John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood
Encyclopedia
John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood (born 1963) is one of the most recognisable football supporters in England
.
He has 60 Portsmouth
tattoos, the club crest shaved onto his head and 'PFC' engraved on his teeth. He can be clearly heard ringing his bell, to represent the "Pompey Chimes", almost continuously throughout Portsmouth matches. He wears a large stove pipe hat
, curly blue wig, and uses a bugle
as well as his handbell
.
, Hampshire
Westwood started attending Pompey matches in 1976. As his commitment grew to the club, so too did his range of Portsmouth FC themed accessories. In 1989 he changed his name, by deed poll, from John Anthony Westwood to John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood and he is probably the most recognisable Portsmouth supporter.
's Priestfield Stadium
in September 2002, one Portsmouth fans website criticised Westwood, describing him as being a "drunk yob". However, two days later they issued an apology stating they had "gone too far."
Westwood was banned from South Coast
arch-rivals Southampton
's St Mary's Stadium
for urinating on seats in the away end and being thrown out of a derby match in 2003 for persistently refusing to sit down when ordered to by stewards. However, he was in the crowd there on 13 February 2010, when Portsmouth defeated Southampton 4-1 in the fifth round of the FA Cup
.
In September 2007 he played in the Premier League Allstars on Sky Sports
, playing as a celebrity fan for Portsmouth.
Westwood was not permitted to take any instruments to the 2008 FA Cup Final
at Wembley Stadium
, a match won by Portsmouth.
Social anthropology
project Video Nation
. A photo reportage entitled Fan de foot. So British! by Paris based photographer Andrew McLeish about men, passion and football, focussing on Westwood, won the French magazine Paris Match
' s 2004 "Prix du Public" competition for photography students.
He also features on the cover of Chuck Culpepper's 2007 book, Up Pompey, an American's take on English football fans.
In 2008 a portrait of Westwood by artist Karl Rudziak won the Portsmouth Open Art Competition. In February 2009 it was accepted for the BP Portrait Awards exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, where it was on display from June until September. On 28 September 2009 the exhibition began a national tour, starting at the Southampton
City Art Gallery
. However, the display caused controversy with some Southampton FC supporters calling for the painting to be removed.
Rudziak commented that during the sittings for the portrait, he began to understand that Westwood's tattoos and costume were not simply an attention seeking
display but a way of externalising his deep passion for Portsmouth FC and reflecting his inner self.
In 2007 Westwood wrote a book, The True Pompey Fan's Miscellany.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
He has 60 Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
tattoos, the club crest shaved onto his head and 'PFC' engraved on his teeth. He can be clearly heard ringing his bell, to represent the "Pompey Chimes", almost continuously throughout Portsmouth matches. He wears a large stove pipe hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
, curly blue wig, and uses a bugle
Bugle (instrument)
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
as well as his handbell
Handbell
A handbell is a bell designed to be rung by hand. To ring a handbell, a ringer grasps the bell by its slightly flexible handle — traditionally made of leather, but often now made of plastic — and moves the wrist to make the hinged clapper inside the bell strike...
.
Background
Born in LissLiss
Liss is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.3 miles northeast of Petersfield, on the A3 road, on the Hampshire/West Sussex border....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
Westwood started attending Pompey matches in 1976. As his commitment grew to the club, so too did his range of Portsmouth FC themed accessories. In 1989 he changed his name, by deed poll, from John Anthony Westwood to John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood and he is probably the most recognisable Portsmouth supporter.
Supporting Portsmouth
After he was thrown out of Gillingham FCGillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
's Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent...
in September 2002, one Portsmouth fans website criticised Westwood, describing him as being a "drunk yob". However, two days later they issued an apology stating they had "gone too far."
Westwood was banned from South Coast
South Coast derby
The South Coast Derby, or Hampshire Derby, are terms used to describe football matches played between Portsmouth Football Club and Southampton Football Club.The two clubs are the largest on the southern coast of England, and lie only 17 miles apart...
arch-rivals Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
's St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
for urinating on seats in the away end and being thrown out of a derby match in 2003 for persistently refusing to sit down when ordered to by stewards. However, he was in the crowd there on 13 February 2010, when Portsmouth defeated Southampton 4-1 in the fifth round of the FA Cup
2009–10 FA Cup
The 2009–10 FA Cup was the 129th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition. One club, Newcastle Blue Star, folded before the fixtures were released...
.
In September 2007 he played in the Premier League Allstars on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, playing as a celebrity fan for Portsmouth.
Westwood was not permitted to take any instruments to the 2008 FA Cup Final
2008 FA Cup Final
The 2008 FA Cup Final was a football match held at Wembley Stadium on 17 May 2008 and was the final match of the 2007–08 FA Cup competition. The match was the 127th FA Cup Final, and the second to be held at the new Wembley Stadium since its redevelopment. The match was contested by Portsmouth and...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, a match won by Portsmouth.
In popular culture
In 2003 Westwood was featured in the BBC televisionBBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
Social anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
project Video Nation
Video Nation
Video Nation was a BBC television project in social anthropology and audience interactivity. Beginning in 1993, the BBC encouraged people to record their lives on video. These video diaries were then shown on BBC TV and, from 2001-2011, were included on the BBC's website at .The original project...
. A photo reportage entitled Fan de foot. So British! by Paris based photographer Andrew McLeish about men, passion and football, focussing on Westwood, won the French magazine Paris Match
Paris Match
Paris Match is a French weekly magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. It was founded in 1949 by the industrialist Jean Prouvost....
In 2008 a portrait of Westwood by artist Karl Rudziak won the Portsmouth Open Art Competition. In February 2009 it was accepted for the BP Portrait Awards exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, where it was on display from June until September. On 28 September 2009 the exhibition began a national tour, starting at the Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
City Art Gallery
Civic Centre, Southampton
The Civic Centre in Southampton is the home of Southampton City Council.It hosts a police station, council offices, the Guildhall venue, the well-endowed city art gallery, and the city library...
. However, the display caused controversy with some Southampton FC supporters calling for the painting to be removed.
Rudziak commented that during the sittings for the portrait, he began to understand that Westwood's tattoos and costume were not simply an attention seeking
Attention seeking
Enjoying the attention of others is quite socially acceptable. In some instances, however, the need for attention can lead to difficulties. The term attention seeking is generally reserved for such situations where excessive and "inappropriate attention seeking" is seen.-Styles:The following...
display but a way of externalising his deep passion for Portsmouth FC and reflecting his inner self.
Professional career
Since his father Frank's death in January 2006 Westwood has been a partner in the family business.In 2007 Westwood wrote a book, The True Pompey Fan's Miscellany.