RugbyRebels

Positive noises being made as to a future return in the Championship. Would love to see them return - as 20 year fan I haven't really felt the same about English domestic rugby since their demise.

From the Ruck:

REPORT: London Irish set to return in 2025
16 March 2024 Rugby Rucker
London Irish, the professional rugby club, is edging towards a rejuvenation as advanced talks are underway for a takeover.

Since June 2023, the club has been in administration, but a ray of hope emerges as German investor Daniel Thomas Loitz, leading private investment holding company Hokulani Ltd, has been engaged in negotiations for several months.

While a final agreement remains pending, indications from sources close to the negotiations suggest that a breakthrough is imminent.

The intricate process involves approval from numerous creditors, yet Loitz remains optimistic about the prospects of London Irish returning to competitive action in the Championship, England’s second-tier rugby league, as early as the 2025-26 season.

Speaking exclusively to THE Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union ... irish-rfu/, Loitz said: “London Irish is a wonderful brand and has so much history. I do not want to strive for idiotic things like immediate silverware, but I want to focus on the community, engaging with the fans and having an identity at the club.

“For example, I believe it’s necessary that we concentrate on producing players for the English youth national teams and mould players for the future. That’s good for the English game, it’s good for English rugby.

“We also want to make sure we have a great relationship with London Irish’s amateur club, and to have a pathway together where we can bring through talents.”
Anyone catch the full article in the Telegraph?

(I'm a DT online subscriber)

The article concluded:

"We also want to make sure we have a great relationship with London Irish’s amateur club, and to have a pathway together where we can bring through talent.”

London Irish filed for administration last June following their suspension by the Rugby Football Union from all leagues for failing to provide proof of funds and ownership for the 2023-24 season.

Asked how soon London Irish could be competing again, Loitz added: “The most realistic version of it would be 2025-26, because at this point there are so many parties involved in order to bring back Championship rugby with the London Irish brand, and I really understand that it’s reasonable for the RFU to never want to lose a brand like that again, because it would not look good. So we have to follow a process first, which I completely understand.

“I want to give credit to the RFU and the administrators from the Resolve Group and to Mick Crossan, who has said he wants the club to be in good hands. For them, it’s not about the money – credit to all of them – instead it has been about the vision for the club.”

Loitz also says he wants the club to resume training at Hazelwood, the 63-acre training ground in Sunbury-on-Thames, which was the team’s base prior to them going under in the summer of 2023.

Hokulani Ltd already owns several women’s football clubs around the world, including Halifax, who play in the Women’s National League Northern Premier Division, the third tier of English football.

In December, Hokulani purchased the franchise rights to one of the new women’s football clubs that will play in Canada’s “Project 8” competition, a new, fully professional women’s league launching in 2025. That deal will involve building a club from scratch.

Related Topics
London Irish RFC, RFU, RFU Championship, Gallagher Premiership"

Most comments wonder why LIcan jump straight back into Division 2, rather than work their way up other bankrupt sides

They might be better off restarting at league 1 as opposed to Championship. Give them chance to build a squad and kickstart the academy in a league that's semi pro as opposed to semi pro/pro like the Championship.