Fulham Football Club - The Cottagers

Fulham Football Club, based in Fulham, London, is one of the oldest established clubs in England. The club was formed by worshippers from St Andrew's Church on Star Road, West Kensington in 1879 as Fulham St Andrew’s Church Sunday School F.C., source. Initially playing at Star Road until they moved to their current home ground of Craven Cottage in 1896.

In the early years, Fulham experienced a mixture of successes and struggles. They were admitted into the Football League after winning Southern League twice consecutively in 1905-06 and 1906-07 seasons source. One notable player during this period was inside forward Johnny Arnold who with his prolific goal scoring led them to their initial league victories.

Fulham's most successful era came under manager Jean Tigana between 2000-2003. In his first season (2000–01), Tigana guided Fulham to winning First Division title with record points haul of total of 101 points source.

The iconic moments include reaching UEFA Europa League final under manager Roy Hodgson in May 2010 despite being considered underdogs throughout the tournament. Though they lost against Atletico Madrid it remains an unforgettable moment for the club source.

Legendary players such as Johnny Haynes, who spent his entire career at Fulham from 1952 -1970 became synonymous with club's identity. He became the first footballer to earn £100 a week after introduction of abolition of maximum wage source.

Fulham’s main rivals are Queens Park Rangers (QPR) and Chelsea. The rivalry with QPR is known as 'West London Derby' whereas their competition with Chelsea is traditionally referred to as 'SW6 Derby', named after the postcode both teams share.

Derby matches are fiercely contested, embodying true local pride leading to memorable games like 6-0 thrashing of QPR in October 2011 source.

Craven Cottage has been home ground for Fulham since 1896, located by the banks of Thames River providing unique charm amongst English stadiums. It originally had a capacity of around 25,000 but now holds approximately 19,359 spectators due to redevelopment work source.

The famous ‘Cottage’ stand in one corner provides an iconic image for visiting fans while contributing towards making Craven Cottage feared venue for opposition teams.

Fulham enjoys substantial fan base from both locally within West London and globally due to its existence over long period in top tiers of English Football. They have a diverse demographic group ranging from young families drawn by club's family-friendly approach to seasoned veterans who remember watching Johnny Haynes ply his trade on pitch at Craven Cottage.

Notable fans group include Fulham Supporters Trust known for their tireless work ensuring links between club management and supporters remain strong [source] (https://fulhamsupporterstrust.com/about-us/) . Chants such as “By the River Thames” and organised pre-match gatherings at famous local pubs are part of Fulham's unique fan culture.

1. Formed by St Andrew’s Church in 1879.
2. Admission into Football League in 1907 after winning Southern League twice.
3. Signing Johnny Haynes who became one of the greatest players in club history.
4. Achieving promotion to First division under Malcolm Macdonald Management by finishing second in Third Division South, season 1931-32 source
5. Winning First Division title with record points haul of total of 101 points under Jean Tigana management.
6. Playing first Premier League game against Manchester United on August, 2001 source
7. Reaching UEFA Europa league final despite being considered underdogs throughout tournament.
8. Beating Juventus 4-1 at Craven Cottage during a historical night on March,2010 to proceed to quarterfinals of UEFA Europa league.source
9. Famous win over QPR with scoreline reading Fulham - six, Queens Park Rangers – nil (October ,2011). 10.Fulham's unprecedented survival from relegation after collecting maximum points from last three games (May ,2008) known as 'The Great Escape' among fans [source] (https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/pl-retro-moments-great-escapes).