Growing up in Tennessee, soccer was something you played, not something you watched. There was no culture around it, no community. But the game never left me.

In college, a neighbor introduced me to the Premier League and everything changed. Around 2004, I started searching for a club to call my own. I could have picked one of the big sides, but they all felt manufactured. Too polished. Too easy.

Fulham felt different. Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra were wearing the white shirt, and as an American supporter finding his feet, that mattered. When Clint Dempsey arrived in 2007, I was sold. Not just on the players, but on the club itself. The small club feel. The personality. The community.

Like most American supporters, I have lived it from a distance. Dodgy streams, message boards, and social channels keeping me connected across 4,000 miles. But I’ve also stood inside Craven Cottage several times. I’ve felt the atmosphere, heard the songs, and seen what this club means to the people who call it their own. I know what Fulham means.

I’m also a Creative Director with over 20 years of experience. Design is how I see the world. For a long time I looked at the available Fulham merch and felt a familiar frustration. Something was missing. The Riverside is my answer to that.

Built by a supporter, for supporters. UTF!

Tim – Founder, The Riverside Co.