Football and fintech came together for a panel discussion focused on the transformation of Fulham Pier, its impact on the local community and the future of the football fan experience.The discussion was hosted by Fulham fan, author and personality, Richard Osman, and featured key figures including Alistair Mackintosh, CEO of Fulham Football Club, Shahid Khan, the owner of Fulham Football Club, Tony Warren, EVP of Strategy at leading fintech, FIS and Councillor Stephen Cowan, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

FIS has partnered with Fulham Football Club to create a centre for innovation at the Fulham Pier The state-of-the-art Markers, presented by FIS suite will support Fulham’s vision of a dynamic and inclusive destination environment for business leaders in West

Fulham Pier, which is part of the redevelopment of Fulham’s riverside stand, is London’s newest riverfront destination, with restaurants and cafes, a hotel, spa and members’ club all overlooking the Thames. The Pier is part of Fulham’s vision for the future, a dynamic and inclusive environment that integrates state-of-the-art technology, provides cultural and recreational activities, and fosters community engagement.

On the vision of the Fulham Pier, Alistair Mackintosh, CEO of Fulham Football Club: “The vision was to look at the 340 days when we’re not playing football matches, and if we got that right we knew then there would be something for the community. People come for the amenity but stay for the community. Shahid put the vision on steroids, he made it what it is. The football club can be sustainable, give something back to the community and the walkway is now open for the first time in history. It’s not just for the matchday.”

The partnership between Fulham and FIS marks a relationship between two brands that believe in innovating for the benefit of customers. The state-of-the-art Markers Suite, presented by FIS, will support Fulham’s vision of a dynamic and inclusive destination for business leaders in London. The UK is a hub for fintech and London is the natural fit for FIS to develop a new innovation centre outside of the US. This initiative underscores the significant role that fintech sandboxes play in driving technological advancement and community engagement.

While discussing the Markers, presented by FIS suite Tony Warren, EVP of Strategy at leading fintech, FIS shared: “The Fulham Pier is setting a gold standard. The Markers is a state-of-the art suite joined with the vision of an inclusive, diverse place to encourage businesses in London to come and collaborate. The community will benefit by hosting client events in the suite. 

“For FIS, we’ll be bringing client conferences to the UK. From an innovation point of view, we have the Accelerator Programme which has been traditionally US based. With this facility we’ll be able to open up here – so with start up firms we can bring them under our [FIS’] wing, seed with some investment and if successful, bring VC to the table. Internally we have InnovateIN48, a global competition to come up with new and innovative ideas and we can now host the final here.”

Fulham Pier is already setting the gold standard for new fan and customer experiences. The club has identified that the football industry is ripe for innovation and that financial technology can help foster fan loyalty in exchange for rewards: 54% of UK football fans said they would be willing to share personal data with their football club in exchange for special offers, rewards or incentives.

New technologies, such as embedded finance, have huge potential to drive transformation of the fan experience. For example, within a club’s digital ecosystem, fans could purchase goods and services in real-time, via a brand that they trust, while clubs make intelligent use of data to better understand their customers.

 In regards to how important the on field success is for the club, Shahid Khan, chairman of Fulham Football Club, explained: “Success of the club is paramount. We want Fair Play rules in force to bring a level of fairness and equal playing field. Serving the community, having the revenue and investing it back in the squad obviously improves our odds as a team.”

 Alistair Mackintosh, CEO of Fulham Football Club: “We thrive on competition and we want to be a sustainable Premier League team. So we’ve been kind to the Fair Play rules and continue to speak up in their favour. Football is for everyone – it’s deeply communal and everyone should be able to enjoy the experience.”

 While discussing Hammersmith and Fulham Mayor’s agenda of inclusion Councillor Stephen Cowan, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, explained: “It’s absolutely key. Our industrial strategy is an inclusive strategy. It’s easy to say the words but difficult to make happen. Like all big councils in London, you have some with huge wealth and, living right next door to them, others with no opportunities of accessing that wealth. Helping people to get through the glass ceiling, giving them the skills and having inspirational things happening in the community, like what happens here every week, is crucial.”