Fulham’s new stand features a health club and swimming pool

Riverside Stand is the line between the traditional and the new age football fan, writes Katherine Lucas

Roy Hodgson famously hit out at “the more executive types” who once gave Craven Cottage its notoriously cultivated but courteous feel. A penny for Roy’s thoughts then on the new Riverside Stand, no longer his arena but which promises to provide the most high-end luxury hospitality in the Premier League.

The top of the stand offers a panoramic view of the city of London, with Alexandra Palace, the Shard and the Walkie Talkie all on show. An omen, at least Fulham fans will hope, is that Wembley is visible too.

There are two Michelin star restaurants, a health club, and even a swimming pool. Can you do it on a cold Tuesday night against Burnley? No, as it will only be open on non-matchdays.

Chairman Shahid Khan vows the stand will “continue to honour our history and tradition at Craven Cottage every day of the year, but especially so on match days, with a premium experience that will be unlike anything in football”. When it is complete, Khan will take his seat in the directors’ box by crossing a glass bridge bearing the club’s emblem.

The mission, lead architect Philip Johnson tells i, was to “respect the historic character of the stadium – it’s obviously a very unique place so we didn’t want anything to be overbearing, everything had to be coordinated and integrated.”

Alongside dark metal gates, the exterior has deliberately been constructed with light grey brick to reflect Fulham’s black and white colours, without mimicking too closely the brick of the Johnny Haynes Stand.

The challenge in any hospitality area is to ensure the rest of the ground does not gaze upon a sea of empty seats after half-time, but those inside will not be able to view the football as there are no windows overlooking the pitch. That should incentivise fans to make their way outside promptly. Clubs are increasingly moving away from traditional “boxes”, where glass panels unwittingly encouraged guests to stay indoors drinking rather than taking in the game.

The stand will ultimately increase capacity by around 3,000 seats to 29,300, though its opening is being staggered due to lengthy delays. Work began five years ago, before contractors The Buckingham Group went into administration and Covid caused further setbacks.

That means non-matchday revenue generated by the restaurants and bars, aimed at bringing in local people who currently have scant offerings without traipsing up to the high street, will be welcome.

The Dugout is poised to open for the start of the 2024-25 season, a section where fans can sit directly behind Marco Silva and his coaching staff, just 3.5m from the touchline.

Putney-based designers Populous – who were also involved in the building of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Emirates and Wembley – have also ensured the stand is as steep as it is allowed to be, ensuring fans are as close to the pitch as possible. Amidst the fine wines, champagne and cocktails, Fulham have delivered what they describe as a “truly remarkable and world-class experience”.

There are three other corners of the ground who would agree that it is indeed remarkable, not least the cost, with memberships starting at £2,800 plus VAT for the year.

Singular tickets in the stand have cost as much as £160 this season, prompting perhaps the most Fulham-esque of all protests in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United – the holding up of yellow placards reading “please don’t price us out” in the 18th minute, representing an 18 per cent increase in ticket prices.

Season tickets for general admission seats in the Riverside were £1,000 this year, but there are new price points to be set ahead of the new campaign.

Those concerns are not just inverted snobbery against an imaginary “prawn sandwich brigade”. It is the battle line between the traditional and the new age of football fan that every club is treading, with varying degrees of caution.

There is already nowhere in English football quite like the Cottage. On Saturday, the path that runs alongside the new stand will be flooded with spectators for the Boat Race.

There is yet to be a confirmed date for completion but when it arrives, the stand is likely to be game-changing.

It’s a very unique place so we didn’t want anything to be overbearing, everything had to be coordinated