The Queen City Hammers explain their love for everything West Ham United
Although perhaps not the biggest supporter’s club, the Queen City Hammers, based in Charlotte, North Carolina are as passionate and devoted as can be.
Since forming little over a year ago, their membership has more than doubled and Francis Sosa, one of the founding members, is hoping their numbers continue to grow and grow.
Speaking to whufc.com, Francis explained how the QCH came into existence: “Queen City Hammers were formed the opening day of the 2014-15 Season when four of us showed up to a bar called Courtyard Hooligans to watch the match against Tottenham. I don’t think any of us were expecting to run into other West Ham supporters that day!
“We were so excited to find out there were other West Ham supporters here in Charlotte that it was obvious to start a supporters club. It’s a way to meet up with other Hammers and watch the matches and have a good time.”
While their first match together ended in bitter disappointment as Spurs took the spoils in a tense opening day derby, even a 90th minute Eric Dier winner could not put off the QCH members who were already hooked.
“We consider The Courtyard our home. It’s where we first met. It’s where we started. It’s the best place to watch football since it’s the only football specific bar in Charlotte.
“Thankfully the time difference is not too terrible. Most matches are on Saturdays at 10am in our time zone. It’s a bit tougher to watch mid-week matches because they fall during work hours.”
Since forming little over a year ago, their membership has more than doubled and Francis Sosa, one of the founding members, is hoping their numbers continue to grow and grow.
Speaking to whufc.com, Francis explained how the QCH came into existence: “Queen City Hammers were formed the opening day of the 2014-15 Season when four of us showed up to a bar called Courtyard Hooligans to watch the match against Tottenham. I don’t think any of us were expecting to run into other West Ham supporters that day!
“We were so excited to find out there were other West Ham supporters here in Charlotte that it was obvious to start a supporters club. It’s a way to meet up with other Hammers and watch the matches and have a good time.”
While their first match together ended in bitter disappointment as Spurs took the spoils in a tense opening day derby, even a 90th minute Eric Dier winner could not put off the QCH members who were already hooked.
“We consider The Courtyard our home. It’s where we first met. It’s where we started. It’s the best place to watch football since it’s the only football specific bar in Charlotte.
“Thankfully the time difference is not too terrible. Most matches are on Saturdays at 10am in our time zone. It’s a bit tougher to watch mid-week matches because they fall during work hours.”
Like almost every West Ham fan, it has not taken long for Dimitri Payet to establish himself as a firm fans’ favourite.
Despite only playing a handful of games, the Frenchman is well and truly up there in the pantheon of the Hammers’ wall of fame.
Sosa continued: “I think we all agree that Dimitri Payet has to be a favourite in the current squad. He has been a tremendous addition to the midfield.
“Some past favourites include Scott Parker and Ricardo Vaz Te from recent years. And there’s always the trio of Moore, Hurst and Peters that helped England win the World Cup in 1966. We obviously weren’t around to see them play but we love reminding everyone about that.”
Another special moment for Sosa was the opportunity to bid a personal farewell to the beloved Boleyn Ground before the Club move to their new home in Stratford.
Sosa continued: “I had planned a small European vacation for myself but unfortunately there were no league matches on the days I was in London. I took a tour of Boleyn Ground instead which was great. They took us around all over the stadium. They had the farewell wall so I decided to write farewell for all of us from Queen City Hammers.
“Many of the members have been to the Boleyn on their own in the past. Most recently, Jeremy was there for the New Years’ 1-1 draw with West Brom.
“In the future we will plan to go as a group, when the move to the new Stadium is made.”
Currently sixth in the Premier League table after a strong start to life under Slaven Bilic, Sosa believes the Hammers have the squad depth to maintain their form across the season.
“I think all of us hoping for a strong finish somewhere in the fifth to seventh place range; perhaps a Europa League spot. This current squad has us believing this is possible having some incredibly strong performances at this point in the season.”
With a new manager, some good signings and a new stadium along the way, surely it’s a good time to be a Hammer?
“Absolutely! We are having a great time being Hammer’s. We look forward to the return of Song as well as Payet getting healthy.
“Slaven Bilic has been great managing the squad. We look forward to seeing our team in the new stadium. Hopefully the energy transfers over to the larger capacity stadium and hopefully we can all get there next year.”
*If anyone is ever in Charlotte and wants to come and watch the matches with us we could be found on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, please email us at [email protected].
Despite only playing a handful of games, the Frenchman is well and truly up there in the pantheon of the Hammers’ wall of fame.
Sosa continued: “I think we all agree that Dimitri Payet has to be a favourite in the current squad. He has been a tremendous addition to the midfield.
“Some past favourites include Scott Parker and Ricardo Vaz Te from recent years. And there’s always the trio of Moore, Hurst and Peters that helped England win the World Cup in 1966. We obviously weren’t around to see them play but we love reminding everyone about that.”
Another special moment for Sosa was the opportunity to bid a personal farewell to the beloved Boleyn Ground before the Club move to their new home in Stratford.
Sosa continued: “I had planned a small European vacation for myself but unfortunately there were no league matches on the days I was in London. I took a tour of Boleyn Ground instead which was great. They took us around all over the stadium. They had the farewell wall so I decided to write farewell for all of us from Queen City Hammers.
“Many of the members have been to the Boleyn on their own in the past. Most recently, Jeremy was there for the New Years’ 1-1 draw with West Brom.
“In the future we will plan to go as a group, when the move to the new Stadium is made.”
Currently sixth in the Premier League table after a strong start to life under Slaven Bilic, Sosa believes the Hammers have the squad depth to maintain their form across the season.
“I think all of us hoping for a strong finish somewhere in the fifth to seventh place range; perhaps a Europa League spot. This current squad has us believing this is possible having some incredibly strong performances at this point in the season.”
With a new manager, some good signings and a new stadium along the way, surely it’s a good time to be a Hammer?
“Absolutely! We are having a great time being Hammer’s. We look forward to the return of Song as well as Payet getting healthy.
“Slaven Bilic has been great managing the squad. We look forward to seeing our team in the new stadium. Hopefully the energy transfers over to the larger capacity stadium and hopefully we can all get there next year.”
*If anyone is ever in Charlotte and wants to come and watch the matches with us we could be found on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, please email us at [email protected].