A relative of former men’s team captain Stan Earle was in attendance at HBF Park to cheer on West Ham United’s women’s team during their Perth International Football Cup clash against Leicester City on Sunday.
Former inside-right Earle scored 58 goals in 273 appearances for the Hammers across an eight-year spell at the Club between 1924 and 1932, captaining the side for the latter four years and also featuring for Arsenal, and twice for England, during a distinguished career.
After hanging up his boots at Clapton Orient in the early 1930s, where he had started out, he went on to coach Walthamstow Avenue and manage Leyton, before later working for a builder’s merchant. He died in Colchester in September 1971, aged 74.
The granddaughter of one of Earle’s cousins, Fiona Stuart was in the stands during the women’s team’s 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Foxes, having grown up in Clacton, Essex, before moving to Western Australia over 30 years ago.
Her upbringing was closely connected to West Ham, and Earle’s legacy, and with the majority of her family hailing from the East End of London, she brushed shoulders with the likes of Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Trevor Brooking in her youth.
“I’ve always had a connection to West Ham, and to Stan,” said Fiona. “I grew up in Essex, but everything always went back to east London, and it does throughout my mum’s side of the family, which is the one that links back to Stan.
“My earliest memory of football and West Ham is Bobby Moore and the 1966 World Cup win, and I still remember meeting some of the players. I’ve been in Australia for a long time, but I’m still a passionate follower of the Hammers now.”
The women’s team’s tour to Perth presented Fiona with the perfect opportunity to throw her support behind the Irons, a year on from the men’s team’s trip Down Under, when she was in attendance at Optus Stadium to witness the 3-2 pre-season win over Tottenham Hotspur.
She was thrilled the Club chose to return to the country for a second season running, and was particularly pleased to get behind the women’s team, who she has enjoyed following from the other side of the world over the last few years.
Fiona added: “Obviously my connection was to West Ham’s men’s team for a long time, but women’s football has grown hugely and I’m a big fan now.
“It’s been amazing to be able to go to West Ham matches in Australia two years in a row, and add to that family bond with the Club. I’m looking forward to following both sides now during the new season.”
