Fulham will spend two seasons with just three sides of Craven Cottage open during their £100million redevelopment of the Riverside Stand.
Work on the new stand is scheduled to start at the end of this season and Fulham will be forced to have a reduced capacity until it is finished.
The plans will see the existing stand demolished and replaced by a new two-tier structure to increase the capacity of Craven Cottage to around 30,000,
Fulham estimate the project will take two years to complete. Crystal Palace’s Main Stand will remain fully operational during their redevelopment of Selhurst Park but Fulham will close the Riverside Stand.
The Riverside Stand currently has 4,689 seats so from next season the full capacity of Craven Cottage will be reduced to around 20,000 until the new stand opens in 2021-22.
Fulham have announced Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd as lead contractor for the project. The plans by Fulham owner Shahid Khan will see a riverside walkway created along the Thames from Putney to Hammersmith.
The club say they are working on “transition plans” and “will be consulting with the Fulham Supporters' Trust [FST] in regards to relocating supporters currently situated in the existing Riverside Stand”.
FST chair Tom Greatrex said: “The reiteration of work being scheduled to start at the end of the current season is a hugely positive step.”
