Fulham

Fulham Football Club – Club History

Fulham Football Club is the oldest football club in London, founded in 1879 as Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School FC. The club has played at Craven Cottage, their home on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham, west London, since 1896. Despite their long history, Fulham spent most of the 20th century in the lower and middle tiers of English football, never quite fulfilling the potential that their famous riverside ground suggested.

The club's most dramatic transformation came after Mohamed Al Fayed purchased Fulham in 1997. He appointed Jean Tigana as manager, who led the club from the Second Division to the Premier League in just two seasons (1999–2001) with an attacking, free-flowing style. Under Chris Coleman and then Jean-Marc Boixel, Fulham established themselves in the top flight and had a remarkable UEFA Europa League run in 2009–10, reaching the final and defeating some of Europe's elite clubs before losing to Atletico Madrid in extra time.

Premier League Era & Titles

Fulham have had multiple stints in the Premier League. Their first prolonged period was from 2001 to 2014, during which they established themselves as a top-half Premier League side. They were relegated in 2014 but returned via the Championship play-offs in 2018, only to be immediately relegated again. Promoted as Championship runners-up in 2020, they went straight back down, before winning the Championship title in 2021–22 under Marco Silva, returning to the Premier League and finishing a creditable 10th in their first season back. Fulham's honourable history includes their remarkable 2009–10 UEFA Europa League run, FA Cup final appearance in 1975 (lost to West Ham), and various lower-division titles.

Stadium

Craven Cottage is one of English football's most charming and distinctive grounds. Located beside the River Thames in west London, the stadium has a current capacity of approximately 25,700. The Johnny Haynes Stand is one of the oldest and most iconic stands in English football, and the Cottage itself – which features changing rooms and is a unique listed building – gives the ground its distinctive character. Craven Cottage was significantly redeveloped on the riverside end, with the new Riverside Stand increasing capacity and modernising the facilities while retaining the stadium's historic character. Average attendances are consistently close to capacity.

Most Famous Players

Johnny Haynes is the undisputed greatest Fulham player of all time – the elegant inside-forward captained the club from 1957 to 1970 and was the first player in English football to earn £100 per week. His statue stands outside Craven Cottage. Bobby Moore ended his career at Fulham, and George Best had a late-career stint with the club. In the modern era, Louis Saha was a prolific striker, Steed Malbranque a creative midfielder, and Brian McBride a popular American forward. Clint Dempsey was another American favourite who went on to become a Premier League star at Tottenham. More recently, Aleksandar Mitrović became a Fulham legend, setting the Championship scoring record (43 goals in 2021–22) before his Premier League goals helped keep the club in the top flight.

Key Milestones

As London's oldest club, Fulham occupy a special place in the city's football history. The 2009–10 Europa League run – defeating Juventus on away goals in the round of 16 and Hamburg in the semi-finals – was one of the most memorable achievements by an English club in European competition in recent decades. The opening of the new Riverside Stand completed a £70 million redevelopment project. Craven Cottage's designation as a listed building ensures the club's historic home will be preserved for future generations.