And it's goodnight from them

  • by Staff Writer
  • Wednesday, 8th May 2019

The East Ham Working Mens Club - a once-regular haunt of Hammers fans - has closed its doors for good.

Following West Ham's move to Stratford three years ago the Club, which was regularly packed with supporters both before and after home games at the Boleyn Ground, the site was recently put up for sale.

According to the club's secretary Peter Bell, membership had shrunk from around 2,000 to 800 in recent years - with only around 200 of those members regular patrons of the venue.

And as a result the only viable option, according to the committee, was to sell the land upon which the Club currently stands - and build a far smaller venue for its remaining members.


Frank MacAvennie and 'Mad Dog' discuss Lou Macari's short reign as manager of West Ham at East Ham Working Mens Club during KUMB Live! 2014


Peter Duffy, a former committee member told the Newham Recorder: "The idea is for a development there with a club on the ground floor. It will be smaller, but financially it will be much more manageable."

Meanwhile plans for a five-storey building on the site have been submitted to and accepted by Newham Council.

The venue, which is based in Boleyn Road behind the club's former Boleyn Ground home was the site of KUMB's first annual Live! event in 2014, when Martin 'Mad Dog' Allen and Frank MacAvennie starred.

West Ham have also used the venue to stage some of its Any Old Irons meetings, for those supporters ages 65 and over.

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