Wakefield AFC find support all the way from Chattanooga

Ian Webb has never been to Wakefield and must count as any club’s most distant supporter, but he never misses the chance to check up on the latest from his adopted British club with his ambition to fly over one day to watch one of their matches.

After getting in touch with the Express Ian is delighted to tell his tale of devotion to a club thousands of miles away – 4,076 to be precise.

He explained: “I’m from Chattanooga, Tennessee. I've never been to Wakefield, and until last year, I had never heard of it either.

"That changed when, out of curiosity, I – a football obsessed person – googled the biggest city in England without a professional football club.

"Thus began my obsession with Wakefield AFC. I've been following the club closely ever since and got to virtually witness their incredible promotion campaign last season.

"I used to follow Chelsea FC in the Premier League, but now Chelsea is like an irrelevant forgotten past lover in my heart. I love Wakefield AFC now.

"I've purchased two kits (home and away) and am a patron of the club podcast.”Ian hopes his story can inspire more fans from closer afield to take up the Wakefield AFC cause.

"I have noticed that while Wakefield AFC does get record breaking attendances for the level it’s at, not nearly enough people in your city have been to a game or even know about the club,” he said.

"I want to help change that! If your readers knew that there was a foolish American man-child that was dying to go to a non-league football match in their city, maybe they would give Wakefield AFC a chance and that would help grow the small but special club I call my own.”

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Ian admits he had no interest in “soccer” when growing up, but he became disillusioned with American franchise sports in general.

He said: "I was introduced to real football through the 2010 World Cup. I didn't know how the offside rule worked or even who Messi or Ronaldo were, but watching the sport for the first time during that World Cup really sparked my interest.

"After losing interest in the NFL, it didn’t take long before I started researching the best teams and players in the world. I found a Frank Lampard highlight video and instantly became a Chelsea fan.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire in terms of grossly rich sports teams. After supporting Chelsea for several years I became a bit disillusioned with them as well due to their glitzy global appeal and I felt more like a faceless customer than a real supporter of them.

"It was at this time that I started getting interested in the lower leagues of England. I liked the look of AFC Wimbeldon and Bradford City, but none of them felt like they could be ‘my’ club. Being a fan of Wakefield AFC is a very positive experience since the local fans are so welcoming, even as a foreigner over the internet.

"I even got interviewed by the fan podcast for the club, ‘All Wakey Aren't We’ and in the fall 2023 I plan on making a pilgrimage to West Yorkshire to see a Wakefield AFC match and officially meet all of the fans that I've gotten to know over the last year.”