Fulham awareness at an all-time low
Friday 08 February 2013 16:05
Back of the Net's Paul Watson reports on a gap in public perception...
A shocking FourFourTwo survey has revealed that fewer than 1% of adults in the UK are aware of the existence of a Fulham Football Club.
Despite being comfortably established as a Premier League outfit, Fulham are often neglected by the media, who prefer to focus on their more illustrious neighbours Chelsea.
And the extent of the problem has become clear after the stunning results of a poll to find out what the public thought of the Cottagers is.
Just 1% said they knew of a Fulham FC, while a further 6% were open to the concept of a Fulham FC but asked to see proof. Nearly all respondents believed ‘Cottagers’ to be something other than fans of Fulham FC.
While precious few of those surveyed were able to name Fulham manager Martin Jol, his unthreatening visage was widely said to ‘ring a bell’, with more than 75% of respondents believing the Dutch tactician to be either their uncle or someone they met at a friend’s recent wedding.
Even those who were able to give a detailed run-down of Fulham’s history were left admitting the West London club seemed implausible.
“Now I’ve said it aloud, it seems kind of silly,” Adam Hodges told FourFourTwo.
“That bit about the arrival of an Egyptian tycoon, a rapid ascent from the fourth tier to the Premier League, reaching the Europa League final while still maintaining loveable underdog status and a carefree family club atmosphere. Yeah, doesn’t quite work, does it?”
Others who had answered ‘yes’ to the question "Is there a Fulham Football Club?" later revealed that they had actually been thinking of Chelsea Football Club, the nearby Fuller’s Brewery and ham, a popular meat.
Nonetheless, Fulham remain popular with tourists, people who haven’t seen a live match before and joggers unable to find the continuation of the Thames Path.
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