their efforts, because wherever we go, they’re always there giving us their full support.
“Hopefully we’ve generated some good memories for them to take away. If you think about Andy’s wonder goal against Crystal Palace or Reidy’s last-minute winner against Sunderland, we’ve already had some great days here at London Stadium and today was right up there with them.”
Manager Bilic said: “I am never surprised by how passionate and devoted our fans are – and today was another example of that. When I first heard about the Family Fun Day, I was excited and to get 10,000 turn up is really something special.
“Today just further proves how important West Ham is to the community, so for us to be able to say thank you, and show our appreciation, of course we are happy.”
“We wanted to ensure that as many families and young children could attend, so having the opportunity to host the Fun Day totally free of charge and during the February half-term was ideal, and to have nearly 10,000 attendees was incredible.
“I am absolutely delighted at the success of the Family Fun Day and, judging by all the smiling faces, our young supporters certainly had a great time and will take away countless treasured memories.”
The first team squad now travel to Dubai for a warm weather training camp as they aim to strengthen their claim on a second consecutive top-ten Premier League finish.