======West Ham United F.C.======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Muggle]] Sporting Organisation (Football Club)
  * **Location:** East [[London]], [[England]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** Known wizarding supporter is [[Dean Thomas]].
  * **Key Features:** A professional football team that competes in the top tier of English [[Muggle]] football, known for their claret and blue team colours.
=====Description and History=====
West Ham United F.C. is a professional [[Muggle]] football club based in East [[London]]. In the [[wizarding world]], the club is known primarily through its most vocal supporter at [[Hogwarts]], [[Dean Thomas]]. For wizards unfamiliar with [[Muggle]] culture, such as [[Ron Weasley]], the concept of football and its teams was entirely foreign. The club's real-world presence in the 1990s as a team in the FA Premier League provides the context for Dean's passionate support.
=====Role in the Story=====
West Ham United's presence in the series serves as a key cultural touchstone representing the [[Muggle]] world and highlighting the diverse backgrounds of [[Hogwarts]] students. It is featured exclusively through [[Dean Thomas]].
  * In //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, Dean decorates his space in the [[Gryffindor dormitory]] with a poster of the West Ham team. [[Harry Potter]] observes this as one of the few ordinary, non-magical items in the room. Later, Dean attempts to explain the sport of football to [[Ron Weasley]], who is baffled by the concept of a non-magical sport played by kicking a ball.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, while arriving at the campsite for the [[Quidditch World Cup]], a [[Ministry of Magic]] official is seen confiscating a football from a group of wizards. [[Dean Thomas]], recognising the team's claret and blue colours on the ball, happily exclaims, "West Ham!" This moment underscores his consistent connection to his [[Muggle]] upbringing, even when surrounded by the spectacle of a major wizarding event.
=====Known Areas Within=====
Not Applicable.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, the exchange between Ron and Dean is slightly different. When Dean mentions West Ham, a confused Ron asks, "Is that a disease?" (film).
Author [[J.K. Rowling]] is a known supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., a London rival of West Ham United (J.K. Rowling interview).