We were delighted to welcome 22 members of Hammers Genova to London Stadium for the AFC Bournemouth match on Saturday afternoon, as they travelled over from Italy to celebrate their ten-year anniversary.
One of the Club’s four Italian-based Official Supporters’ Clubs, Hammers Genova was founded in January 2015, and currently boasts around 30 active members who regularly meet up locally to share their support of the Irons.
Ahead of the Cherries clash, we caught up with President Alessandro Benedetto, who told us everything there is to know about the group…
Can you talk us through the origins of Hammers Genova, and how membership has grown?
The Club was created little over ten years ago now, with the aim of bringing together the West Ham United fans who lived in Genova (known as Genoa in England) and the Liguria region.
I learned about West Ham because of Steve Harris, from Iron Maiden, who is a big Hammers fan, while others were followers of Italian players who have played for or managed the Club, such as Paolo Di Canio, Alessandro Diamanti and Gianfranco Zola.
There were four of us when we started, and there are about 30 now. We’ve gradually grown thanks to being able to connect with people on social media, and hopefully more and more people will continue to get involved.
Where is the group based, and how do the members connect with each other?
The group is based in Poldo’s pub in Genova, where we watch the matches and plan activities, such as our trips to future West Ham games.
We have become good friends and meet up regularly away from the West Ham scene as well, for example for parties and to go and watch concerts. We also connect with each other all the time on social media.
What have been some of the highlights since the group was founded?
We always wanted to combine our love of football with charity activities, so we began a close collaboration with La Band degli Orsi, a voluntary association that takes care of the children at the Gaslini Paediatric Hospital in Genova. We organise many events every year to raise funds for them.
One thing that makes us proud is the publication of our book dedicated to West Ham, called ‘Genova Claret and Blue’. We were delighted that former Hammers such as Mark Ward, Pedro Obiang and Alessandro Diamanti all took part and helped us with it, and we’ve managed to sell many copies which has helped good causes.
How proud are you all to be celebrating your ten-year anniversary?
We are very proud, because it’s a huge achievement and we’ve come very far.
We usually go to London Stadium in smaller groups, a few times a year, but on this special occasion we gathered together as one big team to celebrate during the match against AFC Bournemouth, which was really exciting. We started planning our trip in August 2024, so it was in the works for a while!
How can fans keep up with what you’re up to, or get involved?
We’re active on Facebook (@hammersgenova) and Instagram (@hammers_genova), and we have our own website, which you can visit by clicking HERE. Please get in touch!
