JulieAnn Thomas writes about the self-defeating nature of Fulham’s price-gouging
Do you remember the beginning to Love, Actually, where Hugh Grant voices over that when he gets disheartened, he (or at least his character) thinks about the arrivals terminal at Heathrow. He says:
“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends… If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion… love actually is all around…”
Standing in front of the Johnny Haynes statue on a matchday, I watched reunion after reunion. It was my bespoke arrival terminal at Heathrow, but made of my people, the Fulham FC community. I watched the world pass us by along Stevenage Road, while I watched fathers reunite with sons, families meeting to watch a match together, old pals rallying at their ritual spot.
Yes, we know that matches sell out. Football is, at least in part, about the numbers. The contracts signed. The xG. The final score. The advertising money. And how financially stable a club is does matter. The numbers do indeed tell us one story. But another unravels when you stand by Johnny and then sit in the stands. The community formed. The reunions at a sacred place. The sharing of snacks at halftime. The hugs when someone who sits behind you week after week had missed last match. The showing of pictures of kids or grandchildren growing up too fast. The traveling to the ends of the earth together, rain or shine, win or lose. The common thread here is the tie to Fulham Football Club. And that brings its own value.
To me, that’s why the (ongoing) protest matters. The numbers are one part, but they don’t tell the complete story. The soul that ties this club together are the fans. The fans have been here through thick and thin, through relegations and promotions, through groundshares and the fight to return. The numbers on the balance sheet aren’t the only thing that matters, and they can’t be the only thing considered when looking at this club. This club is about so much more than just winning games and making a quid or two.
I have no doubt the club employs creative, intelligent people who could figure a way to keep supporters in seats and make money. There are tons of tools (utilizing loyalty points, etc) that could be employed to streamline the ticketing process and make it more transparent. And the fans deserve a seat not only at the Cottage but also at the ticketing pricing table.
Sure, people will watch Fulham and Craven Cottage will sell out. That will be fine for now. But if longstanding, loyal fans, the heart and soul of this club, are priced out, in the hard times, who will back the club? Fulham can’t afford to price us out.
