The news of permission to return to Craven Cottage this August has been greeted with approval by all connected with Fulham FC, following an uncomfortable two seasons at Loftus Road. However the Club's stated policy continues to be one of seeking a long term move elsewhere. On 8 March 2004, for the first time, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham officially indicated there were circumstances in which it would be prepared to assist such a move.

Given this background, the Fulham Supporters' Trust believes it essential to inform its members and other interested parties of the issues and calculations relevant to any proposed move. To date, discussion has largely been based on hearsay and guesswork. Instead we all need a proper grasp of the facts -- including the financial realities of life in the Premiership and other clubs' experiences, costs and revenues arising from relocation.

It is the desire of everyone within Fulham Supporters' Trust that the benefits of the investment that Mohamed Al Fayed has made should be permanent. No issue could be more relevant to this than ensuring the Club has a financially stable future and we all recognise that location is a key factor.

The campaign name under which our Trust was formed in May 2003, "Back to the Cottage", reflects the then urgent imperative for Fulham to go home. That having been assured, and now we know that our return will be for at least three seasons, it is time to take stock in a more dispassionate manner. That is what "Craven Cottage, White City, or Where?", based on extensive research of the facts, attempts to do, with due regard both to the plusses and minuses of Craven Cottage and White City.

A prerequisite of every successful move by a football club has been effective consultation with the fans, but to date our own Club has undertaken no such large-scale consultation. A prime aim of this document is to stimulate and inform such an exercise.

As a voluntary organisation of Fulham supporters, we are able to call upon a wide range of professional skills from within our ranks. I would therefore like to thank those members with planning, legal, finance, government and other expertise that have contributed to this document.

Best Wishes,