Fulham, ‘attractive’ on the Thames

If there is a stadium in the United Kingdom dedicated to all the traditions of English football, it is Craven Cottage in London, the home of Fulham matches, which has now been converted into one of the great entertainers of the Premier League. Eighth place, in a successful season where the team Marco Silva stands in the ‘Big Six’, every ‘cottager’ match on its beautiful pitch is a fun and atmospheric experience, enhanced today by the London club with the renovation of The Riverside stand, next to the River Thames, which It will provide- way the capacity of the old stadium increased to almost 30,000 spectators, without losing its essence.

The brilliant new The Riverside grandstand, scheduled to officially open next summer, contains restaurants, conference facilities, a hotel and even a rooftop pool and spa, with the aim of becoming a renowned club of reference , such as commercial exploitation, for nights. of the capital of London. This is a qualitative and economic step for Fulham, in a personal project of the businessman Shahid Khan its owner and also the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team. He was one of the first Americans to reach the Premier League in 2013, when he bought the club from Mohamed Al-Fayed, More than a decade ago.

Khan wanted to commercially exploit the tourist attraction and the lure of tourists visiting Fulham matches. There are many bigger and more modern stadiums in London, but none preserve the heritage and vestiges of the past like Craven Cottage. The field still retains the wooden seats and the original columns, protected by law, in the legendary Johnny Haynes Stand, opposite the Thames, named after the player who wore the Fulham shirt so often. It is distinguished by an impressive red brick exterior façade, which stretches along Stevenage Road.

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With the remodeling of The Riverside, Fulham gained stadium capacity, but also linked the modernization work to a complex leisure project for the luxury neighborhood and the city, the ‘Fulham Pier’, a long walk along the river the possibility to enjoy privileged panoramic pictures, a path that will allow uninterrupted travel between Hammersmith and Putney bridges, which can be visited all year round.

to Fulham Shahid Khan wanted to compete in luxury and ‘glamour’ on the same level as other London clubs, offering a strong claim to watch Premier matches in a beautiful environment. This is a significant source of their income. Tottenham Hotspur offers, for example, its Tunnel Club, where guests pay £16,000 per season to dine while watching the players take to the field. Or Arsenal’s Diamond Club, which is invitation-only and costs £25,000 a year. Access to the Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage won’t come cheap either, around £3,000, while the Gourmet option, with chefs from the Michelin Guide, as the most exclusive section, costs £12,000. “Fulham offer a premium experience, unlike anything else in football, here in London or anywhere else. “It’s about offering the best matchday hospitality experience in the world, which will also benefit Fulham’s long-term growth,” he said proudly. Shakid Khan.

Subscriber complaints

This luxury ‘hospitality’ project, aimed at exploiting the rare and privileged location by the River Thames that Craven Cottage had, however, had its detractors among the club’s own social masses, which at the same time saw the rise of the price of their locations, with an increase of almost 33% in season tickets in the last two seasons. Fulham’s idea is that, over time, season ticket sales prices can be contained thanks to the economic benefits of the high bonuses charged by the club to tourists and businessmen. The class war is already being felt in full force in most London clubs, which are trying to get a huge extra income by attracting a public with greater purchasing power.

Fulham have yet to record a profit during Khan’s reign, with losses reaching £94m in 2020-21. The need for additional investment comes following declines in 2019 and 2021, which prompted the Khan to design this project for growth, parallel to maintaining the team in the Premier League. The Portuguese coach achieved this Marco Silvaeven counting, increasingly, on a significant investment in signings. This is the case this year of two former Arsenal players, Smith Rowe and Reese Nelsona risky bet, since they were substitutes, and it paid off. Fulham, who managed to overcome the removal of pillars such as goalscorer Mitrovic or your brain Joao Palinhawas one of the surprises of the Premier and now seeks to fight for a European place.

Three games await the ‘cottagers’ (Southampton, Chelsea and Ipswich Town), which can confirm their options at the top of the Premier. One of them faces their neighbors Chelsea on Boxing Day. Before that visit to Stamford Bridge, Fulham will open The Riverside, in St. Stephen’s Day, for its fans to enjoy the build-up to the special ‘derby’ between the ‘blues’ and ‘whites’, experienced with great intensity in south-west London, before walking along Fulham Palace Road and Bishop’s Park