Fulham fc email regarding ground redevelopment

[os5889]

Dear Owen,

Over the last few years, Fulham Football Club has enjoyed increasing success on and off the pitch. We are an established Barclays Premier League club, qualifying for European competitions and with over 25,000 of you attending home games on a regular basis.

To ensure the continued survival and success of our club for future generations, changes must be made to our Craven Cottage home.

We respect our traditions, our fans, and our local community (we've been residents at the Cottage for 115 years) and are aware that whatever changes we make must add to our history, the match day experience, and our neighbourhood.

To look at our ideas in more detail you can attend our exhibition at The Cafe at the Cottage, in the Johnny Haynes Stand, Stevenage Road from Wednesday 19 October – Saturday 22 October, or visit: www.fulhamfc.com/stadiumproject.

Club personnel will be on hand to answer your queries on each of these days at certain times. (Please check website for details).

We are at the early stages of the planning process and we'd like to hear your thoughts and comments on our proposed way forward. You can either pick up a comment form at the exhibition or fill in the online version on the website.

Please, add your voice. And let's keep our football club Fulham, forever.

Thank you.

Alistair Mackintosh

CEO Fulham Football Club

[Jambo]

Massive news.  MAF..... Legend

[WHITEwitch]

There is a survey on the link above - it would be a great idea if as many folks on here as possible could complete it.  In the 'any other comments' box I put that I wanted to stay at CC no matter what other pressures as our ground is a large part of our charm and uniqueness.

Can't do any harm if they hear many different versions of that sentiment.

[zzamora]

This will only work if a number of measures are implemented:

1) Ticket prices in the riverside are slashed. You will not fill that stand by charging 50 quid, no matter how many tourists your going to get.

2) Perhaps swap the roles of the riverside and johnny haynes stand? Again, I disagree myself with this idea but this would be another way to make sure the riverside stand is used like a proper stand.

3) Make sure the stewards allow chanting in the riverside: because, let's be honest, at the moment its as dry as a bone in there.

But top top ambition from the club!

Now for that horrid statue...

[ffcwickford]

Great potential news - filled in the survey and asked about the possibility of 'standing' returning to the Hammersmith End for 'Home' supporters! I know this needs a Government shift in policy, but I also know this could possibly be achievable with the right people in Parliament giving it backing!

[MJG]

Good to see the club at least asking for our views, I have also asked about getting rid of the "neutral zone" and having just an away section only and that away fans in home sections rules be implemented.

[fulhamfan]

[Lighthouse]

The problem remains going to and coming away from the ground by car. Train travel is hit and miss. It was an eight hour day when I went by train and the same when I went by car which is simply madness for a Prem club. I live on the South Coast and it was quicker to go to several away grounds which were further away.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

The problem remains going to and coming away from the ground by car. Train travel is hit and miss. It was an eight hour day when I went by train and the same when I went by car which is simply madness for a Prem club. I live on the South Coast and it was quicker to go to several away grounds which were further away.

is this not the same problem for pretty much every London club?

[fulhamfan]

im well excited about this news

[Lighthouse]

The problem remains going to and coming away from the ground by car. Train travel is hit and miss. It was an eight hour day when I went by train and the same when I went by car which is simply madness for a Prem club. I live on the South Coast and it was quicker to go to several away grounds which were further away.

is this not the same problem for pretty much every London club?

I found a few  London clubs easier to go to by train and some had better parking. But even in the days of fewer fans, Fulham had a school car park open just for Football fans and I saw a park and ride van shuttle  they used from that car park. Now I think the schools have been built on etc. So parking is even  more of a problem. There are now more parking restrictions than there were. I had a season ticket but even then was unable on one occasion to park because I was late due to accidents on the road etc. Train travel became hit or miss. It is a problem they will have to try and solve to entice five thousand extra fans without making life harder for fans and local residents.

[Edwatch_Winston_Malone]

The problem remains going to and coming away from the ground by car. Train travel is hit and miss. It was an eight hour day when I went by train and the same when I went by car which is simply madness for a Prem club. I live on the South Coast and it was quicker to go to several away grounds which were further away.

is this not the same problem for pretty much every London club?

I found a few  London clubs easier to go to by train and some had better parking. But even in the days of fewer fans, Fulham had a school car park open just for Football fans and I saw a park and ride van shuttle  they used from that car park. Now I think the schools have been built on etc. So parking is even  more of a problem. There are now more parking restrictions than there were. I had a season ticket but even then was unable on one occasion to park because I was late due to accidents on the road etc. Train travel became hit or miss. It is a problem they will have to try and solve to entice five thousand extra fans without making life harder for fans and local residents.

I wonder why Chelsea don't seem to have this problem?  It's because if you get it right on the pitch the rest looks after itself...

[Meerkat]

Whilst on the subject of parking does anybody know about disabled parking and where you can actually park is it quite close to the ground for example.

[epsomraver]

The problem remains going to and coming away from the ground by car. Train travel is hit and miss. It was an eight hour day when I went by train and the same when I went by car which is simply madness for a Prem club. I live on the South Coast and it was quicker to go to several away grounds which were further away.

is this not the same problem for pretty much every London club?

Exactly all prem clubs have this problem, from the south coast by train it is quite straight forward did it for years, Overground to Victoria, rattler or overground  to Putney , there are fans near me who come from Torquay to all matches including evening ones, if you want to go you will make the effort, our club is better than most prem clubs for getting to and from, there are factors that are beyond the remit of the club and that includes traffic and train delays.

[DevonFFC]

As for parking i dont think this is an issue the club can sort, there is no room around the ground to change that. So they have to look at new ways to provide and improved transport methods, either by increasing the amount of tubes running, however again not directly fulhams doing though im sure the TFL will respond if we increase capacity. The park and ride idea some one mentioned was brilliant, park outside of london and get a coach in or going to and from a mainline train station, i.e clapham which takes you anywhere across the uk.

[epsomraver]

Whilst on the subject of parking does anybody know about disabled parking and where you can actually park is it quite close to the ground for example.

There is a disabled parking area near the cottage  in Stevenage road for seriously disabled people in wheel chairs, blue badge holders from the borough can go beyond the barriers and park in the streets , other blue badge holders can park outside the barriers but inside the match day restricted areas

[WhiteJC]

The problem remains going to and coming away from the ground by car. Train travel is hit and miss. It was an eight hour day when I went by train and the same when I went by car which is simply madness for a Prem club. I live on the South Coast and it was quicker to go to several away grounds which were further away.

is this not the same problem for pretty much every London club?

I found a few  London clubs easier to go to by train and some had better parking. But even in the days of fewer fans, Fulham had a school car park open just for Football fans and I saw a park and ride van shuttle  they used from that car park. Now I think the schools have been built on etc. So parking is even  more of a problem. There are now more parking restrictions than there were. I had a season ticket but even then was unable on one occasion to park because I was late due to accidents on the road etc. Train travel became hit or miss. It is a problem they will have to try and solve to entice five thousand extra fans without making life harder for fans and local residents.

for a couple of seasons I paid to use the school car park, it cost £320

[Mitch]

Parking shouldn't be of any consequence when looking at this. All new stadia seem to be designated public transport only (Wembley, Olympic Stadium etc) so I can't see it coming into any plans. Going up to 30k will only mean another 4000 or so fans, so increased parking shouldn't really be needed. More pressing is the need for adequate access for that extra number of people and work needed on the river if extra filling in was needed.

[LBNo11]

...my comments are:-

"Craven Cottage = The Fulham Football Club -  The Fulham Football Club = Craven Cottage. No matter what, the two have been, are, and should remain intrinsically linked, one without the other would be nothing"...

[epsomraver]

Parking shouldn't be of any consequence when looking at this. All new stadia seem to be designated public transport only (Wembley, Olympic Stadium etc) so I can't see it coming into any plans. Going up to 30k will only mean another 4000 or so fans, so increased parking shouldn't really be needed. More pressing is the need for adequate access for that extra number of people and work needed on the river if extra filling in was needed.

There used to be over 40k fans coming in and going out out the same doors  when I first started going, try getting out of the dog track in a hurry or even the emirates.