Fulham chief defends eye-watering £12,000 corporate tickets in new Riverside Stand because they have 'business class' fans
- Regular match day tickets in the Riverside Stand cost Fulham fans around £120
- There are also plans to build a pier to make Craven Cottage accessible by boat
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Fulham have been quick to defend the ticket prices for their soon-to-be-fully-opened Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage.
The Stand has been long in the works, but is nearing its completion at last, with December slated as an unveiling date, bringing an end to around six years of work at the stadium.
The project has cost approximately £100million, and given the outlay ticket prices are also seemingly on the higher side.
Regular matchday tickets for those in the Riverside Stand cost around £120, however it is the corporate season tickets that come with the heftiest price tag.
Prices for corporate season tickets range from £3,250-£10,000, and when VAT is taken into account, the overall fee for the most costly tickets reaches around £12,000.
Fulham have leapt to the defence of their soon-to-be-fully-opened Riverside Stand
Regular match tickets cost around £120 with corporate season tickets set to cost as much as £12,000 for the most expensive options
Fulham's glitzy plans for the New Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage are set to become reality in December
However, the club have offered defence for such a high fee, with the chief executive explaining that after discussing with certain fans he was given the advice that Fulham 'can have a business or first class' option for their supporters.
'When I first spoke to the Fulham Disabled Supporters Association they gave me some advice and that was that Fulham is the sort of club that can have a business class or first class and have fans that turn left on a plane,' said Alistair Mackintosh.
'They said to me, that is for some people but the rest of us want a premium experience elsewhere.
'They may want to have this experience for the odd game then may want to return to their seats.
'I feel stretching pricing means there is something for everyone at Craven Cottage. But the attention is on the top-end pricing as it is more interesting to report than the bottom end, but our game against Villa is sold out.
'It shows there is a lot of demand for these tickets and if we had a bigger stand it would be nice but we are selling out everything we have.'
The full opening of the stand later this year will see Craven Cottage's maximum capacity increased to close to 30,000.
There are also plans to build a pier onto the Thames in order to make the club accessible by boat, and while there had been fears this could interfere with the annual Boat Race, Mackintosh was quick to allay such concerns.
The new hospitality area in the Riverside will be full of glamour and several lavish features
Supporters who take in the hospitality will be witness to views across the skyline of London
'There has been quite a bit of fake news about an 86-metre pier that would stop the boat race and that has never been in the plan.
'We are working with the boat race company because they will use this as one of their key venues and are discussing working with them rather than stopping them.
'We want people to travel here in a green and accessible way by boat.'
December is set to see the Riverside Stand - which sits on the banks of the Thames - open in full, and although the price of tickets may be deemed high, the club are offering plenty in return.
Among the amenities on offer, those who opt for the experience will have views of the Thames, two Michelin Star restaurants to dine at and a rooftop swimming pool, with the hospitality area set to be one of English football's priciest.
Three of the top floors of the new Riverside Stand will be designated to what will be called The Sky Deck, with that part set to feature various food and drink pop-ups.
This will be available to luxury matchday experience ticket holders, 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 west London outfit have been in the process of revamping that part of the ground for a number of years, with it due to open in 2021, but this has been hit by a series of delays
A CGI image of the hospitality that will be on offer at Craven Cottage, with views of London
Those who undertake The Sky Deck experience will be able to dine both indoors and outdoors
The Gourmet will include similar sights of London to the Sky Deck, offering indoor and outdoor dining, and a four course a la carte menu with champagne, fine wine and cocktails available.
Elsewhere, 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.
