The Platinum Lounge (Tier 1) seems to have been dropped in favour of the Gold Lounge (Tier 2). Next step is the Tier 3 Silver Lounge! It's actually a really good space (500 max I believe). No windows apart from the mezzanine level. It's a conference area really.

It looks to me like a perfectly tidy conference space but I personally can’t see the additional benefits as a standard punter. I do hope, however, that they can attract some corporate into the space. That seems to be a reasonable but unspectacular fit and if the club is to grow additional revenue streams are a must.

Yep, it's clear this is just a cynical attempt to extract more cash from ordinary fans. The club would be better off driving proper growth by focussing on attracting more regular fans in the stands (the 5,000 target) and using this as a proper corporate space at higher prices.

Well being absolutely fair to them Buzza, they have the facilities and I assume they considered them better than Ealing and a bigger income generator and thus a factor in the expensive move so I can understand that they’ll want to test that theory and see if they can generate interest. Definitely a bit irritating for us fans who see radio silence on recruitment but the club banging on about the merits of a one course hot buffet but it is what it is.

I hope they are having a good old think about engaging with the community and local media/info outlets. I know local newspapers are fading away but there must be some avenues to connect with SW and West London. I have a feeling the more west and out you go the more affluent it is. I can see a potential market of middle class rugby union fans who want to see something different and a potential intro to youth market via schools already playing rugby perhaps even private schools. It seems a better than starting from a standing start in fairly cash strapped areas with no obvious links to Rugby. Trouble is you have to keep doing it a one off just won’t have much impact and I’m not sure we are resources for that kind of thing any more. I may well be wrong and it’s all predicated on the team playing a reasonable brand of rugby and some kind of minimum standards on match day experience. Big season this. My gut is if this is another poor one options will be fading fast. Here’s hoping the worst is behind us.