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Craven Cottage has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Fulham FC’s home ground was first used to play ball in 1896 for an audience of just 250 – and now, over a hundred years later and after several closures, re-openings and renovations, the Cottage has just had its glitziest glow-up yet.
At the heart of Fulham’s upgrades is the stadium’s Riverside Stand, and in practical terms the renovations will increase the stand’s capacity to 8,000 and boost Craven Cottage’s overall capacity to 28,500. But that certainly isn’t all. Designed by Populous architects, the revamped Riverside Stand promises fans of the club a much more luxe elevated experience – including, excitingly, a rooftop pool. Yep, a pool! In a football stadium! Well I never.
The new stand will offer seven new hospitality venues including the pool, Michelin-starred restaurant The Gourmet (for dining high above the Thames), the Sky Deck (featuring panoramic sunset views) and The Dugout, which will offer ticket-holders a chance to sit right behind the coaches for an ‘intimate’ game experience.
Shahid Khan, owner of Fulham FC, said that although these plans are intended to offer more luxurious experiences for fans at Craven Cottage, the Riverside Stand’s amenities will be accessible on non-match-days too.
‘Today isn’t about finally being able to offer a higher standard of hospitality options that have essentially been unavailable to Fulham supporters until now. It’s about offering the ultimate match day hospitality experience in the world that will also benefit the long-term promise and future of Fulham Football Club,’ he said.
The principal architect for the stand, Philip Johnson, said that the project ‘demonstrates new ways of designing individual stands, and we are proud to be part of the Club’s next chapter’.
Looks like the 2024/25 season will be a bougie one for Cottagers! Renovations at Craven Cottage began back in 2019 and are set to be completed this year, while hospitality packages will be available for purchase from tomorrow (April 9). You can find out more about the upgrades on the Populous website here.
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