(From BBC Sport)
Not that it applies to us or any NRL team, this new stadium for Fulham FC just shows what happens when money is no obstacle (Fulham is owned by US billionaire Shahid Khan):
'Best stand in the world'? Fulham take fan experience to new levels
Have you ever packed your swimming costume to go and watch live football?
Season tickets in Fulham's Riverside Stand can already cost up to £3,000 - the highest in the league - and a new eight-tier hospitality section opened this weekend offering Michelin-star inspired menus, rooftop pool access on the three-floor 'Sky Deck', sweeping views across the River Thames and London, plus the best halfway-line seats.
Fulham is owned by US billionaire Shahid Khan and there is no doubt this an American sport-inspired hospitality experience - but it's actually more akin to a five-star hotel or a cruise ship, than other elite stadium hospitality like Tottenham or Everton's new ground.
BBC Sport was invited to take a look around on Saturday, as
Fulham lost 3-1 to Everton.
The rooftop pool hadn't been finished - although you can't actually see the pitch from the pool. But that's deliberate. Watching the football feels like an afterthought.
That's because the space will be also open all year around as a private members' club when not used as hospitality spaces on matchday.
Architect Phillip Johnson of the firm Populous explains: "Usually when you build a new stand you try to maximise the view of the pitch. The Riverside Stands switches the focus to the river.
"It means it is designed unusually for a football ground. We took from the tradition of rowing and boat houses down in Putney."
And project director Glen Sutton said: "We thought way less about the average football experience. The design of this is much more similar to world-class hotels, cruise ships or restaurants than anything in football."
How Fulham's rooftop infinity pool will look in the Riverside Stand
On non-matchdays, the stand remains open and also becomes a private members' club - targeted at local residents in the wealthy part of west London where Craven Cottage is situated.
The new Riverside Stand facilities are directly opposite the Johnny Haynes Stand. Built in 1905, it is the oldest stand in English football and a Grade II listed building, offering real heritage - but limiting opportunities to modernise that part of the ground.
Fulham chief executive Alistair Mackintosh explained: "Fulham has always been blessed with a wonderful location but until today not had wonderful hospitality.
"This has been a long time coming. We wanted the best stand in the world. Going way back, this was a real vision for me - but we had delays with Covid, and needing a lease for the River Thames.
"I spoke to the Fulham Supporters' Trust when I first started 17 years ago, and they said two things were important to them. First, sustainability and then staying at Craven Cottage.
"They had moved before and it wasn't right. The owner Shahid Khan took the vision and put it on steroids."
