Fools and their money will not be parted thanks to new venture

When he isn’t playing as part of a defence that earned a relegation-worthy -29 goal difference last season, Andrew Taylor enjoys the finer things in life: fast cars, dazzling jewelery and high end audio systems.

Unfortunately, a penchant for premium quality products has left the 23-year-old and several of his football colleagues with slightly less of their humongous disposable incomes, thanks to the kind of shysters who try to exploit vulnerable young men whose bank balances far outweigh their connection with the real world. (A sportscar dealer, for example, will have no qualms slapping an extra £10,000 on a £200,000 if he believes the well-remunerated customer will be oblivious to the price hike.)

In order to help the UK’s 4,000 professional footballers avoid getting ripped off in this manner, Taylor is about to launch an invitation-only website called Platinum Players. The site will list companies that offer “luxury lifestyle products” (cars, gadgets, hotels, underwater dog treadmills) and also financial advisers and lawyers who are deemed “trustworthy”.

The BBC reports:

Mr Taylor, 23, has funded the project from his own wages, and will earn income from listing fees and advertising charges paid by the companies it features.

Car dealerships, a hotel in Mayfair, property companies and an interior design firm are among those who have already signed up for the site, which launches on 1 September.

Other high-profile names include the restaurant group Nobu, upmarket retailer Harvey Nichols, Movida nightclub and the car marques Alfa-Romeo and Bentley.

The world of luxury lifestyle is probably one that we will never know - unless you folks out there start clicking on some more ad banners, that is - but The Spoiler actually thinks Platinum Players sounds like a decent idea, particularly for young foreign players who could easily be taken for a ride by high end opportunists.