Fulham face fan anger as Brentford away tickets tied to charity run | OneFootball

Fulham are facing a supporter backlash after linking Brentford away tickets to entries in a pre-match charity run. Hounslow Herald reports that the club’s Foundation offered away-end places to finishers of its Riverside Run.

The community 10k, organised by the Fulham FC Foundation for 18 April, starts at Craven Cottage and finishes near the Gtech Community Stadium before the west London Premier League derby. A £60 Matchday Package included a Brentford ticket for finishers, while a £45 option covered the run only.

Demand for Brentford is acute, with around 1,500 away seats at the 17,000-capacity Gtech compared with several thousand at Chelsea’s 40,000-seat Stamford Bridge. The away end sold out on Monday, and many fans fear long-standing supporters with high loyalty points have been overlooked.

The Fulham Supporters’ Trust said it raised concerns with the club last month and opposes using access to away games as a fundraising incentive. Following fresh complaints online, it is seeking urgent clarification on whether the link still applied when tickets went on sale on Monday.

Sammy James of the Fulhamish podcast criticised the plan, arguing it allows people, with no requirement to be Fulham fans, to bypass the points system for an oversubscribed match. He praised the Foundation’s community work and suggested there was no malice, calling it an oversight intended to encourage sign-ups.

Similar Foundation bike rides to Brighton and Nottingham have previously included away tickets without controversy, partly because entries were fewer and demand lower for those fixtures. By contrast, Brentford away is one of the season’s most sought-after dates.

Source: Hounslow Herald