The London team Fulham FC, or The Cottagers as the club is sometimes called, has been the little brother of London for some time. It wasn’t until the 2000’s that Fulham really started to be considered as one of English footballs better teams.
Of all the teams in Premier League, getting tickets to Fulham’s games is probably the easiest. The only exception is their home games against Chelsea – Fulham’s greatest rival. Despite this, it might be a good idea to turn to a travel agent who can offer you game tickets as well as hotel and flights. You will then get everything in a package, and won’t have to put all the individual parts of your trip together yourself.
Fulham is the oldest club from London playing in the Premier League. The club was formed way back in 1879. During the 1960’s Fulham pulled off a few triumphs, but its first time of greatness is considered to be taking place now in the 2000’s. Fulham has been playing in Premier League since 2001. During its long history, Fulham has only achieved one great title, which is the Intertoto Cup in 2002. They were very close at winning the 2009/10 season of the Europa League, but Atlético Madrid proved too good in the finals.
London has no shortage of things to do – neither before nor after the game. You can head off into the lively streets of the city, visit museums and other attractions, or just go to the nearest pub to relax with a pint.
Fulham’s home stadium Craven Cottage is one of the most classic stadiums in England, and not because of Fulham FC being a great team, but because the stadium has appeared pretty much the same for decades. If you are a hopeless football romantic, you will surely love a visit to Craven Cottage.
Craven Cottage can today seat 25,700 spectators, and this is precisely what the attendance record is as well. It was set in 2009 during a home game against Arsenal and was equaled three times during the same season. Back when there were only bleachers for standing, however, the record set was 49,336 during a 1938 game against Millwall Dockers.
In 1896 the first ever game was played at Craven Cottage. Back then, the stadium only consisted of a few benches and a football field. The first stand, Johnny Haynes Stand, was built ten years later. This stand is still there to this day, and with its characteristic red bricks, it alone is worth a visit.
In 1972 the Riverside Stand was built, and after that no more additions were made. When Fulham reached Premier League in the beginning of the 2000’s, they had to leave Craven Cottage when the stadium was being renovated in order to reach the safety standards that stadiums in Premier League have do adhere to. Therefore, Fulham played their home games at Queens Park Rangers’ home stadium Loftus Road for a few seasons. For the 2004/05 seasons, however, they were back in their classic home stadium.
Craven Cottage lies at the shores of the river Thames in the neighborhood Hammersmith and Fulham. The stadium is beautifully situated in a calm residential area and in the vicinity of many parks. The simplest way of getting to Craven Cottage is via the subway. You can choose between the District Line (Putney Bridge station) and Circle, Hammesmith & City and Piccadilly (Hammersmith station). It is not recommended to drive to Craven Cottage since there are hardly any parking spaces in the stadium’s vicinity.