As the sand slowly runs out of the timer counting down the days to West Ham’s first game of 2013/14 it is not just the East End that is filling with excitement.
Mark Noble said in an interview recently that everywhere you go in the world you see a West Ham fan, and Dubai is certainly no different. Despite the time difference and overwhelming urge to head down to the beach each weekend there is a small corner of the United Arab Emirates that turns into a claret and blue mini Boleyn Ground for a couple of hours.The Dubai Hammers are an official supporters club, with a rapidly increasing member base and a Facebook page that has attracted over 200 followers in just one season through word of mouth.
The club was born back in May 2012 after word spread that several different bars were packed full of Hammers fans to watch the demolition of Cardiff in the play-off semi-finals. A plan was quickly put into action to bring all the different groups together under one roof for the final.
Despite a lack of time and backing the results were very impressive and a bar full of East London expats went berserk just after Carlton Cole nudged that ball into the path of Ricardo Vaz Te for him to slam into the roof of the net.
There was an added joy to that day for the fans packed into the bar as it meant not only a return to the Premier League but also a return to weekly live coverage of West Ham meaning that they would not have to miss a single kick of the entire season.
The wheels were in motion and rigorous pre-season regime was in place. There are a lot of bars and pubs in Dubai and the club organisers wanted to make sure they picked the right one naturally tried them all out.
It didn’t take long for a front runner to emerge. Nelson’s is an old fashioned English style pub with classic wooden décor and a mock log fire flickering away. It has two giant projector screens as well as a plasma TV on pretty much area of available wall space.
The bar food menu is made up of dishes such as pie and mash, pork bangers and roast dinners. There are regular drinks promotions and happy hours, and to top it all off, the pub is situated within the Media Rotana Hotel. A hotel group as it turns out which has a regional CEO with a son who are both West Ham fans.
At last, the club had the backing it needed to really push on.
A deal was made to set aside a separate area at the top end of the pub which would show every single West Ham game of the 2012/13 season. Timeout City cards are available to members giving them 20 per cent off all food and drink, the staff hand out complementary chip butties to all Hammers fans at half time and there are regular competitions such as guess the time of the first goal in each half.
The highlight of last season for the Dubai Hammers was without a doubt the win over Chelsea. The game drew easily the largest crowd of the season to Nelson’s and the reaction to the goals scored by Mo Diame and Modibo Maiga took everyone by surprise. Security and bar staff stood amazed and bewildered as they looked on not really knowing what to do.
The Dubai Hammers were lucky enough to have a VIP area set aside for the open mic night with Sam Allardyce during the warm weather training trip that that the team took last season. There were also a few nights out in local clubs that went down well with the playing staff but… What happens in the desert stays in the desert.
This week Nelson’s and Dubai Hammers announced that the partnership is set to continue for the 2013/14 season so those of you lucky enough to be in the ground on Saturday can sing "Bubbles" with pride and gusto knowing that as you look out of the South East corner of the ground, 3396 miles away there is a small corner of the Boleyn Ground backing you up.
If any Hammers fans are thinking of a trip to the UAE this year be sure to connect with the Dubai Hammers via their Facebook page and pop along to Nelson’s to help support the club and of course more importantly West Ham United.
* By way of a footnote, the first game of the season was really well received. We had over 40 fans in for the game which is very impressive for a supporters club in the UAE.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DubaiHammers/
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