For over a century now-since 1904, to be exact-the West Ham United Boleyn Ground is where the club has played their home football games in Upton Park, East London. At the end of the 2015 2016 season, the soccer team will bid farewell to the stadium for good. In 2011, West Ham were selected to move into London's Olympic Stadium following the 2012 Summer Games, and with the 2016 2017 soccer season, that move will finally come to fruition.

In many ways, the move will be a hugely positive thing for the Hammers. For one thing, Olympic Stadium is markedly larger than the Boleyn Ground, capable of accommodating a soccer audience of 54,000 (compared to Boleyn's 35,016). For another, the Olympic Stadium is expected to be the new standard for luxury, comfort, and spectator satisfaction in league football. Specifically, every seat in the venue is expected to offer a brilliant view of the pitch.

A Fond Farewell

Still, even though West Ham officials have promised that a home at Olympic Stadium will help the football club become a bona fide challenger for the Premier League title within five years, longtime fans of the team are going to miss the Boleyn Ground. After all, the stadium has been a huge part of the West Ham United identity for the vast majority of the football club's existence.

Indeed, West Ham United was founded as a football club in 1895. Less than a decade later, the soccer squad was playing on the pitch at the Boleyn Ground. The stadium has been the constant for all of the club's most rousing accomplishments, including their highest finish in England's top tier league (third place, in 1986), second tier victories in 1958 and 1981, three triumphs in the FA Cup (in 1964, 1975, and 1980), and more.

Undoubtedly, the 2015 2016 football season will double as one long celebration at the Boleyn Ground. If West Ham officials can be taken at their word, then the move to Olympic Stadium will help the team to grow, evolve, and accomplish greater things in the future.

After all, the Hammers have never won a Premier League title, a Champions League, or a Europa League. A bigger stadium could bring more money to the club, which could in turn allow for the signing of stronger players and better performances in both domestic and international competitions. Even if that's the case, though, the Boleyn Ground deserves a fond farewell, simply for the huge role it has played in West Ham United's legacy thus far.

The West Ham United Home Shirt 2015 2016

In mid-June, the Hammers launched the new West Ham United home shirt 2015 2016, and unsurprisingly, the jersey included a tribute to the Boleyn Ground.

Beneath the team crest on the left breast of the shirt, (from kit manufacturer Umbro) includes a message that reads "The Boleyn Ground: 1904 2016." The inscription appears on the back of the jersey as well, just beneath the collar.

The new claret and blue home kit is a marked departure from West Ham's 2014 2015 home shirt. That jersey, made by Adidas, was a mostly burgundy colored shirt with subtle white pinstriping on the body and just small bands of blue trim around the collar and sleeves.

As it turns out, the design of the West Ham United home shirt 2015 2016 was based on the kit design that the Hammers wore back in 1904, during their first season at the Boleyn Ground. It's a fitting bookend to the football club's 102-year run at the venerated stadium.

What do you think? Will West Ham United find never levels of prosperity at Olympic Stadium? Or will leaving their roots behind at the Boleyn Ground cause something of an identity crisis for the soccer squad?

At Soccer Box, we want to hear your thoughts on West Ham's upcoming move to Olympic Stadium, as well as on what sort of celebrations the football club should hold this season to pay tribute to their longtime home ground. Connect with us on social media to share your opinion! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other popular social networks. Remember, we now have stock of the West Ham United football kit, so order today in this monumental season for the Hammers.