On Wednesday, 12 November 2025 at 2.30 pm, the Fulham Supporters Trust (FST) met with Fulham FC via video conference.
The Club was represented by:
• John D’Arcy (Head of Security, JD)
• Jamie Nicholson (Head of Supporter Services, JN)
The FST were represented by:
• Simon Duke (Chair, SD)
• Hayley Davinson (Deputy Chair, HD)
• Steve Nicholson (Secretary, SN)
HOW IT WORKS
This was the latest of the smaller meetings we have agreed to have with the Club to explore in more detail some of the areas of activity, which should be of interest to our members. It is expected these meetings will provide deeper insight into the way the Club operate and provide explanations for some of the more commonly asked questions.
SD opened the meeting by asking JD to give an overview of his responsibilities, which extend to Safety & Security issues (including health and safety) relating to Club premises. These include Craven Cottage (including Fulham Pier), Motspur Park and the retail warehouse in Chessington. JD has overall responsibility for all events particularly match days.
In the event of a major incident requiring decisioning, there is a Crisis Management Team which can be convened which will normally include JD, the Chief Executive or Chief Operating Officer, and representatives from the particular business unit which has the issue. There is a Premier League observer at every game.
On match-days JD undertakes an early walk round of the whole ground to identify any problems before starting a schedule of meetings which commences with the Club Safety Team and goes through the various levels of head stewards/senior managers/stewards to ensure everyone is properly and consistently briefed. The Safety & Security provision for FFCW women and Academy fixtures mirrors that for the First Team whether the fixture is being played at Craven Cottage or Motspur Park.
This season, stewarding numbers for home games has ranged from 382 to 499, depending on the opposition, timing etc. Of these c200 are employed by the Club (up from c90 when JD joined the Club 3 years ago) the rest are Agency.
In his role a Head of Safety JD concentrates on 3 things, Safety, Security and Service, in that order.
So far this season there have been:-
• 478 match day incidents,
• 74 ejections,
• 1 arrest (away fan),
• 32 medical incidents,
• 14 safeguarding incidents,
• 5 instances of racist or discriminatory behaviour where action was taken.
Whilst the majority of these are away fans, some did involve home fans.
JD was keen to stress that any incidents should be reported during games at Craven Cottage through the use of the FulStop facility. This has greater functionality this season and allows incidents to be reviewed and dealt with in real time. JD believes the majority of messages get through in reasonable time despite the Trust observation of poor mobile reception. An example was given where help was quickly provided to someone with a nut allergy where FulStop was used to arrange medical assistance in short order. The application of FulStop is therefore wide and varied.
We went on to discuss the issue of away fans in home areas, something JD acknowledges. SD mentioned this was still an area of concern to many fans whilst accepting the Club do a lot of work in the background tracing the origin of tickets and taking appropriate action. SD also said he felt the Club should say more about the work being done and actions taken. JD said from a Safety & Security point of view each case needs to be considered on its merits and each reported incident is investigated. Where it is not viewed the presence of away fans is having any detrimental impact from a safety viewpoint it is monitored. Where it is apparent it is having an effect on people in the surrounding area, action will be taken. There are Teams of stewards who are available to attend any serious incident with ejection being the ultimate solution in some cases. Care is taken to make sure any action proposed will not inflame an already difficult situation. Fans are reminded to use FulStop to report any incidents where enjoyment is being spoiled.
We also discussed latecomers and the problems they can cause trying to find their seats. JD acknowledged this was an issue, particularly in the JH stand. Current practice is to keep one turnstile per stand open 15 minutes after kick off with all closed by half time. Anyone arriving at half time or later is able to get assistance at gate 50. More stewards could be deployed in the stands after kick off but this has the negative effect of increasing congestion. Fans are reminded to give themselves plenty of time before kick-off.
Safe-standing was discussed and JD said he was in favour. This would also help with the current “crowding” being seen at the back of the HE and standing in the front “seating only” rows for away fans. Whilst there are no immediate plans to install at Craven Cottage, JD suggested that at some point the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) would look to make an element of safe standing compulsory. Standing in “seating only” rows for any away games is a matter for the stewards of the home clubs.
The latest bag policy is now fully embedded in the match day process and in response to an observation the Trust had from a member that only one bag check lane was open at the JH stand for the Arsenal games JD replied this was not correct, there would have been at least 3 lanes available.
The Trust explained about the ongoing work towards the suitable entry of Under-5s in stadiums and, alongside the Fulham Lillies, are attempting to understand John and his equivalents work across the Premier League to balance safety and customer experience. It was raised by JD that with other areas of safety, experiencing match day together can provide a useful exercise in both sides understanding of the elements that make up the experience, and this is something to look towards collaborating on in future.
It was also asked about the new creche within the stadium and whether this is part of the club match day, or the Fulham Pier area. This is not directly under the clubs jurisdiction, but JD agreed to look into the case of what it’s possible use could look like on match days.
JD has offered to host members of the FST Board on a match day so they can see firsthand what goes on. SD thanked JD for this offer which will be progressed in the new year.
Meeting closed at 16.10
Non-Safety & Security related issues raised by members have been dealt with outside the formal meeting and Club comments (in italics) are as follows:-
Can we re-introduce away season tickets?
Away season tickets were explored in the summer – and included as part of season ticket consultation with the FAB.
To deliver an away season ticket there are two options: 1) a sum paid at the start of the season for all away matches – i.e. £30 x 19 games or 2) direct debit for each game.
From our discussions with supporters, and based on inbound enquiries to the ticket office, it was unclear how much interest and/or take-up there would be for such a scheme – with tickets for almost all away games available for fans to buy with ease.
Both options also pose some issues: option 1 is not possible for concession or junior tickets as clubs have different age categories and/or different prices for these groups. Additionally, games move and so certain away fixtures may not be feasible for fans, whilst direct debit payments can prove problematic with expired cards and chasing payments.
It was agreed not to proceed for 25/26, but we would be happy to re-engage the discussion before next season.
Can refunds be given or better use of the TE made for December games which have been moved for TV?
As part of the T&C of a season ticket, tickets are not refunded based on fixture changes. Individual match tickets went on sale after the TV picks had been made and communicated for December.
In these days of concerns over match-day pricing, do the Club feel it was the right thing to do in getting a player to push ticket sales for the Wolves game?
The Club’s players are supportive of any player appearances and requests (including FFC Women and Academy matches), which we are extremely grateful for.
Forever Fulham section of the website does not appear to be updated?
Thanks for flagging – this is being addressed.
If toilets are out of order can a notice not be put on the door (JH/J/Brentford)?
We will make sure maintenance have a stock of these for future use.
Have the Club looked at/considered the possibility of two-tier toilets at the HE?
Yes, we have and are in the process already for the last 7 months looking at this.
Unpleasant smell from sewers at PE. Gets worse during games (Row R P3).
This is something else that we are looking into.
Ladies toilets in the HE – floor always wet and worse when raining.
The rain naturally falls to that angle along the concourse, we will assess and see, if possible, to add in a rain gulley along the floor.
Are the Club considering the provision of free Wi-Fi across the ground?
We are considering it, and it is under review. There are considerable infrastructure requirements that need to be refreshed or installed to achieve this therefore budget will play a part in when we do this. There is a provision for guests in Riverside as the infrastructure installed as part of the build enabled this.