Communication to Fulham FC regarding out upcoming fixture in the FA Cup against Manchester United
The below is a copy of a letter sent over the weekend to CEO Alistair Mackintosh on the topic of our upcoming fixture against Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Dear Alistair,
Football fans are not immune to the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. As Fulham FC’s only independent and democratically elected fan body, we are writing to request the club’s support ahead of the televised FA Cup 5th Round fixture versus Manchester United on Sunday 2nd March.
Tickets are yet to be sold for this fixture, leaving many fans unsure if they will have access to a ticket and how they can make it to the game in the most economical manner if they do. Returning from Manchester by public transport on a Sunday night – when extra time is a possibility – is fraught with complexity and additional costs for certainty. Despite the game being on television with a resulting cash windfall for both clubs, it appears loyal legacy supporters simply do not matter to the hierarchy of the modern-day game. Manchester United FC have regrettably and callously set the price significantly above the usual Premier League away game price cap of £30 per ticket.
Given the pricing decision was taken exclusively by executives at Manchester United FC and not Fulham FC, we hoped you might consider a gesture towards our fans to demonstrate you understand the lengths they go to when supporting their club. As suggested by Sammy James of Fulhamish, might the club be willing to subsidise the away tickets to cap the price at the £30 Premier League limit for away games? Our calculations suggest that would cost Fulham around £60k. We hope that this might be possible given the club will be achieving well north of £1m in additional unbudgeted revenue from the fixture as a result of television and percentage of gate receipts. We would be delighted to discuss this suggestion ahead of tickets going on sale on Tuesday.
Fulham fans have been with the club through thick and thin. They are regularly putting loyalty to our club ahead of other important costs. We hoped that the Fulham executive might take this opportunity to say thank you to fans and to show you understand what they go through to support our club at every turn.
Yours sincerely,
The board of the Fulham Supporters’ Trust
