It’s match day at Fulham and the fans are singing along to The Clash’s London Calling. “Cause London is drowning, I live by the river,” they belt out as the punk anthem reaches its chorus. The lyric is particularly apt as this famous Premier League club is on the banks of the River Thames in one of the most picturesque parts of London.
Fulham FC first started playing at Craven Cottage in 1896 but today its ground is at the forefront of how we might enjoy football and other kinds of entertainment in the 21st century.
The Riverside Stand, which features a swimming pool, a spa, hotel rooms, a children’s play area and Italian marble wash basins in the toilets, is a world away from the traditional football stadium.
The concept is the football club doesn’t just come alive on match day once every two weeks; it will be part of the community.
So there is a café which locals can use on days when there is no football or rooms which can be rented for conferences so workers can gaze out onto the rowers gliding along the Thames.
The transformation of Fulham is the latest project of Populous, an international architecture firm which specialises in entertainment venues.
From The Sphere, the unique LED entertainment centre in Las Vegas, to Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London and now Fulham on the banks of the Thames, they make bespoke sports and music venues.
Populous are among a series of architecture firms behind some of the most iconic stadia in the world. Others include Foster + Partners (Manchester United’s new Old Trafford), GMP Architekten (Universiade Sports Center in China) and HOK (Mercedes Benz Stadium Atlanta).
The €2.3 billion redesign of Old Trafford has captured headlines amid doubts about a wider regeneration of nearby land which is needed to accommodate a 100,000-seater stadium.
More than a sports stadium
Back at Craven Cottage, the future and the past are on show.
On one side of the pitch is the grade II listed Johnny Haynes stand, with its wooden seats and decades of history.
On the other side, is the designer Riverside Stand, with its breathtaking views over the river.
Increasingly, football stadiums and music venues have become our modern cathedrals, where we come to worship our idols, be they footballers or pop stars.
But are these creations becoming a little alike? A soulless and unimaginative one size fits all? Or are they becoming multi-purpose churches of the people?
On a tour of the stand, the emphasis here is that this is not just a football stadium. There is the children’s play area with kiddy-size toilets and soft floors. Step back ten years, perhaps, and children only entered ...
