A consortium led by former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan has bought the London Irish rugby club over a year after the Premiership team was suspended from all rugby for being unable to pay its players.
The financial crisis forced the club to enter administration after the June 2023 suspension. Dubliner Jordan, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, formed a consortium called the Jordan Associates the next year to buy the club, which was founded in 1898.
Officially, the new owners are Strangford Ellis Ltd, which is managed by Jordan Associates.
"The Jordan Associates team will now turn its attention to negotiating a full and sustainable return for London Irish to competitive rugby, hand-in-hand with London Irish's supporter base," the club said in a statement. It did not give financial details of the deal.
The Times newspaper reported that London Irish may seek to join the BKT United Rugby Championship instead of working their way through the English system.
Eddie's youngest son Kyle, a senior partner in the consortium, said the new owners will reach out to the global Irish diaspora to build up the club's brand.
"Our investors bring not just financial backing but a profound passion for rugby and a commitment to the community," he added.
And Evelyn Partners' Lee Manning, joint administrator of London Irish, said: "We have worked hard throughout this administration to preserve the value of this historic and much-loved club.
"Despite a number of false dawns in respect of interested parties expressing a keen interest in acquiring London Irish, we are delighted to have found a buyer with plans to revitalise the club."
London Irish, who have won the second-tier RFU Championship twice, moved to soccer side Brentford's home ground in 2020 after playing out of Reading for two decades.
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