Will Cearns Will Cearns William John Cearns also known as Will and Bill (1882 – 19 February 1950) was a chairman of English football club West Ham United and Managing Director of Wimbledon Stadium. Cearns was a member of a family which had been associated with West Ham since its 1900 foundation. His father, James "Jimmy" William Y. Cearns, worked for the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company and was on the first committee when a works team was formed in 1895. He was then one of the inaugural directors when the team went professional and became West Ham United in 1900. He
Thames Ironworks F.C. Ironworks F.C. originally played at Hermit Road in Canning Town. They had taken over the tenancy from the defunct Old Castle Swifts. Hermit Road had been described as a 'cinder' heap' and 'barren waste'. It was surrounded by a moat and had canvas sheeting for fencing. On 12 October, Thames' had to play their first ever competitive game at the ground of Chatham Town in a preliminary qualifying round of the FA Cup as the opposing team had rated Hermit Road as "unsuitable". In October 1897, Thames Ironworks were handed an eviction notice from the Hermit Road ground. The club