Starting in May, 2016 — though Fulham was relegated out of the English Premier League last season and may not return any time soon — Khan is investing about $75 million in a state-of-the-art expansion of the Riverside Stand at historic Craven Cottage.
It’s easily the biggest game-changer at Fulham’s home venue in its 115-year history. Construction for the two-year project will take place during the August-to-May season, increasing the Cottage’s capacity from 25,700 to 30,000.
But the increased seating won’t matter as much to Fulham supporters as the opulent feel it’ll bring to a stadium nestled on the banks of the Thames River, the same site as the prestigious Oxford-Cambridge varsity boat race.
“Frankly, we were desperate for a long time to get a top-quality owner that would support it,” said Alistair Mackintosh, CEO of Fulham FC.
Khan, whose Jaguars face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, is following the same build-it-and-they-will-come formula that brought national attention to the Jaguars’ business side. He feels strongly that investing early in the game is the best route to driving revenues in any sport.
“This wasn’t in the back of my mind when I bought the Jaguars,” Khan told the Times-Union. “My focus was on football then. But once [buying] Fulham came into the picture, then how do we turbo-charge it?
“Fulham had a great history and [expanding the Riverside Stand] was the perfect solution. It made sense to do it.”
