By BrianC
July 31 2006

In some ways it could be said that Wasps are now victims of their own success. In recent years their star studded squad have won pretty well everything there is to win in club rugby.

The crowds, after some delay, came flocking. The problem? As almost always, it is money. They now don't have room to grow crowds were they are so, through steep ticket price hikes, are squeezing what extra revenue they can from their existing support base. They appear to be in danger of alienating their supporters, new and old.

Four years ago Wasps were evicted from their then home, Loftus Road, as Fulham FC moved in during the development of Craven Cottage. They moved to what was then Adams Park, since renamed to The Causeway Stadium. At the time of the move owner Chris Wright described the stadium as being "ideal for rugby", so it seemed. In the season before they moved (01/02) Wasps gate averaged just over 5.8k. Since the move Wasps gates have mushroomed. They had two capacity crowds in 03/04, five in 04/05 and four in 05/06. This growth is in part due to the on field success of the club and can also be attributed to the ready appetite for rugby there appears to be in the Thames Valley.

There have been some rumblings about expanding the Causeway Stadium to 12 or 15k capacity. Whilst this is technically feasible the major stumbling block is access. The stadium is in a residential area, at the end of a cul de sac. There is not much by way of public transport or road infrastructure near the ground. At present on big match days access to the ground is difficult, what chaos there would be if gates on such days increased by 20% or 50% is unimaginable. This season Wasps have engaged a consultant to look at the issue but not many hold out hope.

So what are the options for Wasps? Unlike other clubs they are not tied to a long lease on the ground. In May '05 they extended the lease by one year. If they cannot develop their existing ground another move would seem to be on the cards. The only suitable stadium nearby, the Madejski in Reading, is not an option so a return to London may be on the cards.

I do not envy the Wasps board. As with several other clubs the growth in our sport is causing a whole new set of problems. Given that these problems mainly center around infrastructure they are not easily tackled. They have some tough calls ahead of them.