Daily WHUFC News - 29th June 2013

Trust sets up schools partnership
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Community Sports Trust has set up an exciting new
partnership with two schools.
28.06.2013

West Ham United Community Sports Trust has set up an exciting new
partnership with two prestigious schools. The partnership will see Trust
coaches deliver Player Development courses at Framlingham College and
Brandeston Hall in Woodbridge, Suffolk. The courses will be held with the
aim of engaging as many pupils from the two schools as possible, while they
will also be open to youngsters living locally as the Trust and Framlingham
College work together to increase sports participation. The Trust, which has
previously held two successful Player Development courses at Framlingham
College in October 2012 and February 2013, will host a two-day course at
Brandeston Hall on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 August. The partnership will
continue throughout the 2013/14 season, with further courses being held
during the three half-term holidays, starting with a three-day course
between 28-30 October at Brandeston Hall.
Trust football development officer Bryan Glover said the partnership was the
latest example of the Club's commitment to making sport accessible to as
many children as possible. "I am delighted to have established this
partnership with Dan Wood at Framlingham College as it gives us the
opportunity to establish delivery in a new area and community," said Glover.
"When I attended Framlingham College and Brandeston Hall, I was pleasantly
surprised with the amount of West Ham supporters I met "I have since found
out that there is a large fan base in Suffolk, which is great, and I hope to
see as many West Ham fans on the courses as possible. "Our aim is to deliver
regular courses at both Framlingham College and Brandeston Hall throughout
the 2013/14 season."

The two-day Player Development course to be held in August will run from
9am-3pm each day and is open to boys and girls of all abilities aged 6-14.
Prices per child are £30 for one day and £55 for two days, with a ten per
cent sibling discount.

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MP Mike is a happy Hammer
WHUFC.com
Mike Gapes MP invited West Ham TV to Westminster to discuss his love for the
Club
28.06.2013

Whenever West Ham United are mentioned in the House of Commons, it is likely
that MIke Gapes is the man behind it. The Ilford South MP is a huge Hammers
fan, a fact he is never afraid to share with his colleagues at Westminster.
Since his election in 1992, Gapes has proposed Early Day Motions paying
tribute to the late Bobby Moore, commiserating with the Club's 2006 FA Cup
final defeat by Liverpool and another referring to West Ham's escape from
relegation in 2007. When he is not working for his constituents or chairing
the All Party Crossrail Group, the former Foreign Affairs Select Committee
chairman and Parliamentary Private Secretary for Northern Ireland and the
Home Office can be found cheering on his heroes in claret and blue. Born in
Snaresbrook, the 60-year-old faced the quandary so many children face when
growing up - which football team should he support? Speaking exclusively to
West Ham TV in the shadow of Big Ben, Gapes explains all. "I started
supporting West Ham seriously when I was eight, when I had to choose between
West Ham and Spurs. That season, Spurs won the double, but I stuck with West
Ham and we went on to win the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup and
then the World Cup. As far as I am concerned, I made the right choice. "My
brother is an Arsenal fan so I have had to put up with years of grief in the
1970s when we shared a room and his wall was red and white and mine was
painted claret and blue. We were both there at Wembley in 1980 when we beat
them in the FA Cup final!"

Gapes' career has seen him fill a wide variety of roles akin to a football
utility player. "I was elected in 1992 so I've been MP for Ilford South for
21 years. Before that, I worked in the Labour Party HQ for 15 years and was
involved in student politics. I joined the Labour Party when I was 16, so
I've done a lot of different things in my life, but for the last five
General Elections I've been the MP for Ilford South. "I have been on the
Foreign Affairs Committee for most of my time in Parliament and I chaired it
for five years during the last Parliament and am still a member. I spent two
years in the Northern Ireland Office between 1997 and 1999, when we got the
Belfast [or Good Friday] Agreement signed [which paved the way for the
devolution of power to Northern Ireland]. "I was also in the Home Office for
a year, but most of my time has been as a back-bencher on various committees
and that is what I do, apart from my constituency work."

Having supported the Hammers for more than 50 years, it is hardly surprising
that he has many fond memories of visits to the Boleyn Ground. "I remember
seeing Geoff Hurst score six against Sunderland in 1968 - that was one of
the first games I got a seat for. I remember Brian Dear's amazing
performance and his backheeled goal against West Brom in April 1965 and some
of the games when Billy Bonds rampaged down the pitch. "The Play-Off final
last year was an amazing experience and being at the FA Cup final in 1980
was a highlight for me."

Gapes has played once at the Boleyn Ground, but he is more at home in the
House of Commons, where he has shared his love for West Ham on a number of
occasions. "When Bobby Moore died, I proposed an Early Day Motion praising
him and paying tribute to him and, a lot later, when we staved off
relegation with Tevez and Zamora, I put down an Early Day Motion saying that
Sheffield United had gone down because they had lost at home to Wigan and
wishing them all the best in the First Division next season. That got me on
the front page of the Sheffield Star as a 'gloating cockney MP' so I wasn't
very popular in Sheffield."
Gapes is far from being the only West Ham supporter in Parliament too, with
fellow Labour MPs for Poplar and Limehouse Jim Fitzpatrick and Holbon and St
Pancras Frank Dobson also sharing their love of red with that of claret and
blue. "I can think of a few Hammers in Parliament. Frank Dobson is a fan and
I've seen him at games. David Amess, the Conservative MP for Southend West,
is a West Ham fan. My former colleague Tony McNulty, who lost his Harrow
East seat, is a fanatic and there are a few others that you come across. "We
haven't got a full team, so to speak, but we've certainly got a five-a-side
team and that's great!"

Looking forward, Gapes has endorsed the Club's plans to move to the Olympic
Stadium in Stratford in 2016. "I am very enthusiastic about it. First of
all, I think it's a great stadium. I was there during the Paralympics and
also visited the stadium while it was under construction and for anybody who
has been to the Emirates, it is the same architects, so I think the
sight-lines will be fine. "I also think the transport links will be much
better and I'll be able to get there in about ten minutes from Ilford on the
train! "I think it's good for the Club and it gives us the potential to get
to a higher level, but we've still got to get the results and have a team
that is worthy of that stadium. I think it's right and I'm in favour of it."

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GO'N to sign new deal
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 28th June 2013
By: Staff Writer

Gary O'Neil is poised to sign an extended contract with West Ham according
to reports this afternoon. The 30-year-old midfielder looked set to part
company with the club at the end of this month upon the culmination of his
existing contract, as a result of the two parties failing to agree terms on
a new deal. But reports emanating this afternoon suggest that the former
Middlesbrough player is ready to extend his stay in east London having
accepted West Ham's most recent contract offer. O'Neil was signed by former
manager Avram Grant in January 2011 for a paltry £1.5million, since when he
has gone on to make 55 appearances (including 15 from the bench) for West
Ham. He has scored three goals during that period - against Blackpool and
Peterborough in the Championship and the Goal of the Season contender at
home to West Brom back in March.

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Gary O'Neil to sign new West Ham contract after agreeing terms
Last Updated: June 28, 2013 3:26pm
SSN

Gary O'Neil is set to stay at West Ham after agreeing a new contract with
the club. The midfielder's previous deal was due to expire at the end of the
month, but he has been in talks with the club for weeks. Terms have now been
agreed, and O'Neil has passed a medical examination. The 30-year-old, who
was bought from Middlesbrough in the 2011 January transfer window, expects
to sign his new contract early next week. O'Neil has scored three goals in
56 appearances for West Ham and helped secure promotion in 2012.

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Gary O'Neil always expected to agree new deal at West Ham
Last Updated: June 28, 2013 10:33pm
SSN

Gary O'Neil says he was always confident he would remain at West Ham United,
despite officially being released by the club. The midfielder was among
those to see their contracts at Upton Park expire at the end of the 2012/13
campaign. With no extension agreed, O'Neil was dropped into the free agent
pool and freed to discuss terms with any interested parties. As it happens,
the club he has committed to is the same one he has spent the last two years
with. The 30-year-old claims that was always going to be the case, with
there a desire on both sides to get a new deal thrashed out. "Everything's
been agreed," O'Neil told Sky Sports News. "I didn't need a medical,
obviously they know me quite well. All the terms are agreed and everyone's
happy, so I'll just sign Monday morning. "It took a little while. With
everyone being on holiday stuff drags out, but we got there in the end."

On being released only to re-sign, O'Neil added: "That's the way it comes
out in the press, slightly differently to how it is. We were always sorting
it out and I was confident I would end up there."

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