Soccer

IT’S half-time and I’d normally be setting off to tackle a tortuous queue for a pint and a pie, as is the norm after 45 minutes of Prem action. But what’s this — waiters hovering with champagne and fine wine? Dainty pastries, plush seating and cocktail terraces? Toilets fit for ­royalty? This is like no football ground I’ve ever seen. Fulham FC’s new ­Riverside stand will make matchday something more like a mini-break in DubaiCredit: SuppliedThe south-western corner overlooks what will soon be an infinity pool and hotelCredit: SuppliedThe pitchside view of the Riverside Stand at Fulham’s Craven Cottage stadiumCredit: RexThis is Fulham FC’s new ­Riverside stand, six years in the making at a cost of well over £100million, and about as far removed from the British football experience as you can get — with prices to match. The Sun was invited to see the new Sky Deck ­hospitality area, three floors of five-star lounges, bars and restaurants in the West London club’s historic Craven Cottage stadium — the capital’s oldest football ground. The club’s US billionaire owner Shahid Khan has reinvented match day as something more like a mini-break in Dubai. With many smaller Premier League clubs struggling to bring in the cash to keep up with transfer fees and wage bills, money-spinning sidelines like this could offer ­salvation. READ MORE FULHAM NEWSUnder profit and sustainability rules, tycoons cannot just keep pumping money into their clubs to keep them afloat. But they can expand to ­create new revenue streams and grow the business — and get more value from stadiums, which often sit idle when there is no game on. Fulham are unashamedly chasing after cash from locals in this well-heeled part of London. The hospitality facilities operate as a members’ club on non-match days, with fees of £780 to £1,200 a year — footie not included. Most read in FootballBut to enjoy the Sky Deck experience when Fulham play Manchester City on Sunday, May 25, the fans — and spend-happy tourists — will fork out £718 for ONE GAME. Sky Deck day prices vary, but a ­season ticket costs £9,300. Premier League club’s incredible new stand boasts ultra VIP experience with rooftop bar and POOLAnd with many Fulham supporters already seething at sky-high prices (regular season tickets cost up to £3,000), one wonders what message such an opulent project sends to the loyal, less loaded club followers.  We are greeted with a glass of fizz and, as soon as we sit, smiling staff bring endless plates of beef carpaccio, scallops and venison. There is no denying that the development is breathtaking. Guests enter hospitality via a grand spiral staircase from the stylish Riverside ­concourse, where fans with regular tickets can enjoy food and drink. But upstairs lies a different world. Three hours before kick-off, our ­lanyard gives access to three vast floors with different ­theming, going from cruise ship to Orient Express carriage to high-end hotel. A grand piano will be installed shortly. We are greeted with a glass of fizz and, as soon as we sit, smiling staff bring endless plates of beef carpaccio, scallops and venison. Footie fans will be able to swap their pint for cocktails with a view over the ThamesCredit: SuppliedNo pies at half-time for Fulham fans, as smiling staff bring endless plates of beef carpaccio, scallops and venisonCredit: SuppliedNo balti pies or Bovril here, this is a bream and bottomless ­bubbly joint. On the top floor are two open-air terraces, where margaritas are lined up on the bars. The south-western corner overlooks what will soon be an infinity pool and hotel. ‘Weep into our beer’ Panoramic views take in landmarks such as Wembley Stadium, The Shard, St Paul’s Cathedral and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground. Craven Cottage opened as ­Fulham’s ground in 1896 — but the club’s new showpiece has little to remind you that you are in a ­football stadium at all. There is barely any reference to Fulham FC other than some subtle black and white details on the walls, a single tile in the unfinished pool and a club badge on a walkway from the directors’ lounge. This is a football stand for people who don’t necessarily like football. One of the pricier hospitality tiers gets you private dining for ten ­people, with a signed team shirt draped over each seat. But you won’t see pictures of ­Fulham legends like Jimmy Hill, Johnny Haynes or George Best. And fans in hospitality rarely glimpse the pitch, unless at their seats. The architecture focuses on the Thames — this is the stretch where Oxford and Cambridge battle it out in the Boat Race, an event that’s an extra cash bonanza for the club. This is a football stand for people who don’t necessarily like football. Of the 29,600 fans who can fit into Craven Cottage, 2,303 would now be using hospitality seats. Most clubs offer some level of luxury for sponsors, guests and VIPs. But for the posh rooms to seemingly hide the club’s football heritage feels like a new departure in the game. Fan forums are buzzing with debate. @Lighthouse, a fan since the 1960s, wrote on Friends Of Fulham: “Football has become a class thing now. The haves will always look down on the rest of us.” But many feel that Khan is merely doing what is necessary for the club to survive and thrive without moving from its old ground. @cookieg wrote: “If it brings in a few more quid for the club then good.” And @Logicalman chipped in: “We can all weep into our beer glasses for how it used to be. But it just means we are refusing to accept that life keeps moving on.” Read More on The SunAs we sit in the sunshine sipping cocktails, it’s easy to forget we’re there to watch a match — Fulham v Everton, with Fulham needing a win to keep their hopes of Europe alive. The Everton end is in full song throughout the game (which the Toffees win 3-1). In the Fulham hospitality seats, there’s not much noise other than the swishing of rowers passing behind us on the Thames. Craven Cottage in 1959, as Tosh Chamberlain thrills the fansCredit: GettyFulham ace WillianCredit: Rex More