Mellsblue wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 6:11 am
The Times:
London Irish have moved towards a return to professional rugby after the club were bought out of administration by a consortium led by the Formula 1 entrepreneur Eddie Jordan.
Hah! The news yesterday was full of stories of LIrish's return to professional rugby moving further away after one of the bidders ostentatiously pulled out citing that they felt they weren't being treated well enough by the receivers. That's a bit of good news.
Quite glad to see Eddie Jordan involved. I don't know anything about whether he has love for rugby, but he does love sport and Irishness, so hopefully his presence means they're going to make a go of the actual sporting bit, rather than just being after the rights to Hazlewood.
Banquo wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 9:21 am
It won't be in the champ, currently
Missed the deadline? Or still missing vital bits of their plan, like a stadium?
Mellsblue wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 6:11 am
The Times:
London Irish have moved towards a return to professional rugby after the club were bought out of administration by a consortium led by the Formula 1 entrepreneur Eddie Jordan.
Hah! The news yesterday was full of stories of LIrish's return to professional rugby moving further away after one of the bidders ostentatiously pulled out citing that they felt they weren't being treated well enough by the receivers. That's a bit of good news.
Quite glad to see Eddie Jordan involved. I don't know anything about whether he has love for rugby, but he does love sport and Irishness, so hopefully his presence means they're going to make a go of the actual sporting bit, rather than just being after the rights to Hazlewood.
Banquo wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 9:21 am
It won't be in the champ, currently
Missed the deadline? Or still missing vital bits of their plan, like a stadium?
Eddie J wants them in the URC anyway - which will come up against all the usual hurdles (RFU is responsible for the game in England, and isn't going to jeapardise its relationship with PRL for that)
Of course, this time DMCS might be an interested party, and apply some pressure.
Which Tyler wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 10:57 am
Eddie J wants them in the URC anyway - which will come up against all the usual hurdles (RFU is responsible for the game in England, and isn't going to jeapardise its relationship with PRL for that)
Of course, this time DMCS might be an interested party, and apply some pressure.
I mean, I have heard worse ideas. Let the URC have a London Scottish and London Welsh side as well, have a deal where they're written into the EPS agreement and England have the same access to players and everyone gets something out of it - the Celts get an extra high-level team and the ability to fish for players in the capital, and England get three additional academy systems that they're not paying for and might produce some extra players.
Can't imagine it would have a detrimental effect on Quins or Sarries - London is quite big [citation needed] and neither of them are even close to the edges of maxing out the available rugby supporting base there.
Mellsblue wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 6:11 am
The Times:
London Irish have moved towards a return to professional rugby after the club were bought out of administration by a consortium led by the Formula 1 entrepreneur Eddie Jordan.
Hah! The news yesterday was full of stories of LIrish's return to professional rugby moving further away after one of the bidders ostentatiously pulled out citing that they felt they weren't being treated well enough by the receivers. That's a bit of good news.
Quite glad to see Eddie Jordan involved. I don't know anything about whether he has love for rugby, but he does love sport and Irishness, so hopefully his presence means they're going to make a go of the actual sporting bit, rather than just being after the rights to Hazlewood.
Banquo wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 9:21 am
It won't be in the champ, currently
Missed the deadline? Or still missing vital bits of their plan, like a stadium?
Puja
‘The new owners have acquired the intellectual property, brand and rights of London Irish but not the Hazelwood training centre, which was separated from the remains of the club that went bust in June 2023 owing £30 million.’
I'd err towards thinking that Jordan is experienced enough at this sort of thing to have got the nod somewhere in relation to viability before blowing a few million on the IP. I guess we'll see what happens.
Banquo wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 1:03 pm
Wuss on the poach offering 40-50k contracts. Hope they've got the cash.
Going to be rough for them to build up the required depth. I'm guessing they'll be looking for a partnership agreement with a Prem club to get access to some loan players.
Banquo wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 1:03 pm
Wuss on the poach offering 40-50k contracts. Hope they've got the cash.
Going to be rough for them to build up the required depth. I'm guessing they'll be looking for a partnership agreement with a Prem club to get access to some loan players.
Yep, Bath (by proximity and no formal existing partnership) or Sarries (now Turner has left Ampthill) would probably be amenable to getting 150k for developing their players . That said, dual reg/stl will be capped at 6 (season long loans unlimited) and they will also need 18 eqps in matchday squad on average. I don't much sympathy with them tho, and as above hope they have more than a guarantor.
Banquo wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 1:03 pm
Wuss on the poach offering 40-50k contracts. Hope they've got the cash.
Going to be rough for them to build up the required depth. I'm guessing they'll be looking for a partnership agreement with a Prem club to get access to some loan players.
Yep, Bath (by proximity and no formal existing partnership) or Sarries (now Turner has left Ampthill) would probably be amenable to getting 150k for developing their players . That said, dual reg/stl will be capped at 6 (season long loans unlimited) and they will also need 18 eqps in matchday squad on average. I don't much sympathy with them tho, and as above hope they have more than a guarantor.
Saints and Tigers both close enough to lend as well. Given the number of options they might avoid a formal partnership with just the one club.
Going to be rough for them to build up the required depth. I'm guessing they'll be looking for a partnership agreement with a Prem club to get access to some loan players.
Yep, Bath (by proximity and no formal existing partnership) or Sarries (now Turner has left Ampthill) would probably be amenable to getting 150k for developing their players . That said, dual reg/stl will be capped at 6 (season long loans unlimited) and they will also need 18 eqps in matchday squad on average. I don't much sympathy with them tho, and as above hope they have more than a guarantor.
Saints and Tigers both close enough to lend as well. Given the number of options they might avoid a formal partnership with just the one club.
both of them get paid by other champ clubs for first dibs. You then end up with pretty unreliable flow of players if not formal, as we know all too well. Maybe that'll work, but bet they end up with treble our playing wage bill.
Yep, Bath (by proximity and no formal existing partnership) or Sarries (now Turner has left Ampthill) would probably be amenable to getting 150k for developing their players . That said, dual reg/stl will be capped at 6 (season long loans unlimited) and they will also need 18 eqps in matchday squad on average. I don't much sympathy with them tho, and as above hope they have more than a guarantor.
Saints and Tigers both close enough to lend as well. Given the number of options they might avoid a formal partnership with just the one club.
both of them get paid by other champ clubs for first dibs. You then end up with pretty unreliable flow of players if not formal, as we know all too well. Maybe that'll work, but bet they end up with treble our playing wage bill.
Undoubtedly. The Wuss owners seem keen to make a splash straight away.
Saints and Tigers both close enough to lend as well. Given the number of options they might avoid a formal partnership with just the one club.
both of them get paid by other champ clubs for first dibs. You then end up with pretty unreliable flow of players if not formal, as we know all too well. Maybe that'll work, but bet they end up with treble our playing wage bill.
Undoubtedly. The Wuss owners seem keen to make a splash straight away.
A few of us have had a look....and its a bit of a concern frankly.
both of them get paid by other champ clubs for first dibs. You then end up with pretty unreliable flow of players if not formal, as we know all too well. Maybe that'll work, but bet they end up with treble our playing wage bill.
Undoubtedly. The Wuss owners seem keen to make a splash straight away.
A few of us have had a look....and its a bit of a concern frankly.
The instinctive feeling from what I've heard so far is that their business model is predicated on them getting promoted to the Prem within 2 seasons max. All very well and good, but means I can quite easily see them going bust again if they can't make it up/Prem rugby put up roadblocks/they get there and step 3 isn't "Profit?"
Undoubtedly. The Wuss owners seem keen to make a splash straight away.
A few of us have had a look....and its a bit of a concern frankly.
The instinctive feeling from what I've heard so far is that their business model is predicated on them getting promoted to the Prem within 2 seasons max. All very well and good, but means I can quite easily see them going bust again if they can't make it up/Prem rugby put up roadblocks/they get there and step 3 isn't "Profit?"
Pujka
Its where they get the cash to start paying 100k a month (at least) from June without any income (they will have some events income to be fair); no doubt they'll get a bung as this is something the RFU wanted to happen. Meantime, they are causing inflation in the Champs clubs wage system as no one saw fit to put some checks and balances around this. #quellesurprise.
Plus...they will have to start paying DCMS loans back in Sept unless that's been written off....
.