Anyone that has ever been Fulham away will know it is always a good day out.
Not only is it an easy stadium to get to, surrounded by many decent pubs that are not “home fans only”, we have also got a huge away allocation (around 6,000 seats).
Fulham’s away end is split into two sections – the normal away end and a “neutral” end. The original plastic club, under Mohamed Al-Fayed they attempted to become a “day out” for those visiting London and wanted to catch a game.
When Arsenal visited, however, the neutral end was combined with the away end, and the entire stand was for sale through Arsenal’s website to away fans only. This took the allocation from around 3,000 to just shy of 6,000 in the Putney End. It was never an issue for fans to get credits.
However, with the £30 cap on away tickets, Fulham have rescinded this agreement.
The £30 price cap for Premier League away tickets was introduced at the start of the 2016-17 season following sustained campaigning by supporters. It meant that loyal away fans would no longer be affected by Category A price rises – it would cost Arsenal fans £4-500 more a season in tickets to go to every away game in comparison to smaller clubs like Burnley.
For visiting London clubs, the Putney End would be given over to the away team to sell tickets. This meant that every ticket in that end would be capped at £30.
Last season, I noticed a lot more Fulham fans under the stands, mixing with Arsenal fans. It was something I had not seen before as previously the Putney End was exclusive to Arsenal fans. This exposed that Fulham had reigned on their agreement and decided to keep the end split – 3,000 away Arsenal fans paying £30 a ticket and 2,000 “neutral” fans paying £79 (2025/26 prices).
I would say 90% of those fans in the neutral end were Arsenal. That means that they have paid £49 more for a ticket in the same end, just because Fulham have decided to re-categorise it neutral fans.
An additional £49 over 2,000 tickets is £98,000. If we assume the previous agreement was for all London clubs and Manchester United and Liverpool, this decision generates Fulham an additional £784,000 a season. And it is probably less than that if games against the smaller London clubs such as Crystal Palace and West Ham are not priced at the highest category.
So a decision by Fulham generated them an additional quarter of a million pounds. Really not much in modern football finance terms. But it then more than doubles the price of tickets.
Yesterday morning, I struggled with my 37 credits to get a ticket. Only limited tickets went on sale to 35+. I ended up with two tickets, not sat next to each other, with a restricted view. I won’t complain, I am going to the game and we will all find a place to stand together.
But Fulham’s decision is denying fans tickets to a brilliant away day. It is meaning that only 3,000 tickets were available (and many of them disappear into the hands of players, coaches, sponsors, box holders, et al), rather than 5,000.
A game that was never an issue to get tickets for has now become an issue. And if you miss out on the away end, you will have to pay an additional £49 to sit in the neutral end. Which is the same end as the away end, drinking in the same bars, surrounded by away supporters.
I have never really warmed to Fulham as a club beyond it being a decent away day. They have always come across as very plastic, with a fanbase of people who just want a day out at the football regardless of who it is. They are the epitome of Against Modern Football.
Their decision to no longer combine the neutral end with the away end for Arsenal fans is a decision driven by greed. They should hold their hands in shame.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
to be fair arsenal only release 3,000 tickets to away fans at the emirates. Given the emirates has a much bigger capacity, who is really being greedy?
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“Fulham’s away end is split into two sections – the normal away end and a “neutral” end. “
There hasn’t been a neutral end at Fulham for over 10 years. The reason you are paying £79 is that is a home ticket for home fans.
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I suppose we shouldn’t expect a big 6 plastic supporter to know any better, but we don’t have a “neutral end”, it was just a creative way to get around policing and segregation requirements at football grounds with the away end being separated from home supporters. If you buy a ticket for the home section in the Putney stand, I hope they chuck you out for breaking ticketing policy. It’s also quite cute that you think we’re a plastic club when over 70% of our fanbase actually comes from Fulham, something Arsenal aren’t able to say. I also suggest proof reading what you write because there are so many typo’s in your silly little rant
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So much wrong here hard to know where to start. The whole Putney end has never been given to any away club at any time ever to be sold exclusively through the away teams website – no team in the Premier league has ever, ever been given a 6k allocation. There is no ‘neutral section’ in the Putney end of Craven cottage and there hasn’t been for over 10 years. The reason this area was for a time was branded as such was due to the small concourse behind the stand which makes it difficult if not impossible to segregate that area. Arsenal are given circa 3k tickets at Fulham, as are all other away teams in the Premier League, these tickets are the £30 ones as is the same for all fans in all away sections for Premier League games. The rest of the Putney end is now a home section. Many Riverside season ticket holders were moved there during the rebuilding of that stand, and have remained due the the pricing in the new stand – so no the the Putney End (not including the official away section) is not a Neutral section. Your post is just plainly and 100% incorrect
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Haha Arsenal fan calling Fulham a plastic club! How’s your plastic ground and your plastic anthem made up over a pint by a plastic “mockney”! Priceless.
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Boo hoo
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As an Arsenal fan, this is embarrassing. Zero self-awareness.
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The ‘neutral’ section ceased at the end of the 2018/19 season when the old Riverside Stand was demolished. After that, visitors received about 1900 tickets and rest of the end was classified as home. Away allocation was increased to 3000 as more of the new Riverside opened. The rest is officially home fans.
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Wow… It was a “neutral” end over a decade ago to get around the rules of matchday sales. Why should Fulham give a larger proportion of the ground to away supporters than they’re obligated to (thereby giving an advantage to the visiting side)?
Arsenal give a far smaller percentage to visiting support and are far more plastic than Fulham. See the pathetic Tifo v Real Madrid, large souless ground devoid of atmosphere, the pathetic “north london forever anthem (sic)” and the handful of Crytsal Palace style ultras gathering under a railway arch before match days.
The Putney End is only and has only ever been exclusively away support for cup games. Go back to Woolwich you wally!
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The other half of the Putney End has been home fans for four seasons. This didn’t change last year, it changed the year the Riverside Stand was demolished for rebuilding.
Since the new Riverside Stand opened, the home part of the Putney End was actually reduced, and the away part was widened by a block.
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“They should hold their hands in shame.”
So should the author.
I’d also question the “They are the epitome of Against Modern Football” (whatever that actually means). What Fulham FC the oldest professional club in London, in their 140+ year old stadium, with their relatively local support, without spending £billions each few years on players, without their black t-shirted ultras (so funny) and giving 11% of our ground to away fans (Arsenal give 5%)? You could almost argue on the back of that, that Arsenal are indeed the epitome of against modern football. Embarrassing.
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Wow, that is absolutely hilarious, you clearly know nothing about our club, or indeed your own?
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Arsenal fan showing they have low IQ. Step away from the keyboard
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Who ever wrote this article ,is a total clown
Fulham s neutral end ended about 10 years ago
Total misinformation
Do not entertain this article, as it is total bulloxs
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Milton Keynes of North London
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you seem to forget that football is a bisuness and Fulham is no different from the shop down the road so they have to make as much money as is possible to make sure they say in the premier League so think on it’s a small club which i have been a fan of for 80 years so I know what they need to do to say in the premier League
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What a complete load of trash, the Neutral end at Craven Cottage disappeared years ago, the author of this article is even more out of touch than The current Labour Party, 🙄🤣
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terrible inaccurate poorly researched drivel. Never allocated all Putney end to away fans. Come to some of the home pubs to meet the plastic, you’ll soon learn.
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Stooping to a new low, as is your wont Keenos. Again, fans like you give us a BAD name.
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