An Eddie Jordan-led consortium has bought London Irish

A consortium led by ex-Formula 1 team boss Eddie Jordan has bought London Irish Rugby Club out of administration. The former Gallagher Premiership club filed for administration in June 2023 following its suspension from all competitions.

Irish had reported debts of around £30million, with the Rugby Football Union confirming that neither its owner Mick Crossan nor an American consortium planning to buy the club could prove they had the finances to compete in English rugby’s top flight for the 2023/24 campaign.

Irish became the third casualty of a financial crisis that gripped the Premiership, which dropped to a 10-team competition following the collapses of Wasps and Worcester.

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Jordan’s group, The Jordan Associates, said its aim is to return Irish “to the pinnacle of international professional club rugby”. Officially, the new owners are Strangford Ellis Ltd, which is managed by Jordan Associates.

“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,” read a statement issued by Strangford Ellis.

Gallagher Premiership

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Bath

11

9

2

0

46

2

Bristol

11

7

4

0

40

3

Gloucester

11

6

5

0

35

4

Leicester

11

6

4

1

35

5

Saracens

11

6

5

0

34

6

Harlequins

11

5

5

1

32

7

Sale

11

6

5

0

29

8

Northampton

11

5

6

0

26

9

Exeter Chiefs

11

2

9

0

15

10

Newcastle

11

2

9

0

9

“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.”

Jordan Associates senior partner Kyle Jordan added: “We are incredibly excited about this opportunity to steer London Irish towards new heights. Our investors bring not just financial backing, but a profound passion for rugby and a commitment to the community and in particular want to reach out to the global Irish diaspora to build the exile brand.”

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.”