(Reuters) – A consortium led by former Formula One team owner and Irish businessman 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 club said on Wednesday.
The financial crisis forced the club to enter administration after the June 2023 suspension. Jordan, a former racing driver and TV presenter, formed a consortium called the Jordan Associates the next year to buy the club, which was founded in 1898.
“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.
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.
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.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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