West Ham

[rcraigharman at hotmail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 19691

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Jennifer" <jennifer.k at l...> wrote:
> 
> Doing sort of a sketch on Dean Thomas, I'm searching facts about
> the West ham soccer Team that he is a devoted fan of. 
> Is it a real team? Where are they located? ("west ham" really
> doesn't tell me anything) How long have they played? Where are
> their fans (for the most part) located? (might give some
> eventually indications to where Dean lives)
> Is there any homepage of theirs?

West Ham United FC is a real team (nicknamed the "Hammers") who play 
at Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, London.  The official page is: 
http://www.whufc.com/  and the history section is found at:
http://www.whufc.com/history/knowyour.asp

There you'll find the following excerpts:

"WEST HAM UNITED enjoys one of the proudest traditions for playing
entertaining, attacking football that has thrilled millions since the
East London club formed in 1900, five years after the formation of
our forerunners, Thames Ironworks.

"It is enshrined in Hammers' history that regardless of their status
at any given time, whether challenging for silverware or fighting
relegation, the club has never sacrificed its long-held football
principles. Our knowledgeable fans have come to expect nothing less
and they are rightly proud of it."

[....]

"Three FA Cup victories and a solitary triumph in Europe may not
compare very favourably with the achievements of some of our more
illustrious Premiership rivals, but West Ham United and its
supporters are nevertheless proud of our virtues. 

"Win, lose or draw, enterprising football, played by largely home-
grown players for supporters who appreciate the finer points of the
game. That says so much about what West Ham United represents."


It seems from an outsider point-of-view, that interesting parallels
might be drawn (and this should be unsurprising) with Ron's Chudley
Cannons, and perhaps Rowling had West Ham in mind as the archetype
for her perennially underdog Quidditch team....

....Craig