Meet the West Ham supporter who could become a Super Bowl king this weekend
West Ham fans will now have an interest in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
2025-26 hasn’t provided much for West Ham supporters to cheer or get excited about, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side face a relegation battle.
West Ham face a relegation six-pointer against Burnley on Saturday afternoon, with the Hammers six points adrift of safety ahead of Friday’s other huge bottom of the table clash between Leeds and Nottingham Forest.
But, if results go to plan this weekend, there will be no West Ham supporter more happy than someone who is preparing for the biggest moment of his life on Sunday.
West Ham could have Super Bowl-winning supporter
This Sunday literally is a super one in the world of American Football, as one of the globe’s greatest sporting events, the Super Bowl, takes place in Santa Clara, California.
It will be contested by the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, with the winner having the honour of lifting the Lombardi Trophy.
‘America’s Game’ is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, with the UK being home to one of the largest communities of fans outside the US, with London first hosting an NFL game all the way back in 2007.
The Seattle Seahawks boast one of the largest fanbases in the UK and across Europe, and their defensive coordinator, Aden Durde, was born in Middlesex and grew up in London.
On Sunday, the 46-year-old will become the first British coach to reach the Super Bowl, having began his journey coaching in the British American Football leagues with the London Warriors.
And, as detailed in a report in the print edition of the Irish Daily Mirror, Durde is a boyhood West Ham fan, with many Hammers now sure to be rooting for the Seahawks this weekend.
“I have gratitude moments and surreal moments, but they come at weird times. It’s not always at big moments like this,” said Durde via the report.
“It will be when I’m in a meeting, talking about personnel, and sometimes I think it’s crazy that I’m in some of these meetings. A lot of people helped me get here. Jeff O’Driscoll, my first coach, who used to take me to Finsbury Park.
“He coached us when there was two or three players. If we didn’t have that, a lot of us wouldn’t have got to the places we have from the UK.
“I learned so much from Tony Allen (NFL UK) on how to coach, how to run groups of people, how to be organised, how to be authentic.
“And then coming to America – Rod Marinelli, Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris, Mike Macdonald, Mike McCarthy. I’ve been blessed to be around a lot of good coaches.
“I’m still taking [this week] in. We’ve been behind closed doors and now we come out here [at Super Bowl Opening Night] and it’s exciting.”
Durde is set for NFL head-coaching stardom
The Seattle Seahawks are widely acknowledged to have the best defence in the NFL (National Football League) in this 2025 season, and Durde has been a huge part of that.
Having been hired to become the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator in February 2024, after previously being the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys, Durde’s defence plays fast and violent.
And in the NFL, if you’re a coordinator and your particular unit is among the league’s best, you will be involved in head-coaching talk when a host of the league’s 32 teams making hiring and firing calls every off-season.
Durde is no different, but with the Seahawks primed to be a Super Bowl-contending team for years to come, it remains to be seen whether he feels ready and/or willing to take that leap just yet.
What is for certain is that Durde is destined for a long and successful coaching career in the NFL, and after looking out for West Ham’s result on Saturday, he’ll be hoping to become a Super Bowl champion on Sunday night.
The Super Bowl kicks-off at 11.30pm UK time on Sunday night.