Craven Cottage, once a bastion of footballing gentility and unobtrusive charm, now finds itself in the crosshairs of something far more boisterous: rugby sevens. Yes, rugby — that sport of short shorts, long passes, and shoulder-charging mayhem — could be set to infiltrate SW6, if a bold new franchise venture gets its way.
City AM reports that Project 7s, a privately funded rugby sevens league launching in 2026, is targeting Fulham’s historic riverside ground as a flagship venue. Its backers are drawn by the “amazing brand new hospitality” of the club’s newly completed Riverside Stand — a venue now better known for tequila cocktails and rooftop pools than it is for wind-assisted corners.
This development has prompted a mix of curiosity, commercial glee, and among loyalists, something approaching horror. Rugby. At the Cottage. Whatever next — polo on the pitch? A Formula E pit lane in the Hammersmith End?
Margaritas, caviar, and a PR blitz
Let us not pretend this is entirely unexpected. With the long-delayed Riverside Stand now operational, Fulham embarked on an end-of-season media charm offensive of almost Olympian proportions. Dozens of journalists were wined, dined, and margarita’d into submission, each emerging with glowing tributes to the Sky Deck’s mix of “Orient Express opulence” and “Soho House vibes”.
The pitch — and one must use that word loosely — was clear: Fulham is no longer just a football club. It is an experience. A statement. A riverside hospitality brand with the occasional match as a backdrop.
As one journalist gently noted, “It may have been the fourth complimentary margarita before a football pitch came into view.” Quite.
Enter: Project 7s
So it’s hardly surprising that the investment team behind Sunderland’s promotion — led by Bia Sports Group CEO Tom Burwell — is eyeing up the Cottage for its shiny new sevens league. The format: short, slick, franchise-based matches designed to fill stadiums on Thursday evenings and unlock that most sacred modern sporting asset — premium corporate inventory.
“Where I’d love to be in London is Craven Cottage,” said Burwell, praising the stadium’s riverside location, hospitality features, and proximity to Fulham’s deep-pocketed neighbours.
No one is pretending this is about rugby tradition. It’s about eye-lines from the canapé bar to the try line. And ideally, some cross-selling between £20,000 season ticket holders and boutique venture capitalists with a passing interest in Fijian wingers.
Khan’s kingdom
And Shahid Khan? The Fulham chairman has remained studiously silent, but history tells us his feelings can be easily inferred. This is a man unafraid to try and buy Wembley, or to turn Craven Cottage into something resembling a floating hotel.
Should the money align — and City AM suggests franchise sales in the low millions — Khan’s resistance is expected to melt faster than a Sky Deck mojito in the July sun.
The last stand
Traditionalists, meanwhile, cling to the Johnny Haynes Stand (my stand) like survivors in a lifeboat, eyes fixed warily on the Riviera unfolding opposite. The Cottage once echoed with murmured complaints about second-half substitutions. Soon, it may reverberate with the thud of a Samoan flanker breaking through the line and into the Thames.
For now, nothing is confirmed. The ball — oval or otherwise — is still in play. But should Thursday nights at the Cottage soon feature sprinting try-scorers and corporate saxophonists, Fulham fans can at least say they were warned. It began with the margaritas. It ends with the mauls.
