Team behind the team

West Ham United has a long and proud history as a family club, and one of the best examples of this is demonstrated by the Lepine family.

All four members of the Lepine family, Dad Dennis, Mum Jacqueline and their children Billy and Penny all work at the Hammers' prestigious Academy training ground at Rush Green.

Life-long Hammer Dennis works as one of the Academy's drivers, describing his responsibilities he says: "I've been working here full time for six years. My job is to drive the boys to and from training, to games and the full time school programme we have here as well. So we bring them in from various parts of Essex and east London and then we drop them off home as well."

Another aspect of the job includes driving to various airports to pick up new signings or drop off players during international breaks. Prior to becoming a driver, Dennis worked as a scout for the club and on a rare day off can be found at the Boleyn Ground cheering the first team on.

"I'm a season ticket holder so I go to as many first team games as possible. Sometimes with work there's a clash but not very often.

"I went to the away game at Burnley, it was a great performance and a good day out."

Dennis' wife Jacqueline is also an avid West Ham fan: "I've worked for the club for a number of years on and off in hospitality and other various different roles.

"At the moment I work in the tea bar at the Academy for the parents that come from all over the country to watch their boys play. It's really nice because you get to meet all the parents, I really enjoy it."

Not only do the Lepine family work for the club they love, their house is a shrine to all things West Ham. As Jacqueline explains: "My husband brings all sorts of things into the house. We have the crossed hammers tiled into our roof, one of our friends is a tiller. It started off as a joke, but it actually happened!

"We've got old goal nets that were no use to the club, so we've got them round the fences in the garden, I've got clematis and other plants growing through them. But yeah we've got pieces all over the house, but he's not allowed stuff in the front room."

Their son Billy, a former Dagenham & Redbridge goalkeeper, has followed in the family footsteps as a goalkeeping coach at the Academy: "I coach the foundation stage Academy goalkeepers. We start at six years old all the way to 12. I've been doing that for about four or five years.

"Before that I started here as an 18-year-old trainee coach at West Ham. Over time I've become the programme's goalkeeping coach, so I coach them, watch their games, review them. Pretty much look after those boys."

It may not come as a huge surprise to hear who Billy is named after: "I'm named after Billy Bonds. My middle name is Hammer as well, Billy Hammer Lepine. I didn't have much choice, obviously."

Father Dennis explains the reasoning: "Well, Billy Bonds was always my favourite player as a kid growing up, so it was the obvious choice. Billy's an old fashioned name so that was that really. Hammer obviously after West Ham's nickname.

"It was a bit hard to convince Jackie, but I was set at the word go."

Completing the Lepine connection to West Ham is daughter Penny who works in the Academy kitchen: "I've been working here for just over a year now. I've had fantastic support from West Ham and Terry Westley as they've put me through college in the evenings, twice a week. Hopefully I'll become a trained chef and work my way up from there."

As Jacqueline summarises: "Our family life revolves totally around West Ham and the fixture list. We've missed weddings and all sorts of things because of the football. We go on holiday at the end of the season after Dennis has finished taking people to the airport and various other jobs, and then we have our holiday.

"It's always been like that for 25 years of marriage but I wouldn't want it any other way."