FST open letter to Fulham FC on ticketing
The below letter was sent this morning to Fulham FC CEO, Alistair Mackintosh, on behalf of all members of the Fulham Supporters’ Trust. The message is transcribed below.
Dear Alistair,
The Fulham Supporters Trust [FST] is the only independent and democratic supporters group representing fans of Fulham FC. Our Board is made up of long-standing volunteer supporters of the Club, elected by fellow Fulham fans who wish to protect the identity of our football Club and ensure their voice is heard within the Boardroom.
As you know, for many years we have had an award-winning dialogue with you and the Club. However, it is increasingly the concern of our members that matters raised are not actively engaged with beyond our monthly meeting. We want to help you help our Club do better with existing and new fans. After all, players, managers, owners and staff come and go, but we, the legacy Fulham supporters, remain through thick and thin. Whether you like it or not, without us there is no club.
To help you, in advance of the Club making decisions on ticketing for next season, we wanted to put in writing – in this open letter – our concern that the family club nature of Fulham is now under threat. Many fans feel they are being ignored in the rush for quick income and an easy life. The dropping of loyalty points for Chelsea away and the lack of notice given to fans to access tickets are just two examples of discontent. Early sale of tickets, especially away games, would allow fans to plan travel safely and reduce their costs. Good clear communication with fans is also vital and at present the club do not seem to be getting this right.
You have told us that key objectives for the Club, which has made great and welcome strides under the current ownership include:
• Ensuring the Club is financially stable and sustainable;
• Having a stadium that provides a vibrant atmosphere to support our team – a clear and publicly stated desire of Marco Silva;
• Building a team that can compete against Clubs with greater resources in the Premier League.
These are tough objectives for a Club like Fulham in the Premier League. But it’s our strong view that they cannot be achieved without a solid supporter base filling Craven Cottage every week.
At present, even for some higher profile games, we see empty seats within the stadium, and away supporters in home areas. Next season there will be even more seats to fill in the impressive new stand that is finally set to be complete. Meanwhile, many supporters have struggled with the ravages of inflation and have been unable to afford to attend as regularly as they would want. We need to bring those supporters back, as well as attracting new regular fans. Supporting Fulham needs to be both affordable and accessible to existing and new supporters.
Next season, we would like to join with the Club in making a significant effort to fill the stadium with Fulham-supporting spectators. We know that income from ticket sales is a very small part of the overall percentage of the Club’s income – if the ground could be full each week with supporters getting behind the team and buying merchandise, souvenirs, food etc, this would make a significant contribution to your objectives. We also note that Premier League TV and commercial revenue is reported as having increased by 17% for the 2025-28 cycle, which should comfortably cover the cost of inflation and for improvements to some of the behind-stand infrastructure problems for fans not in the Riverside Stand.
So, we ask you to follow the lead of Brentford and Wolves, amongst the very few that have already announced pricing for 25/26, in – as a minimum – freezing prices next season for all Season Ticket Holders and Members. We also ask you to look at reducing match-day pricing for individual matches to find ways of attracting occasional Fulham supporters to the full range of matches. Long-term support through thick and thin is an asset that this Club cannot afford to neglect. Could we work together to protect and grow it?
Yours sincerely,
THE FST BOARD
