While we await the return of the Premier League, we caught up with some of our Official International Supporter Groups to provide some more insight into Fulham's incredible support around the world.
For the first in our Get To Know feature series, we spoke to Dean Kakridas, secretary of Fulham Texas, to find out more about one of our Official International Supporters Groups across the pond.
How did your affiliation with Fulham start?
I’ve always loved the beautiful game, and I was especially smitten by English football. When I lived in Norway in 2001 working for a tech company, I started doing a lot of business in London and decided to adopt a London-based club so I could attend matches. I wanted a club with history, character, and I love an underdog! Fulham was the easy choice and one that I knew I could grow old(er) with!
How did you build the group/find other members?
In 2012, now living in Austin, Texas, I decided to start the Fulham Texas Supporter Club. We were first approved as an Official Supporter Club by Fulham FC in 2013. We had an Irish pub in downtown Austin where many Premier League fans would convene to watch their favourite clubs. It was there that I met Stephen Watson, Sam Vedamanikam, and Drew Browning. They became founding members and we just grew from there, with members joining from all over Texas. Other long time core members are Matt and Heather Smith, Ryan Mirabedini, Justin Miller, and Brian Progar. The great thing about Fulham supporters is that we are largely self-selecting and there for the same reasons. So it's easy to become fast friends!
How do you keep up with all the action?
Nothing beats watching the matches live with other supporters. After bouncing around to multiple pubs that would have us (and play Fulham over the “top” clubs) we were approached by Hopsquad - a local brewery near Austin FC’s stadium. They offered to be our official supporter pub in Austin, and so we watch matches there with a good crowd that comes from all over Central Texas. They even brew an English mild just for us called 'The Hammy End’. We are trying to establish similar official watch pubs in other cities in Texas like Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Have you ever experienced Craven Cottage?
Yes, many times. I’ve been to maybe a dozen games now. That includes the Wembley match and last year’s final barnburner of a match against Luton Town where Sam, Drew and I ended up on the hallowed turf of Craven Cottage. My goal now is to try to get to London for a match each season, this year I attended the Man City game back in April.
What is your all-time favourite Fulham moment?
Most definitely the 2018 Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley, where I sat with the wonderful O’Shea family in the White Wall and saw us beat Villa for promotion. That goal by Cairney still makes me tingle, and seeing all those happy supporters all in one place can’t be beat. But I have to say, last year’s goalfest title clincher with the Craven Cottage pitch party is a very close second! I still have a few blades of Craven Cottage turf in my office.
What’s the best way for other Fulham fans to get in contact with you?
Kindly follow our twitter. You can view FulhamTexas website here, where people all over Texas can sign up, learn about watch events all over the state and contribute to the community. You can also find me on Twitter @atx. If you are somewhere in Texas and would like to join our community, suggest a good watch pub, host a watch event, or just say hello, please do reach out! Also, all FFC fans around the world are welcome to visit in Texas and we would love to share a beer or two and maybe some good TexMex or BBQ!
To find out more about Fulham Texas, you can view their page here.
To view a full list of Fulham's Official Supporter Clubs and find out how you can get involved, click here.
To get in touch with us and make your group officially recognised by the Club, please email supportergroups@fulhamfc.com.