John Hemmingham facts for kids

John Hemmingham was born on February 26, 1963. He is a big fan of football and also works in football management. John is from Sheffield, England. He is most famous for leading and playing the trumpet in the England Band.

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

The England Band

John Hemmingham is well-known for his role with the England Band. This band plays music to support sports teams.

Starting with Sheffield Wednesday

John began playing music at football games in 1993. He took a bugle to an away match for Sheffield Wednesday. This game was against Everton at their Goodison Park stadium. He played a famous tune called the fanfare to Aida.

Local newspapers noticed what he did. The manager of Sheffield Wednesday, Trevor Francis, called John. Sheffield Wednesday then hired John and other fans. They formed an official club band. This group became known as the "Kop Band". The band became very popular. However, John and the Kop Band were sometimes banned. This happened at the stadium of their rivals, Sheffield United, called Bramall Lane. For example, in 2002, they were banned. Sheffield United worried that music might cause "unsafe crowd movement." They also feared "unacceptable structural movement" in the stadium.

Playing for England

In 1996, John Hemmingham and the Kop Band got a special invitation. David Davies, who led The Football Association, asked them to play. He wanted them to form a band for the England national team. This was just in time for UEFA Euro 96. John agreed, and the Kop Band became the England Supporters Band. John says he has not missed an England game since then. He is seen as the leader and managing director of the band.

Richard Branson, who started Virgin Group, offered the band a recording deal. John and the band released the theme song from The Great Escape. They released it as singles for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. After this, the England Supporters Band started getting money from sponsors. In 2006, a company called Pukka Pies sponsored them. The band was known as the Pukka Pies England Band until 2014.

In 2010, a publisher named Peakpublish made a deal with John. He was to write two books. These books were about how the England Supporters Band started. They also shared his experiences with the band. The books were titled The Story of the England Supporters' Band and Playing for England.

Supporting Other Sports

John Hemmingham has also led the England Band to other sports events. In 2008, he took the band to Beijing, China. This was during the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. They went to support Team GB. However, they could not take their instruments into the Beijing National Stadium. Instead, they played music on the streets of Beijing.

In 2012, during the London 2012 Summer Olympics, the England Band supported two teams. They cheered for both the Great Britain men's national field hockey team and the Great Britain women's national field hockey team. They played during their matches at the Olympics. John has also taken the band to Las Vegas, United States. They also went to the City of Manchester Stadium. There, they supported the Manchester boxer, Ricky Hatton. The band has also attended Rugby sevens matches. They played to support the England national team.

Football Management Work

John Hemmingham also has a career in football management.

Early Roles and Challenges

John first started in football management in 2001. He became the chief executive of The Owls Trust. This was a group of independent supporters that he helped create. Many Sheffield Wednesday fans did not like The Owls Trust. The chairman of Sheffield Wednesday, Dave Allen, also disliked it. People thought the trust was trying to help Ken Bates take over the club. Bates was then chairman of Sheffield Wednesday's rivals, Leeds United. The Owls Trust controlled many shares in the club. John had also publicly supported Bates.

In October 2004, The Owls Trust tried to remove Dave Allen as chairman. This was done at a special meeting. In 2005, The Owls Trust was forced to leave its offices. These offices were at Hillsborough Stadium. John Hemmingham was banned from special areas of the stadium. The Kop Band was also asked to have fewer members by Allen. Later, John's ban was made even stricter. He was banned from the entire Hillsborough stadium.

Because of this, John resigned from his role. He then took a full-time job at Bates' Leeds United. He became the head of customer services and membership. This decision led to some Sheffield Wednesday fans sending John threats.

Later Positions

In January 2008, John Hemmingham left Leeds United. In August of that year, he became the chief executive of non-league team, Mansfield Town. He helped oversee the expansion of their stadium, Field Mill. However, he left this job after three months in January 2009.

Also in January 2009, John's relationship with Sheffield Wednesday improved. Dave Allen was no longer the chairman. The new directors at the club, Lee Strafford and Nick Parker, removed John's ban from Hillsborough. In 2011, John Hemmingham rejoined Sheffield Wednesday. He became the Commercial Manager for Sheffield Wednesday Ladies.

Personal Life

John Hemmingham has been married since 2007.