Andy Devaney
West Ham United signing sessions gave supporters a proper taste of old-school football this week, as players from the men’s and women’s teams met fans, signed shirts, posed for photographs and helped stir the atmosphere ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds United.
At a time when the modern game can feel as polished, packaged and joylessly monetised as a hotel minibar, this was football doing one of its simplest tricks rather well. Put players in a room. Open the doors. Let the supporters in. Suddenly, the whole club feels less like a business operation and more like what it ought to be: a living, breathing part of East London.
Across two lively West Ham United signing sessions, there were smiles, selfies, signed shirts, young fans craning for a glimpse of their heroes, and enough pre-match electricity to light up Green Street.
West Ham Build FA Cup Buzz Before Leeds United Tie
With Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds United looming, the Stadium Store had the feel of a kettle just beginning to rumble.
Taty Castellanos, Pablo Felipe and Adama Traore met hundreds of supporters, signed memorabilia, posed for photographs and gave fans the sort of access that still matters in an age when football can occasionally feel a touch velvet-roped.
There was plenty of merchandise heading for the tills too, as supporters grabbed last-minute gear before one of the biggest fixtures of West Ham’s season. But this was not merely a retail afternoon dressed up as fan service. It had warmth. It had purpose. More importantly, it had people.
And that is where football clubs tend to win hearts long before they win matches.
Adama Traore Praises Passionate West Ham Supporters
There is a difference between noise and atmosphere. Noise can be manufactured. Atmosphere belongs to the supporters.
West Ham United had the latter in generous supply.
The men’s signing session, presented by club partner Lyca Mobile, brought together some of the Club’s newest recruits with supporters who have already taken to them. The result was cheerful, slightly chaotic and entirely fitting for a club whose fanbase likes its football with a bit of heart, a bit of edge, and preferably a cup run to shout about.
Adama Traore, clearly struck by the turnout, said: “It was amazing to be here today, it’s important to give the love back to the fans that they show us. Our fans are passionate and they show us that at every game and it’s a blessing to give back to our fans.”
That is the sort of line clubs dream of hearing, and cynics often try to volley into Row Z. Yet here, it rang true.
This was not a conveyor belt of hurried handshakes in a corporate corridor. It was a proper supporter event, full of children clutching shirts, adults guarding programmes like family heirlooms, and players taking enough time to make each exchange feel personal.
More Than Selfies, Shirts And Signatures
The sharpest detail of the day was that it did not stop at autographs.
Supporters also brought donations for Irons Supporting Foodbanks, whose work across east London and beyond continues year-round and depends heavily on local generosity.
That gave the afternoon a bit of substance beneath the smiles.
Football clubs are often at their best when they stop talking about community and simply behave like part of one. West Ham United, to their credit, gave space to a cause built around essentials rather than slogans. Castellanos, Felipe and Adama Traore all lent their support, helping turn a feelgood fan event into something with genuine local value.
Club Ambassador Matt Jarvis was also on hand, chatting with supporters in the queue, while Hammerhead kept younger fans entertained. Elsewhere, a virtual reality goalkeeping challenge let fans step between the sticks at London Stadium and test their reflexes.
It was part novelty, part family entertainment, and another reminder that modern football events work best when they offer more than a handshake and a shop receipt.
Jarvis said: “It was great to meet fans at the signing session yesterday, I was always appreciate the support I had during my time at the Club and love the relationship I’ve always had with West Ham United supporters.
“You can massively feel the buzz and excitement ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup Quarter-Final, so it was brilliant to see Taty, Adama and Pablo taking time out to engage with the supporters to further raise spirits ahead of such a big game.”
The sentiment was obvious enough. West Ham supporters rarely need much encouragement to find their voice before a major cup tie, but moments like these give that noise a human face.
West Ham United Women Meet Supporters In Romford
Across the club, a similar scene unfolded at the Liberty Romford Store, where Katie Zelem, Ylinn Tennebø and Tuva Hansen met supporters at a special signing event supported by Modibodi.
Again, the formula was beautifully simple. Fans chatted with players, collected autographs, posed for photographs and shared the kind of small conversations that turn footballers from names on a team sheet into people supporters feel genuinely connected to.
For West Ham United Women, whose January arrivals are still settling into life in east London, events like this do more than fill an afternoon. They build familiarity. They give players a feel for the club beyond the training ground and matchday. And with the WSL season moving towards its final stretch, they add another layer of connection before the run-in.
Katie Zelem said: “It was really special to meet so many of our supporters today. From the moment I arrived at the Club in January, everyone has been so welcoming, and you really get a sense of the connection people have with the Club at events like this.”
Tuva Hansen added: “It’s been such a nice afternoon spending time with the fans and hearing their stories. Events like this are really special for us as players, and I’m proud to represent this Club and to be part of such a welcoming community. It’s also great to be here with Modibodi and support the work they’re doing to make sport more accessible and open for everyone.”
A Club Still Rooted In Its Supporters
The best clubs understand that not every important football moment happens under floodlights.
Some happen in a shop queue. Some happen when a child gets a shirt signed. Some happen when a parent, balancing a bag of merchandise and a phone camera, watches their youngster meet a player they have only ever seen from the stands or on television.
That was the real success of these West Ham United signing sessions.
Yes, there was excitement before Leeds United. Yes, there was retail traffic, sponsor presence and a healthy dose of matchweek theatre. But underneath it all was something far more valuable: a reminder that West Ham still knows how to bring its people together.
Lyca Mobile’s involvement with the men’s event and Modibodi’s support of the women’s signing session both felt aligned with the tone of the day rather than bolted on for branding. The same was true of Irons Supporting Foodbanks, whose presence gave supporters a chance to contribute to something beyond football.
And that matters, because clubs thrive when supporters feel seen. Not marketed at. Not processed. Not thanked through a screen. Seen.
Before a major FA Cup quarter-final and during an important closing stretch for the women’s team, West Ham United managed that rather well.
In a football world where so much is polished, packaged and priced to the hilt, a few shirts, signatures, smiles and foodbank donations might sound old-fashioned.
But then again, old-fashioned is not always a bad thing.
Sometimes it is exactly what a football club needs.