Fulham chief defends eye-watering £12,000 corporate tickets in new Riverside Stand because they have ‘business class’ fans
Fulham have been quick to defend ticket prices for their soon-to-be fully opened Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage.
The Stand has been a long time in the making but is finally nearing completion, with December set for the unveiling date, bringing an end to around six years of work on the stadium.
The project cost around £100 million, and considering the outlay, ticket prices also seem on the higher side.
Regular match tickets for those in the Riverside Stand cost around £120, but it is the corporate season tickets that have the highest price tag.
Prices for corporate season tickets range from £3,250 to £10,000, and when VAT is taken into account, the total rate for the most expensive tickets is around £12,000.
Fulham have jumped to the defense of their soon-to-be fully opened Riverside Stand
Regular match tickets cost around £120, while corporate season tickets for the most expensive options cost as much as £12,000
Fulham’s glitzy plans for the new Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage will become a reality in December
However, the club has offered a defense for such a high fee, with the CEO explaining that after consulting with certain fans, he was advised that Fulham could have ‘a corporate or premium’ option for their supporters.
“When I first spoke to the Fulham Disabled Supporters Association they gave me some advice and that was that Fulham are the kind of club that can have a business class or first class and have fans who turn left on a plane,” said Alistair Mackintosh.
“They said to me, that’s for some people, but the rest of us want a premium experience elsewhere.
‘Maybe they want to have this experience once and then go back to their seats.
‘I feel that stretching the prices means there is something for everyone at Craven Cottage. But the focus is on the prices at the top end as they are more interesting to report than the bottom end, but our match against Villa is sold out.
‘It shows that there is a lot of demand for these tickets and if we had a bigger stand that would be nice, but we are selling out everything we have.’
When the stand fully opens later this year, Craven Cottage’s maximum capacity will increase to almost 30,000.
There are also plans to build a pier on the Thames to make the club accessible by boat, and although there were fears that this could disrupt the annual Boat Race, Mackintosh quickly allayed these concerns.
The new hospitality area in the Riverside will be full of glamor and various luxurious amenities
Supporters taking in the hospitality will witness views of the London skyline
‘There has been quite a bit of fake news about an 86 meter pier stopping the boat race and that was never in the plans.
‘We are working with the boat racing company as they will use this as one of their main venues and are discussing working with them rather than shutting them down.
‘We want people to travel here by boat in a green and accessible way.’
In December, the Riverside Stand, which sits on the banks of the Thames, will fully open, and while the price of tickets may be considered high, the club is offering plenty in return.
Among the amenities on offer, those who choose this experience will have views of the Thames, two Michelin-star restaurants for dining and a rooftop pool, with a catering area that will be one of the most expensive in English football.
Three of the top floors of the new Riverside Stand will be allocated to what will be called The Sky Deck, and that area will feature various food and drink pop-ups.
This will be available to luxury match day experience ticket holders, who can also take a dip in the pool.
The two Michelin star restaurants located in the new stand are now called The Gourmet and The Brasserie.
The west London outfit has been working on revamping that part of the site for a number of years, with it due to open in 2021, but this has been hit by a series of delays
A CGI depiction of the hospitality on offer at Craven Cottage, overlooking London
Those undertaking The Sky Deck experience can dine both indoors and outdoors
The Gourmet will include similar London landmarks such as the Sky Deck, offering indoor and outdoor dining, and a four-course a la carte menu with champagne, fine wine and cocktails.
Elsewhere, The Brasserie has two options for customers, with views of the Thames and also of the pitch as long as.
The plans similarly unveiled a new ‘intimate football experience’ called The Dugout, which will give supporters the chance to sit right behind the coaches, with the proposals adding that it will give customers ‘immersive audiovisual technology’ while a bar will be available are.