Fulham finalise groundshare deal

FA Premiership side Fulham FC have confirmed they will play their matches at second division Queen's Park Rangers FC's Loftus Road stadium next season while their Craven Cottage home undergoes an €115m refit.

All-seater arena
Jean Tigana's team will play at the 19,148-capacity stadium, close to their own ground in west London, throughout the 2002/03 campaign before returning to their revamped home which will have been transformed into an all-seater arena accommodating 30,000 fans. Rugby union side Wasps must now finalise their plans to leave Loftus Road, which Fulham will pay a reported fee of around €1.6m to share for nine months.

Other option
Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed is pleased his club will continue to play close to Craven Cottage, rather than force fans to travel across the capital to West Ham United FC's Upton Park, which was the other option. 

'Smooth transition'
"I'm delighted we have now secured a temporary home within the [Hammersmith and Fulham] borough," he said. "I'm personally very pleased we are able to offer to help QPR through what is a very difficult time in the club's history. We will be working hard with our supporters and other parties during the coming months to ensure a smooth transition.''