QPR 1st, the Queens Park Rangers Supporters Trust, has welcomed plans to form a Supporters Trust at Fulham, following a public meeting last night at Hammersmith Town Hall.
Despite the atrocious weather and traffic conditions, between 400 and 500 Fulham fans attended the meeting, which was called by the Back To The Cottage Group (BTTC) and supported by QPR 1st, Supporter’s Direct, Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association / Don’s Trust, Arsenal Independent Supporters Association and the Football Supporters’ Federation.
The main outcome of the meeting was a unanimous vote for BTTC to set about the formation of a Fulham Supporters’ Trust and to open direct talks with Mohammed Al Fayed, the Fulham Chairman.
QPR 1st Spokesman Justin Pieris said: “We are delighted that three out of the four west London clubs will now have Supporters Trusts representing their fans. In a meeting a few months back, representatives from QPR 1st had urged BTTC to take just such a step.
“There are plenty of common areas of interest between ourselves and BTTC and we are committed to supporting each others’ campaigns for our healthy and independent existence in our own community stadia – Loftus Road and Craven Cottage.
“We both believe that any movement from our traditional homes would be immensely damaging to the relationship between our clubs and their communities, wouldn’t make sense in the long-term economically and could threaten the future existence of both clubs. As such, QPR 1st fully supports the aims of BTTC.
“There are concerns that whilst Hammersmith & Fulham Council has stated its strong preference for Fulham’s return to Craven Cottage, they have still not completely ruled out the possibility of a new stadium development, on a brownfield site within the borough, that could potentially house both QPR and Fulham. We believe this sends the wrong message to the Directors of QPR and Fulham, who should be concentrating on running their clubs successfully through good business practice, rather than looking for quick-fix solutions that threaten the identity of both clubs.
“Given the concerns we have, it was good to see strong support for the BTTC campaign at last night’s meeting from the Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, Andrew Slaughter and local MP Iain Coleman.
“QPR 1st and the new Fulham Supporters Trust will continue to work closely to help protect and preserve our clubs. We wish the fledgling Fulham Trust a long and successful future and Fulham FC a safe return to Craven Cottage.”