Pivotal moments 2020/21: The Independent Supporters Committee: HU are founding members

Hammers United are delighted to announce that we are a founding member of the Independent Supporters’ Committee (ISC); A committee set up by West Ham supporters’ groups to engage in dialogue with our Football Club.

When Hammers United first consulted its members on the topic of supporter engagement, they voted to turn down the offers from the Club to join the construct for dialogue which existed at that time. At that time, this was The Official Supporters Board (now disbanded) and it was felt that any group representing the fans in dialogue should be independent of the Club.

Hammers United have worked tirelessly, alongside a number of other supporters’ groups, to make this a reality. The Football Supporters’ Association have offered invaluable assistance throughout the process and continue to be involved.

The primary objective of these groups was to establish an independent committee which acts as one entity, representing all West Ham fans, with whom the Club can engage in regular dialogue. A Memorandum of Understanding was drawn up and agreed by all stakeholders. This was then presented to, and has subsequently been accepted by, the Club. This MOU sets out in detail an agreement on how talks will be conducted. You can read the MOU here.

We believe that standing alone as an independent and united body will ensure the ISC can truly represent the views of the wider fanbase.

The Independent Supporters Committee will meet to agree agenda items, as requested by members of the groups involved, and these will then be taken to the Club for the discussion in one of the regular meetings between the Club and that committee. The groups represented on the ISC will continue to engage in regular communication with the fanbase and their members, as will the ISC as a whole.

In addition, groups will be afforded individual meetings with the Club with ISC agreement, should there be agenda items or topics of discussion particularly pertinent to one group.

The founding member supporters’ groups are: BAME Hammers, Bondholders, the Disabled Supporters’ Board, Hammers United, Over 65s’, Pride of Irons, West Ham United Supporters Association (WHUISA) and West Ham United Supporters’ Club.

Alongside these founding members, there are to be elected representatives welcomed into the ISC from the following sections of our supporters: Away Season Ticket Holders and Claret Members. These representatives will be elected by these groups.

In total, there will be ten representatives sitting on the ISC. An elected Chair and Vice Chair will be chosen from the representatives by way of a vote across Members and Season Ticket Holders.

Hammers United are committed to working closely with our Football Club on issues raised by our members. We are accountable to those members and we will continue to be guided by them.

Membership of the Independent Supporters’ Committee will, in no way, compromise our right to protest. We are a supporters’ group who are excited at the opportunity to represent our members through independent and structured dialogue with the Football Club, however we are also a supporters’ group currently campaigning for new ownership at our Football Club. That campaign will continue alongside constructive talks to address other issues, until such time as our members instruct us otherwise.

The ISC have released a joint statement which can be viewed below and the Club have released a statement which can be accessed via their website. The FSA have also released a statement, click this link to read their article.

 

 

ISC Joint Statement

The representatives of WHU supporters’ groups and the Club have established and agreed a memorandum of understanding, together with the required protocols, to facilitate the formation of the Independent Supporters Committee (ISC).

It is hoped that the ISC will quickly evolve into a vigorous forum to bring meaningful change for the mutual benefit of all supporters and the club.

The ISC will immediately begin to identify the priorities of WHU supporters, to investigate resolution actions and establish plans to implement changes for improvement.

We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the Club to identify the possibilities for change that will benefit all WHU Supporters.

BAME (Lee Vehit), Bondholders (Steve Applebee), Disabled Supporters (Cathy Bayford), Hammers United (Andy McConnell), Over 65s (Don Adams), Pride of Irons (Jim Dolan), WHUISA (Sue Watson) and WHUSC (Paul Christmas).