West Ham United give lifelong fan a day he’ll never forget

West Ham United gave Tom Law, an 84 year old supporter, a day he’d cherish as one of his best as he was welcomed to London Stadium for Saturday’s game with Southampton.

Lifelong Hammer Tom, who lives at Richard House Care Home in Grantham, part of Tanglewood Care Homes, caught the attention of the Club and supporters around the world after a viral social media video showed his love for the Hammers and his wish to keep watching his beloved Club for years to come.

Following this, everyone at the Club wanted to grant his wish and show their thanks for Tom’s passion and support. Tom was invited as Club London’s special guest for the match with The Saints, where he experienced premium VIP hospitality in The Forge alongside his family, where he enjoyed the atmosphere of the lounge, some pre-match dining and got to meet a whole host of former Hammers throughout the day across London Stadium including Sporting Director Mark Noble, as well as the likes of Carlton Cole, James Collins, Tony Gale and Marlon Harewood . This as well as enjoying a string of surprises throughout the day, culminating in meeting Club captain and favourite player Jarrod Bowen pitchside following the match.

Having settled into The Forge, the former Hammers were on hand to go over for a pre-match chat and to meet the family inside the lounge, where they shared many a story of Tom’s favourite memories from supporting the Club. Harewood was on hand to give Tom a selection of West Ham goodies, including a shirt with his name and 84 specially printed, as well as plenty of other merchandise.

Having been taken pitchside to experience the team training, Tom and his family took their VIP seats on the halfway line where they soaked up the game and despite the Hammers falling to a narrow defeat it didn’t dampen spirits.

There was one more surprise in-store as Tom headed to the London Stadium tunnel to be surprised by Bowen, to the overwhelming delight of the lifelong Hammer. The captain gave him a specially printed Bowen, 20 signed shirt, before posing for photos and was thrilled to cap off what had been an incredible day for Tom and his family.

Speaking following the day, Tom’s son, Mark Law added:

“I’ve had the best day ever, not for me, but for the experience my dad has had today. We couldn’t have been better looked after by the Club, you come here and every single person looks after you. From the players, to the staff, to the serving staff, it’s been the best possible experience.

“My dad has met some of his heroes, he had the best time talking to Mark Noble, I got to meet so many of my heroes too, I am just lost for words with the experience we had here today.”

West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen added:

“It was a pleasure to meet Tom and his family after Saturday’s game, you could instantly tell the amount of passion he has for the Club and how pleased he was to have been to get down for a game. He’s a lifelong fan, so it’s brilliant he enjoyed such a special day, I wish him and his family the very best.”

Joseph Benjamin, Director of Sales at West Ham United said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome Tom as our guest in Club London on Saturday afternoon and we’re delighted to have been able to provide an incredible day for him and his family. Club London is all about providing memorable experiences and making match day extra special, so when we saw the video we knew we had to invite him down to enjoy a match with us.”

Edgars Rezanovs, Home Manager at Richard House Care Home, said:

“Tom’s love for West Ham is part of who he is, and everyone at Richard House hears about the Hammers most days. Seeing him welcomed by the Club, meeting his heroes and sharing it all with his family was incredibly special for all of us. Moments like this are what we’re here for, and we can’t thank West Ham enough for making it happen.”