Hopes Grow for London Irish Return to the Gtech
New owners plan to be playing pro-Rugby in west London by 2026
Ollie Hassel-Collins scoring a try at the Gtech. Picture: London Irish
February 13, 2025
According to a report in the Times, a consortium associated with former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan, is seeking a return to professional rugby for London Irish.
The owners are quoted as saying that they want to remain based in west London and are looking to be up and running by 2026. It is believed they are considering the option of re-establishing the team at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community stadium where they took up residence in 2020.
The club stopped playing in Brentford after being ousted from the Gallagher Premiership in June 2023 following a failed takeover by an American group which meant players and staff went unpaid.
Now, Strangford Ellis Ltd, which is managed by Jordan Associates, has bought the club's intellectual property, brand and rights. The deal does not include the grounds in Sunbury which are still be used by the amateur arm of the club.
It is understood that Eddie Jordan, a senior partner at Jordan Associates, is leading the project to revive London Irish. The consortium already owns French rugby club AS Beziers Herault.
The owners are quoted as saying, "The primary goal of the new ownership is to return London Irish Rugby Club to the pinnacle of international professional club rugby, aiming for a swift return to top-flight competition."
A ground share with Queens Park Rangers has also been mentioned. Wasps shared Loftus Road with the football club from 1996 to 2002.
It is not clear at this stage whether the intention is to rejoin the English League structure or become part of the United Rugby Championship in which Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Italian and South African clubs compete.
We have approached Brentford FC for comment.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |