Fulham have unveiled plans for a new rooftop swimming pool on the top of their new Riverside Stand - in what will be a first in English football.
The Premier League side released images of what facilities their new state of the art stand will have and as well as not one but two Michelin Star inspired restaurants, it is the rooftop pool that will capture most attention.
Anyone who has been to Craven Cottage or seen a game on the television in recent years will know that development work on the new Riverside Stand has been going on for a long time. In fact work started in demolishing the old stand back in the summer of 2019 and although the stand is partially open to fans now, it is not due to fully open until December 2024 - five and a half years since work began.
Fulham - who are London’s oldest professional team - claim they are ‘redefining matchday entertainment’ with their new stand, but supporters - who were already angry at the 18 per cent rise in season tickets this season - will be wondering what the increase will be this summer. Especially fans who don’t plan to sit in the plush new stand but will no doubt have to help pay for it.
The most expensive season ticket at Fulham this season in the partially open Riverside Stand was £3,000 and the mind boggles at how much the new facilities will add.
Fans won’t have to wait too long to find out how much all this will cost with packages due to go on sale on April 9.
Fulham owner Shahid Khan - whose NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars have similar hospitality features at their EverBank stadium in Florida - said it will provide a 'premium experience that will be unlike anything in football'.
There is no getting away from the fact that the designs are impressive, no wonder given they have been drawn-up by Populous, the same architects behind Tottenham's stadium and the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The new facilities will include three of the top floors of the new Riverside Stand being designated to what will be called The Sky Deck, with that part set to feature various food and drink pop-ups, while offering views of the River Thames.
This will be available to luxury matchday experience ticketholders, who will also be able to take a dip in the pool.
Meanwhile, the two Michelin star restaurants based in the new stand will be called The Gourmet and The Brasserie.
The Gourmet will include similar sights of London to the Sky Deck while The Brasserie will have two options for customers, with views of the Thames and also the pitch provided.
The plans similarly revealed a new 'intimate football experience' called The Dugout, which provides supporters with the chance to sit right behind the coaches, with the proposals adding it will give customers 'immersive audio-visual technology' while a bar will be available.
Fulham owner Khan said: “My vision for the New Riverside Stand was to provide our fans, and our neighbourhood, with a destination that would 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, here in London or elsewhere.
“In short, 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. The New Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage will make it possible.”
The plus side for Fulham fans is that it will make Craven Cottage, or The Riverside Stand at least, a venue that is open seven days a week and 12 months of the year and provide revenue to the club that will no doubt help with FFP regulations.
But Fulham have always been a club who have drifted between divisions and while taking a dip in the pool after watching Fulham beat Arsenal might sound appealing, the challenge will come when you are trying to fill the stand and sell the packages for a Tuesday night game against Rotherham in the Championship should things go wrong for Fulham on the pitch and they are relegated. And Fulham will do well not to take their eye off that.
Marco Silva’s side are currently 12th in the Premier League and clear of relegation danger and the club will hope that with the opening of the new stand that it can take them to the next level on and off the pitch - time will tell if that is the case.
More to read:
Match-going fans are priceless to football - so don't price them out of the game
Why half and half scarves are acceptable in modern day football
