In a world where loyalty is often fleeting and club scarves are more fashion than faith, Heineken’s ‘Cheers to’ campaign has raised a toast to the real stalwarts — fans who’ve backed their club not just through thick and thin, but through decades. And for 77-year-old Eileen Wade, that recognition arrived quite literally on her doorstep.
As the final fan featured in Heineken’s ‘Cheers to’ campaign, Eileen embodies everything right about football: community, compassion, and a bit of claret-and-blue blood in her veins.
Born in Newham and raised on a steady diet of East End grit and West Ham pride, she’s been following the Irons since 1964.
She was there in the stands for the Club’s legendary 1965 European Cup Winners’ Cup victory — one of many cherished memories collected over the years.
But Eileen hasn’t just watched history — she’s helped make it, in her own quiet, unwavering way. As secretary of Any Old Irons, a group that tackles loneliness among older West Ham fans, Eileen has been a glue that binds.
Whether it’s through digital inclusion workshops or monthly meetups at the Boleyn pub, she’s played a central role in building a second family for over 100 like-minded supporters.
“I’ve been a West Ham fan as long as I can remember,” Eileen said, reflecting on her early days. “West Ham is like a family, we all try to look after each other… football is like the tie — but everything else goes on even more than the football really. It really is a family club.”
Heineken clearly agreed. In a surprise straight out of a feel-good film, first-team stars James Ward-Prowse and Carlos Soler knocked on Eileen’s front door armed with gifts: a personalised shirt, club merchandise, and a brand-new scarf ready for next season at London Stadium.
“You can get carried away with the ups and downs of the result we have,” said Ward-Prowse, “but at the core of the Club when you break it down it’s about these moments and giving back to the community.”
Soler added, “I like to do these things so much because we are players but we are normal people… The fans are always with the team, with the club, so they deserve this.”
The surprise left Eileen speechless — well, almost. “I’m just totally amazed! It was so kind of them to take time out of their busy day to do this. It is just amazing the community and the spirit they have shown to come down to someone’s house.”
This celebration of Eileen follows on from earlier tributes in Heineken’s ‘Cheers to’ campaign, including former Hammer James Collins surprising lifelong fan Anthony ‘Westy’ Pemberton in Cardiff — a man who, while battling sickle cell anaemia, has dedicated himself to helping children in his local community.
Heineken’s campaign has proven more than a marketing move; it’s a heartfelt homage to the lifeblood of any football club — the fans.
At a time when football can feel increasingly commercial, Heineken’s ‘Cheers to’ campaign reminds us that some things can’t be bought — like loyalty, heart, and a scarf worn threadbare by decades of cheering from the terraces.
As Eileen would tell you: it’s not just about the football. It’s about the family it creates.
