On the wall of Fulham FC’s training ground in suburban Surrey hangs a list of values: from “confident custodians” to “open and inclusive” it describes what the club holds dear. “Everything we do is values first,” says Robert Ordever, Fulham’s people development director.
Much of the work Ordever’s department does – particularly around engagement, values and recruitment – would be leading edge in any industry. In football, it is remarkable: football is about hairdryer treatments, on-pitch biting and off-pitch chauvinism, not “service excellence”. Football is where employees clock off for the day to find their clothes cut to shreds and (in the case of Wimbledon’s notorious Crazy Gang) new recruits are dragged naked through stinging nettles as their welcome to the fold.