LATEST NEWS
OZHAMMERS FIXTURES
Sunday 10 February

West Ham United
Aston Villa
Versus West Ham United
West Ham United

Villa Park, 3pm Birmingham, Sunday 10 February
KO 12.30am (Monday) Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra,
Midnight Adelaide, 11.30pm Brisbane, 9.30pm Perth

Monday 25 February

West Ham United
West Ham United
Versus Tottenham
Tottenham

Upton Park, 8pm East London, Monday 25 February
KO 7am (Tuesday) Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra,
6.30am Adelaide, 6am Brisbane, 4am Perth

Saturday 2 March

Stoke City
Stoke City
Versus West Ham United
West Ham United

Britannia Stadium, 3pm Stoke, Saturday 2 March
KO 2am (Monday) Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra,
1.30am Adelaide, 1am Brisbane, 11pm Perth

Sunday 17 March

Chelsea
Chelsea
Versus West Ham United
West Ham United

Stamford Bridge, 4pm West London, Sunday 17 March
KO 3am (Monday) Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra,
2.30am Adelaide, 2am Brisbane, Midnight Perth

Saturday 30 March

West Ham United
West Ham United
Versus West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion

Upton Park, 3pm East London, Saturday 30 March
KO 2am (Monday) Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra,
1.30am Adelaide, 1am Brisbane, 11pm Perth

Sunday 7 April

Liverpool
Liverpool
Versus West Ham United
West Ham United

Anfield, 1.30pm Liverpool, Saturday 7 April
KO 11.30pm Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
11pm Adelaide, 9.30pm Perth

Saturday 13 April

Southampton
Southampton
Versus West Ham United
West Ham United

St Mary's Stadium, 3pm Southampton, Saturday 13 April
KO Midnight Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
11.30pm Adelaide, 10pm Perth

Wednesday 17 April

West Ham United
West Ham United
Versus Manchester United
Manchester United

Upton Park, 7.45pm East London, Wednesday 17 April
KO 4.45am Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
4.15am Adelaide, 2.45am Perth

Saturday 20 April

West Ham United
West Ham United
Versus Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic

Upton Park, 3pm East London, Saturday 20 April
KO Midnight Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
11.30pm Adelaide, 10pm Perth

Saturday 27 April

Manchester City
Manchester City
Versus West Ham United
West Ham United

Etihad Stadium, 12.45pm Manchester, Saturday 27 April
KO 9.45pm Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
9.15pm Adelaide, 7.45pm Perth
(Supporters should note that if either Man Utd or Arsenal are in the UEFA Champions League semi-final the following Tuesday 30 April, this match will be moved to Sunday 28 April 2013 with a UK KO at 4pm)

Saturday 4 May

West Ham United
West Ham United
Versus Newcastle United
Newcastle United

Upton Park, 3pm East London, Saturday 4 May
KO Midnight Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
11.30pm Adelaide, 10pm Perth

Sunday 12 May

Everton
Everton
Versus West Ham United
West Ham United

Goodison Park, 3pm Liverpool, Sunday 12 May
KO Midnight Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
11.30pm Adelaide, 10pm Perth

Sunday 19 May

West Ham United
West Ham United
Versus Reading
Reading

Upton Park, 4pm East London, Sunday 19 May
KO 1am (Monday) Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
12.30am Adelaide, 11pm Perth

ABOUT OzHammers
The Official Australian Hammers Supporters site.

We are in regular contact with over 5,000 OzHammers and our principal aim is to ensure that all Hammers fans can meet to cheer on the Hammers whenever our matches are broadcast.

WHU UK NEWS: Click here to get the daily West Ham United Digest, a must for any supporter!
DAVID'S THOUGHTS
22nd August 2012

The new season is upon us and my principal emotion is relief rather than naked excitement. Recent comments by the co-owners noting that we still owe Sheffield Utd an "8 figure sum" for the Tevez Affair and the fact that this is hampering our transfer market activity makes stark reading. Clearly the prospect of a long stay in the lower leagues was a reality if we didn't bounce straight back up! Or worse?

The Aston Villa result was so welcome and I think there was significant relief all round in the WHU Board room. A strong start is so important even at the cost of an ugly first up win.

Here's to another 14 wins, 45 points and safety.

Hopefully there are more new comers to join our team and with another central defender, a winger and striker and we should then have enough talent to make a good fist of this first season back. I think we may struggle and we would do very well indeed to make it into the top 10. These first few matches will probably tell the tale.

I am not going to provide an extensive review of the off season as I have previously noted that there is now considerable online commentary both local and international.

Access to Upton Park Tickets

I continue to receive a substantial number of requests from OzHammers seeking advice on how to purchase tickets to West Ham matches at Upton Park. On our TICKETS PAGE I have set out below the 'official' mechanism and process through which OzHammers may book tickets. Remember that you must be a Member to book online and you may join up HERE.

The best current advice is to contact friends and family who are Season Ticket Holders in the UK and ask them to either use or upgrade their family season tickets for your use or ask them to purchase tickets on your behalf. Season Ticket (and Bond) holders get preferential access to Upton Park tickets AND precious Away allocations.

Given our return to the Premier League, access to tickets this season will be far harder than in 2011-12 and Away tickets on General Sale to Members will be very rare indeed.

Tickets to Home matches against Arsenal, Manchester City & United, Chelsea, Tottenham and probably Liverpool will basically be impossible without the help of a local Season Ticket or Bond holder. Of course, there are always Corporate tickets but these come at a premium.

Having said that, there were tickets available on the day to our first home game on 18 August 2012 against Aston Villa, a very surprising occurrence. I suggest that there were an unusual high number of "holidaying hammers" absent from Upton Park and therefore reduced demand after the Olympics?

A WHU International Supporters' Club & Tickets

I have been asked by The Club to make recommendations on special ticketing for potential members of a proposed International Supporters Club. At this stage such a body does not exist although of course it should! I have attempted this many times and have provided various levels of advice FOR YEARS and that advice continues to fall on deaf ears.

As I have been asked again to contribute to the plan I have done so and here is what I have recommended:

1. Set aside no more than 10 tickets to each Home match;

2. Permit these 10 tickets to be accessed by International Hammers Fans;

3. As a condition precedent to the right to purchase a ticket, each NAMED ticket purchaser must become a member of The Academy, International Supporter Club or other similar programme. This condition precedent ensures that West Ham United can build its database of committed international fans and also ensures that WHU retains contact details of attendees, one of the key a requirements of both the Football League and the Premier League. Membership of the programme is by way of subscription for an annual fee;

4. As international visitors by definition will plan their potential visit to Upton Park well in advance, booking and payments for these tickets must be made not less than 21 days before the relevant match. Therefore, any unsold 'international' tickets could be made available to WHU season ticket holders in the usual manner. This ensures that season ticket holders are not disadvantaged.

5. Further, the publication of such availability can have the effect of INCREASING sales of general admission tickets so as to ensure that Upton Park is always completely filled. For other than the Tier One matches against clubs such as Manchester Utd, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool, this offering could be expanded to fill the stadium for every match.

International visitors can plan in advance in the comfort of the knowledge that they have access to a ticket to see their beloved team. Additional promotion to these high value fans is beneficial to WHU and the club should, with appropriate marketing, deliver financial benefits to the club on a regular basis that are significant given the limited opportunity of these fans to enjoy even an annual Upton Park experience.

I ask ALL International Fans to copy my recommendations and email these to HammersWorldWide requesting that my system be adopted as we will all benefit!

OzHammers Gatherings

OzHammers continue to gather in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on a regular basis so stay in touch with their FaceBook pages for advice on meeting times. Match times will remain current on this web site and any special news will appear as it happens!

Best of luck and

COYI

DPL


David P. Lewis |Entrepreneur in Residence
AFG Venture Group

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