The history of the West Ham United, or hammers , goes back all the way to the 1800's. In 1895, the chairman of the Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company, Arnold Hills, founded the West Ham United club. Upon their inception, they played in the London League. That only lasted for four years though, by 1899, the hammers were playing in the Southern League Second Division. Their current name, West Ham United, was not actually formalized until 1900, when the club became a limited company. The official colors of the hammers are blue and claret.
The hammers moved into a new field in 1900 as well, Memorial Ground, in Plaistow. The 1905 – 1906 season saw them move to a pitch in the Uptown Park area known as the Castle. In 1919, West Ham United joined the football league. By 1923, they were already promoted to the top division. The Hammers have had the good fortune to claim the FA Cup three times, in 1965, 1975 and again in 1980. In 1965, the hammers also won the now defunct European Cup Winner's Cup when they beat Munich at Wembley Stadium. The hammers also lost that same comepetition unfortunately, in 1976 to Belgium .
Unfortunately, the West Ham United team has never been hugely successful in the League. The best finish that they were ever able to manage was a theird place finish in 1986. |
