John Hemmingham facts for kids

John Hemmingham was born on February 26, 1963. He is famous for being the leader and trumpet player of England Band. This band plays music to cheer on the England national football team.

John started playing music at football games in 1993 with fans of Sheffield Wednesday. In 1996, he was asked to play at matches for the England national team. Since then, he has also played at other big sports events like the Olympics and boxing matches.

John also works in football management. He started in 2001 as the boss of a group called The Owls Trust. Later, he worked for other football clubs like Leeds United and Mansfield Town. He even returned to work for Sheffield Wednesday after a while. He got married in 2007.

The England Band's Journey

Starting with Sheffield Wednesday

John Hemmingham began playing music at football matches in 1993. He took a bugle (a type of trumpet) to a Sheffield Wednesday game. He played a famous tune called the fanfare to Aida. Local newspapers noticed him.

After a phone call from the Sheffield Wednesday manager, Trevor Francis, the club hired John and other fans. They formed an official club band called the "Kop Band". This band became very popular. However, John and the Kop Band have sometimes been stopped from playing at the stadium of their rivals, Sheffield United.

Cheering on England

In 1996, John and the Kop Band were asked to form a band for the England national team. This was just in time for a big football tournament called UEFA Euro 96. John agreed, and the Kop Band became known as the England Supporters Band. John says he hasn't missed an England game since then! He is seen as the leader and also manages the band.

The band even released a song! The chairman of Virgin Group, Richard Branson, offered them a music deal. John and the band released the theme tune from the movie The Great Escape as a single for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. Later, the England Supporters Band started getting support from companies. For example, from 2006 to 2014, they were sponsored by Pukka Pies.

In 2010, a publisher announced that John would write two books. These books were about how the England Supporters Band started and his experiences with them. The books were called The Story of the England Supporters' Band and Playing for England.

Supporting Other Sports

John Hemmingham has also led the England Band to support athletes in other sports. In 2008, the band went to Beijing, China, for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. They wanted to support Team GB. They couldn't take their instruments inside the main stadium, so they played on the streets of Beijing.

In 2012, during the London 2012 Summer Olympics, the England Band supported the men's and women's field hockey teams. John has also taken the band to Las Vegas, United States, and the City of Manchester Stadium to support the boxer Ricky Hatton. They have also cheered on the England rugby sevens team.

John's Work in Football Management

John Hemmingham first started working in football management in 2001. He became the chief executive of a group called The Owls Trust, which he helped create. This group was for supporters of Sheffield Wednesday.

Later, John left this role and worked for other football clubs. In January 2008, he left Leeds United. In August, he became the chief executive of non-league team Mansfield Town. He helped make their stadium bigger. However, he left this job after three months in January 2009.

Also in January 2009, things got better between John and Sheffield Wednesday. The new leaders at the club allowed John to return to the stadium. In 2011, John rejoined Sheffield Wednesday as the Commercial Manager for Sheffield Wednesday Ladies.

Personal Life

John Hemmingham has been married since 2007.