Season Ticket Holder Alexander Zalocosta is certain West Ham United can show off the Hammers’ famous spirit at the new Stadium, with supporters taking full advantage of the unique opportunity to take their seats with friends and family.
Lifelong Hammer Zalocosta has sat with the same group of fans for many a year in the Betway Stand Upper and was determined to do so on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park too.
The group, inevitably, has swelled over the years and continues to do so, with eight new Season Ticket Holders having been invited to join the thousands of Founders at the new Stadium. All in all, Zalocosta led a group of 51 Hammers to his appointment at the New Stadium Reservation Centre and was thrilled with the outcome.
“Part of the beauty of coming to West Ham is obviously getting to know the people you sit with and forming strong bonds with them, so it was pretty clear that we'd have liked to have sat altogether,” he told West Ham TV.
“A few people have got some kids who they'll be bringing with and a few people have offered others to come along as well for a good first experience of what should be a very lively first season and many good years to come.
“It's been very informative. I think we've all understood a lot more about the new Stadium, we're all a lot more excited actually seeing things for real, rather than reading words in a newspaper, so I must say it's gone about as seamlessly as one could hope, given what a big group we are.”
Lifelong Hammer Zalocosta has sat with the same group of fans for many a year in the Betway Stand Upper and was determined to do so on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park too.
The group, inevitably, has swelled over the years and continues to do so, with eight new Season Ticket Holders having been invited to join the thousands of Founders at the new Stadium. All in all, Zalocosta led a group of 51 Hammers to his appointment at the New Stadium Reservation Centre and was thrilled with the outcome.
“Part of the beauty of coming to West Ham is obviously getting to know the people you sit with and forming strong bonds with them, so it was pretty clear that we'd have liked to have sat altogether,” he told West Ham TV.
“A few people have got some kids who they'll be bringing with and a few people have offered others to come along as well for a good first experience of what should be a very lively first season and many good years to come.
“It's been very informative. I think we've all understood a lot more about the new Stadium, we're all a lot more excited actually seeing things for real, rather than reading words in a newspaper, so I must say it's gone about as seamlessly as one could hope, given what a big group we are.”
Though Zalocosta is not actually a local lad, his grandfather ensured that he was quick to catch the Hammers bug as a youngster. And catch it he did. Zalocosta feels the West Ham spirit as keenly as anyone and is desperate to show off the best of his beloved Club at the Hammers’ future home.
He explained: “I'm probably one of the few West Ham fans who doesn't live anywhere near east London. I live in north-west London. My grandfather took me to my first game when I was about five and I've been hooked ever since.
“We have such a strong bond between all of us as fans, wherever in the world you go, you find somebody wearing a West Ham shirt, you're immediately best friends, and it's that feeling of spirit that hopefully now with the new Stadium we can show off to the rest of the world and not just to the good few who come to the Boleyn Ground every other week.”
Though Zalocosta is naturally hopeful that the new Stadium will transform the Hammers’ fortunes on the pitch, he is safe in the knowledge that his famous West Ham will retain its historic, traditional, family feel.
“What I've been so impressed with, despite taking this big leap forward, is that a lot of the home grown characteristics that we've all grown up with have been kept and hopefully fostered going forward to the new Stadium,” he added.
“We'll keep that very close spirit but there just be a lot more of us there and hopefully many, many more millions of people worldwide seeing it first-hand.”
BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO THE NEW STADIUM
In recognition of their status as the Founders of the Club’s new Stadium, each current Season Ticket Holder renewing for 2016/17 will have the unique opportunity to bring two friends or family members to join them as new Season Ticket Holders at the new Stadium, and select their seats together at the Reservation Centre.
Appointments for Band 1 Founders recently came to a close, and with the new £99 Season Ticket for Under-16s, hundreds have already taken the opportunity to introduce sons, daughters, nieces and nephews as new Season Ticket Holders so they can sit together for years to come in the new Stadium, while many others have taken the opportunity to re-acquaint themselves with old friends.
Band 2 Season Ticket Holders can now go to reservations.whufc.com and use their login details to add their two fellow Hammers fans to their appointment. If you have not received your login details, please email [email protected]
Once all existing Season Ticket Holders have had their appointments, the remaining Season Tickets in all bands – as well as the new £289 Band 5 Season Ticket – will be made available to supporters on the New Stadium Priority List.
Demand is running extremely high, so we would urge any supporters wanting to buy a Season Ticket in the new Stadium to join the Priority List immediately at reservations.whufc.com to avoid disappointment, and secure your chance to become a Founder.