West Ham United are delighted to announce that Nick Blackburn has been appointed as a club ambassador.
The lifelong fan and chairman of See Tickets is an influential figure in the business world and entertainment industry and will build positive relations with key figures inside and outside of football. Having travelled to the Barclays Asia Trophy in Beijing, he will particularly have a matchday role welcoming high-profile guests and promoting the work the club is doing at all levels.
His love of West Ham began in the early 1960s when he first watched the likes of Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst play under Ron Greenwood's guidance - and he has since seen the team play on more than 1,500 occasions. He was naturally delighted to get involved on a more formal basis. "I am very proud to be asked to do this role and anything I can do to help West Ham is something that is simply a great honour.
"I am very happy to be in a position where I can help West Ham in any way whatsoever," he added. "I am pleased they want to draw on my knowledge and experience as well as my love for the club." As well as his array of corporate contacts, Blackburn has plenty of knowledge within the game having previously been chairman at Queen's Park Rangers, worked on the Football League board and served as a FA councillor.
"I know a lot of people in football and can use those links positively for the club as well as the contacts I have made from the ticketing business. At See Tickets, we deal with all types of events from sports to theatre to music. I actually first became involved in the music industry as a manager of rock bands in 1969."
It is football though that has dominated his life. Pride of place on his office wall is a newspaper cutting of his favourite victory - a 7-0 defeat of Don Revie's Leeds United in November 1966. "It was one of the best team performances I've ever seen. We beat them when they were at their peak with Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter, Billy Bremner and the rest of them. We were in the middle of a great run and I can remember standing underneath the main stand and watching us play some fantastic football.
"My favourite players over the years were obviously the World Cup trio, Johnny Byrne, Trevor Brooking, Alan Devonshire, Paolo Di Canio...I always had a soft spot for David Cross and how can you ignore Billy Bonds or Alvin Martin? I think we have been spoilt over the years, you can go on and on."
While many fans rightly revere the 1985/86 team captained by Martin, Blackburn goes back a little bit further for his favourite side. "The 1980/81 team was the one I knew best," he explained. "They were a great bunch of people. I think the second division team that had won the cup, got to the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup and won the second division title easily was a great team."
He sees plenty of potential too in the West Ham United squad that is gearing up for the 2009/10 campaign. "Gianfranco Zola has been fantastic. Not just for the team, but for the club as a whole. I love the way he gets on with the job and doesn't moan either. It is exciting times. The club is well run at the moment, it is getting back on a better financial keel and what we achieved last year to finish ninth was tremendous.
"To be honest, it is difficult for any club to push on now with the top four or five the way they are but we can compete and who knows what can happen?"
West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury said: "I am delighted Nick has accepted this role which will be invaluable for our plans to build on the positive relations we have throughout the game and in the wider business world. He is West Ham through and through and will be able to open many doors for the club in the coming years."