I've been asked to write an article about the changing matchday experience at Fulham - the old lower division days versus the bright shiny premier league. Two things that the editor is keen for me to explore are: - the perception that Fulham have become a home for foreign expats - Americans, Australians, etc - living in and around London and how that has affected the old Fulham fans - the neutral section in the Putney End If any of you have any thoughts or experiences on any of the above, it would be really helpful as I gather my thoughts for the article. Thanks.
I do quite often hear US accents on the concourse by the riverside- not so many Aussie's. My own feeling is that maybe rather than being a home for expats we are a magnet for tourists who are more likely to get a ticket for one of our games.
- The fan basis is definitely diverse. There is the core in Hammy, majority of JH and Riverside stands but Fulham is the second team for many people. I know at least 4 families who the father supports Liverpool, Newcastle, Man U but the kids support Fulham because they happen to live close and get to see games. Fulham is still a traditional club with the ground which makes it very attractive to Americans and Europeans. Definitely lots of Americans and tourists. - The neutral stand is potentially exploring the tourist base and people who want to watch a PL match. Very good idea as there never has been any trouble and people seem to like it.
It's definitely a lot busier in terms of crowd attendance. It was a continuous joke with my dad and me that the crowd look bigger than it was in the days of the old 3rd division as there were 4 or 5 people walking round the ground to make up the numbers!
As somebody who went reguarly in the late 60's/ early 70's then didn't make it back to the Cottage until about 4 years ago, the one comment I would make is, in terms of atmosphere, not a lot has changed. There is still a warm, friendly atmosphere with a great sens of humour. I miss the feel of the terraces, but as a "mature" supporter I enjoy the comfort of a seat and think the terrace behind the Riverside stand is lovely overlooking the river.
If any stats are available might be interesting to look at percentage of women and children at Fulham in comparison to other clubs.
I know, you want contemporary versus the old days, but I have to pick-up on Fred's posting above. It's the things which don't change that makes Fulham who we are: - Walking "by the river" through the park..... - Wooden seats in the Haynes Stand - somehow just adds to the atmosphere...... - The Cottage in the corner, sitting proud at the end of Archibald Leitch's facade..... - The ability to laugh at ourselves. - And the undefined "Fulhamish". As to what's changed, maybe not so much. People talk about all the new accents and more European languages than you can count and expats. However, thinking about the away trips to other grounds, I think that applies to so many Premier League clubs. We did become a lot of fans' second club thanks to our Europa League performances. But I think that's maybe on the wane. So the simple comparison between Fulham between the 4th Tier and Premier League is that 4,000 on a Wednesday night against Torquay or Hartlepool is now never less than 20,000 (even for Stoke or Wolves). And as a consequence someone covered up the Putney End! Not much for your brief, but hope it helps.
All of what GS says. My ten penn'urth: Might be worth trying to identify what/who the Fulham fans are Captain. In the âoldâ days there was standing on the terraces and you went to your normal spot to meet up with your mates or (in later years) certainly knew the hundred or so familiar faces around you. And in those times 8,000 was a decent crowd. Almost as soon as we joined the premiership we debunked for a couple of years and when we returned it was to an all-seater ground where you werenât able to chose who was around you. Nonetheless, my guess is that most people tended towards their previous positions in the Hammy End (cost and atmosphere) and the JH (older persons/families). Just before the move crowds had probably doubled (in fact that was the case pretty much from when MAF, and his money, arrived in 1997). Since then (2004) weâve gradually moved up to todayâs regular 22,000. (if you take the 3,000 in the Putney end out of the equation, since the majority of the seats there are designated for away fans) So, from an empirical viewpoint Iâd suggest the following breakdown of that 22,000: - there has always been a hardcore of 8,000 Fulham fans; - a floating Fulham fan base of another 8,000 (drawn by the anticipation of higher quality football); and - another 6,000 (attracted by premiership football and location). When we moved back to the Cottage in 2004, this also coincided with the âgentrificationâ of Fulham and a significant number of âforeignersâ moving into the Borough. [The French in fact make up the highest proportion of the population in the Borough not born in London.] My conclusions then are: - yes, 6,000 (a little less than 30%) of the current attendance is made up of âforeignersâ. However, the majority of them now live in the Borough and because of that, Fulham is their adopted Club; - the majority of the âhardcore and floatersâ (16,000) are not affected, still being among there own in the Hammy End and the JH. All of that aside, I think our history plays a large part in the attitude of the âold faithfulâ. Weâve always been David among the Goliaths, hence the creation of the term âFulhamishâ. Basically, our expectation are not overly high but we do enjoy the limelight when the unexpected does happen. We also have the legend of being a Club that plays football in the way intended and you can probably include âancestral prideâ in our armoury. I think this inherent pride and Fulhamish-ness is why âWe Are Fulhamâ, and hence our ambivalence to outsiders, be they sometime supporters or away fans On the Putney End. When we became all-seater in 2004 we were obliged to offer 2,500 of the 3,000 seats to the away club and applied to the FA to make a neutral area for the remaining 500 seats in the rows nearest the Cottage itself (aka âLittle Switzerlandâ) Because the Putney End had never been segregated and we had no history of crowd trouble this was agreed. Personally Iâve no experience in that End (well, not since it stopped being the home end ) but I do know itâs usually full so something must be working okay.
All very helpful, thanks to all. You've given me plenty to chew over. If anyone else has anything to add, please feel free.
I think the tourist point is a valid one. I have heard Dutch, Finnish (or Danish, or Swedish or Norwegian, but I honestly think it was Finnish) and German recently along with American, Australian and, of course, Japanese. You also see family groups of these nationalities. Personally, I think it is nice that tourists feel that they can come as a family and see an English Premier League match at our ground, probably because of the non-threatening and welcoming atmosphere that our club has - along with it's superb riverside position, which make it a lovely day out, especially for a late summer/early autumn match or one around April/May.
During the days of being in the lower divisions there were obviously not the crowds like we have now, but even then I think it could be said that although we didn't have the foreign tourists we did have other supporters of other English teams coming along with Fulham fans. But I think London and the Fulham area itself has changed since those days. My experience has been that over the last 10 years I have had a seated season ticket I have sat in the Hammy and Riverside and have sat next to Aussies, Saffars, Americans and all have been season ticket holders themselves who live in the Fulham area. On my travels back after the match, on the buses there are always a mixture of different languages being spoken with people wearing Fulham shirts and scarfs. I tend to equate this to when I worked contracting abroad in Europe, where ever I lived I went and watched football, and when I went on holiday if there was a game on I'd go and see it. So I guess you'd call me a football tourist then. What I'm trying to say is that it happens everywhere, and Fulham is a London club where people feel safe, and we are a friendly club and if they can get tickets for games they will come for the Premier experience, some of them get hooked, and turn up more than once. But I don't think we are unique I've been told by Chelsea and Arsenal they have the same.
