Working with West Ham United as a Supporter Liaison Officer was one of the most transformative experiences of my journey in football.
It gave me the chance to connect with the true engine of the game — the supporters, the beating heart of every club.
West Ham has one of the largest fanbases in England — the second biggest after Arsenal — but numbers alone don’t tell the full story. West Ham is not just a club:
it is British football culture, identity, and community woven together.
Over the years, I learned to understand this world in the most authentic way: by listening.
Long conversations with supporters of every age, background and story revealed a profound truth:
The West Ham fanbase loves the club the way one loves a family member — something to protect, to honour, to stand by, no matter the circumstances.
“You don’t choose West Ham.
You belong to it.”
”It’s not trophies or victories that build an unbreakable bond.
It’s emotion.
It’s presence.
It’s the feeling of being part of something that carries meaning, history, and pride through generations.”
To someone outside this world, that might sound like the language of ultras.
But what I experienced was different:
It was belonging.
It was identity.
It was unconditional devotion.
Through these interactions, I discovered what it truly means for a club to communicate with its supporters.
It’s not trophies or victories that build an unbreakable bond.
It’s emotion.
It’s presence.
It’s the feeling of being part of something that carries meaning, history, and pride through generations.
My time at West Ham taught me that supporter liaison is not a formality, nor a goodwill gesture.
It is a responsibility.
A commitment to make people feel seen, heard and valued — because here, football is not a hobby. It is a heritage. A legacy that lives in families, neighbourhoods, voices and memories.
In those conversations — patient, sincere and deeply human — I discovered a way of living football that stays with you forever.
A way of seeing the game that has shaped the foundation of DS Football Consulting:
if you want to build a strong club, start with the people who love it.
