- Pride of Irons will take part in Pride in London Parade in the capital on Saturday afternoon
- Supporters' Club raises awareness and provides support for LGBT Hammers
- West Ham United fans invited to join Pride of Irons among tens of thousands at the event
Forty members of the Pride of Irons, the official West Ham United LGBT Supporters Group, will take part in the Pride in London Parade on Saturday afternoon.
The Hammers fans will be joined by representatives from #PrideinFootball, Gay Gooners and a host of other sports clubs from all over the country.
Pride of Irons have invited those taking part, and members of the public watching the Parade, to make themselves known to the West Ham group and share their love for football and the Club.
Treasurer Alastair Holmes, secretary Dave Wood and committee member David Springer are all Season Ticket Holders who will be among those involved on Saturday, when Pride of Irons will march as a group for the first time.
“Last year we walked with the #PrideinFootball umbrella organisation, but this year we took the decision to walk on our own, which is a massive step forward,” said Wood. “We have ordered 40 wristbands and have a meeting point on Saturday. We have a few spaces left, so if people want to come along they can contact us via our Facebook group.
“Pride will help us raise awareness of LGBT and it’s not something I thought I’d see in my lifetime, but it is happening and it is wonderful.
“Last year people were shouting ‘Come on you Irons!’ from the side of the road when they saw our t-shirts, which was amazing, but this year we’ll have our banner and hopefully we’ll get even more support and raise more awareness of the group.”
Pride will help us raise awareness of LGBT and it’s not something I thought I’d see in my lifetime, but it is happening and it is wonderful
Holmes says the fact the group is marching independently shows how Pride of Irons has grown hugely over the past 12 months.
“We’ve been building up support and have over 100 members and nearly 1,000 followers on Twitter now,” said Holmes. “We’ve had various social activities both within our clubs and met up with LGBT supporters of other clubs and had a great day out in Norwich in February.
“The Club very kindly granted us a block booking of seats to the Manchester United FA Cup replay, so we were able to get a lot of us together for that game.
“We have also held various fundraising and awareness events and posts on social media highlighting that West Ham is a Club that is supportive of LGBT fans.”
Springer issued an open invite to West Ham fans to find out a bit more about Pride of Irons at the Pride in London Parade, whatever their own background.
“Pride is not an exclusively LGBT event, it’s for everybody and that includes all West Ham fans, no matter what your background or occupation is – it’s a celebration of us as a Club,” he explained.
“With the Club moving to the new Stadium, it’s going to see more supporters at each game and we’re looking at holding more events next season and looking to work in partnership with the Club as we continue to build,” Holmes confirmed.
As West Ham fans, Springer said Pride of Irons cannot wait to watch Slaven Bilic’s side in action at their new home on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
“As a fan for so many years, this is the most exciting season yet and something to look forward to. My son has got his first Season Ticket this coming season and we can’t wait!”
The Pride in London Parade leaves from Portland Place at 1pm, moving down Regent Street through Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Lower Regent Street, Waterloo Place, Pall Mall East, Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square, and Whitehall, before dispersing in Whitehall Place. For more information, click here.
“We’ve been building up support and have over 100 members and nearly 1,000 followers on Twitter now,” said Holmes. “We’ve had various social activities both within our clubs and met up with LGBT supporters of other clubs and had a great day out in Norwich in February.
“The Club very kindly granted us a block booking of seats to the Manchester United FA Cup replay, so we were able to get a lot of us together for that game.
“We have also held various fundraising and awareness events and posts on social media highlighting that West Ham is a Club that is supportive of LGBT fans.”
Springer issued an open invite to West Ham fans to find out a bit more about Pride of Irons at the Pride in London Parade, whatever their own background.
“Pride is not an exclusively LGBT event, it’s for everybody and that includes all West Ham fans, no matter what your background or occupation is – it’s a celebration of us as a Club,” he explained.
“With the Club moving to the new Stadium, it’s going to see more supporters at each game and we’re looking at holding more events next season and looking to work in partnership with the Club as we continue to build,” Holmes confirmed.
As West Ham fans, Springer said Pride of Irons cannot wait to watch Slaven Bilic’s side in action at their new home on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
“As a fan for so many years, this is the most exciting season yet and something to look forward to. My son has got his first Season Ticket this coming season and we can’t wait!”
The Pride in London Parade leaves from Portland Place at 1pm, moving down Regent Street through Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Lower Regent Street, Waterloo Place, Pall Mall East, Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square, and Whitehall, before dispersing in Whitehall Place. For more information, click here.