The Board

The board is a group of people elected by the Society members and co-opted onto the board to carry out strategic management of the organisation. Board members have a legal duty to act in good faith and in the pursuit of the best interests of the society.

The Society shall have a Board of Directors comprising not less than 6 and not more than 10 persons.

The initial Directors of the Society from registration until the first Annual General Meeting shall be appointed by the founder members on whose application the Society is registered.

Members of the Board of Directors will normally serve for periods of two years, according to the Society’s Board Membership and Conduct Policy.

The responsibilties of a board member are many and varied and a member needs to understand the commitment required to ensure the Trust is effectively managed.

Ensure that the organisation acts at all times in line with its constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association, company legislation, and all other legal or funders requirements.
Ensure that s/he understands and is committed to the constitution and other governing documents of the organisation
Ensure that all the assets of the organisation are well managed and maximised where possible.
Ensure that the organisation makes the necessary returns to the FCA & FSA as required
Take responsibility for strategic planning and for ensuring policy formulation, goal setting, monitoring and evaluation performance and service delivery takes place.
Understand and approve the accounts.
Ensure that the organisation manages its finances and other resources prudently and efficiently and is able to account for all income, expenditure, investments etc. at any time and is financially stable.
Assist with seeking opportunities for fund raising and sponsorship.
Attend meetings on a regular basis and read all the papers, contribute to the discussions and make decisions.
Contribute to sub committees and advisory groups where appropriate.
Ensure that actions assigned and minuted at Board or subcommittee meetings are undertaken within agreed time scales. If unable to carry out these tasks, contact either the Chair or Secretary ASAP.
Keep informed on issues which affect the organisation and to promote the organisation externally.
Assist with obtaining and representing the views, concerns, queries and suggestions of the membership, and ensure their consideration in the formulation of all Trust strategy and policy.
Contribute to all Trust publications and reports as practical and/or necessary.
Act at all times in the best interests of the Trust and its members and safeguard the good name and values of the Trust.
Participate in tasks as required over and above management committee meetings.
To declare any conflicts of interest as soon as they are known.

The initial Board of Directors from the date of registration are the founder members on whose application the Society is registered - namely:

Chair - Susan Watson
Secretary - Mark Inskipp
Treasurer - Kevin Hind

On 5th July 2022 at a Special General Meeting of the Board of Directors the following were also appointed to the Board by the founding directors:

Nicolas Drane, Richard Elliott, Anthony Knight, Rachel McFetridge, Terry Reynolds, David Shaer and Chris Wheal

As per the Model Rules of the Society, at the first Annual General Meeting in February 2023 all members of the Board of Directors stood down and were re-elected.

At the 2nd Annual General Meeting in February 2024, half of the board places were up for election. David Shaer and Sue Watson had resigned from the board during the year and Anthony Knight stood down and did not apply for re-election. Mark Inskipp and Chris Wheal stood down and applied for re-election.

A nomination process for the 5 vacant positions was run in accordance with the Rules of the Society. A total of 4 valid nominations were received from Andrew Byrne, Mark Inskipp, Gary Marling and Chris Wheal whose election to the board was approved at the AGM.

The WHUST Board now consists of:

Andy Byrne, Nick Drane, Richard Elliott, Kevin Hind, Mark Inskipp, Gary Marling, Rachel McFetridge, Terry Reynolds and Chris Wheal.

At the board meeting held on 11th March 2024, Terry Reynolds was elected Chair, Mark Inskipp as Secretary and Richard Elliott as Treasurer.

Featured

Andrew Byrne

My Dad, who grew up in Coventry and supports Coventry, introduced me to West Ham. Having grown up supporting his local team, he instructed me (as I was born in Dagenham) I had the option of the Daggers or West Ham. I made my choice and he took me to my first game at Upton Park in 1993. After watching us concede 4 to QPR without reply, my expectations were appropriately managed. I have, however, been lucky enough to see us in play-off finals, an FA Cup final and a European Final! I have also seen us play in some much less glamorous games on my way to watching a first team game at every football league ground in the country. Hopefully, one day, we will play a football ground again.

Nick Drane

My father was born a short stroll away from the Boleyn Ground. I’ve been a season ticket attender at Irons games for more than thirty years. Over the years the quality of football on the display has varied….. but the passion, humour and knowledge of West Ham supporters has been consistently impressive. Its been a pleasure - mostly - to support my club. It's been a privilege to be one small part of the wider West Ham family.

Richard Elliott

TREASURER

Richard started supporting the Hammers as a toddler, when seeing Bobby Moore’s photo on a cereal box and hearing about how West Ham won the World Cup; growing up in NW London and with virtually no family allegiance to West Ham, it was a long distance love affair until he could start going to Upton Park on his own as a teenager in the early 80’s. Several decades later he has brainwashed his sons into accompanying him to most home games.

Kevin Hind

ISC REPRESENTATIVE

Kevin was really only ever going to support West Ham: Three generations of his family have held West Ham season tickets. His Dad was born in Forest Gate and knows Upton Park like the back of his hand. As if there wasn't enough pressure on Kevin to support the Hammers, his Mum once worked for a business where Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst were both clients. For Kevin, supporting West Ham flows through his veins and it's as much a part of his East End heritage as being taken to Southend in the winter 'to see the lights' by his parents and grandparents.

Mark Inskipp

SECRETARY

Mark is a first generation supporter - but he did start attending matches at The Boleyn Ground in 1967. Following the Club over land and sea ever since, he has experienced the occasional high, quite a few lows and lots of in-betweens. He cried more at the Cup Final in May 1980 than at Wigan in May 2011 and is still crying from 10th May 2016.
Proud that his daughter knew the words to Bubbles before she knew any nursery rhymes.

Gary Marling

I’m a big family man I love get-together’s and having our grandchildren every weekend, Also love Cars and Motorbikes and a beer or two.

I have been a passionate West Ham supporter since April 1965 when aged 5 my cousin took me to my first game v West Brom and sat me on the wall at the back of the North Bank. We won 6-1 Brian Deer got 5 goals ‘unforgettable day’ The next time I went to Upton Park there was barbed wire over that wall.

Rachel McFetridge

An accidental fan. In the 1990’s I went to a midweek game under lights at Upton Park one cold November evening to give a long suffering West Ham fan some moral support. I saw us draw 0-0 against Liverpool and despite the lack of goals I was captivated and keen to go again. I did. A lot. I got myself a season ticket and started going to away games too. Currently I have a season ticket in the Billy Bonds stand. I still go to away games.

Terry Reynolds

CHAIR

Terry’s grandfather was one of the people without tickets who attended the White Horse cup final, and he was first taken to West Ham by his father at the age of seven – a tradition he maintained with his own children and grandson (where they all stood in the Chicken Run on a stool made by his father). He has been a season ticket holder since standing season tickets were introduced.

He remains confident that someday fortune will cease to hide and that the London Stadium will become a football stadium.

Chris Wheal

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

Chris Wheal was born to support the hammers. His granddad, Norman Corbett, pictured lacing Chris’s first pair of boots, was midfielder for the Club and won 306 caps. Norman won a wartime cup medal in 1940, despite famously not playing in the Wembley final because his commanding officer refused him permission to leave barracks in the Essex Regiment. Chris’s mum’s uncle was Bill Elliott, who set up and ran the Junior Hammers and was awarded an MBE in 1999 for “services to the community, especially Young People's Sport, in East Ham”.
Embarrassingly, Chris now lives in south London.