London Irish facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
London Irish

Full name	London Irish Rugby Football Club
Union	Middlesex RFU, Surrey RFU, Irish RFU
Nickname(s)	The Exiles, The Drummers
Founded	1898; 127 years ago (1898)
Chairman	Kieran McCarthy
CEO	Adrian Alli
President	Mick Crossan
Most appearances	Topsy Ojo (301)
Top scorer	Barry Everitt (1,234)
Most tries	Topsy Ojo (46)
2022–23	Premiership, 5th
kit
Official website

London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club. They used to play in the Premiership, which is the top rugby league in England. The club also competed in other big tournaments. These included the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. When they played in the Championship, they also joined the British and Irish Cup and RFU Championship Cup.

For twenty years, London Irish played their home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading, Berkshire. In the 2020–21 season, they moved to the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, West London.

Sadly, in the 2022–23 season, London Irish faced money problems. Because of this, they were not allowed to play in the 2023–24 season. They were excluded from all professional rugby leagues in England.

The club started in 1898. It was created so Irish people living in London could play rugby together. Other clubs like London Scottish and London Welsh were formed for similar reasons.

London Irish won their only major trophy, the Powergen Cup, in 2002. They also reached the Premiership final in 2009, but lost 10–9 to Leicester Tigers. In the 2007–08 season, they almost made it to the Heineken Cup Final. They lost 15–21 to Stade Toulousain in the semi-final.

Club History

How London Irish Started

The London Irish squad that played Racing Club de France in 1899.

London Irish was the last club formed in England for people from other UK countries. London Scottish started in 1878 and London Welsh in 1885. The first game for London Irish was on October 1, 1898. They played against the former Hammersmith club at Herne Hill Athletic Ground. London Irish won that game 8–3.

A key player in the early years was Louis Magee. He was a vet and an Irish international player. Along with captain R.S Dyas, he helped the team become well-known. They also helped set up regular games with other London teams.

Challenges During Wars

The early 1900s were good for London Irish. The club was a strong part of the London rugby scene. However, this changed with World War I. Many players joined Irish Battalions and went to fight in Europe.

In 1916, after the Easter Rising in Ireland, some players returned home to fight for independence. Many of them did not come back. We don't know exactly how many people connected to the club were lost. After the Irish Free State was formed in 1923, some who fought returned. The club then worked hard to rebuild and become strong again.

Later, London Irish started playing against teams outside London, like Leicester and Cardiff. But this was cut short by World War II. Players were spread across Europe again. Many chose not to return after the war. Nine players from the 1938–39 season died in the conflict. The club's playing field in Sunbury-on-Thames was used to grow food for the war effort. Because the field was in bad shape after the war, games were temporarily held at Rectory Field in Blackheath.

After the Wars

The years after the war were tough at first. Not many players returned to London, making it hard to form a team. The winter of 1946 was one of the coldest ever in the UK. Rectory Field was frozen, so London Irish missed many games.

Things improved with a new captain, Des O'Brien, and other important players. In 1948, London Irish celebrated their 50th anniversary. It was their most successful season yet.

In the 1950s, the club did very well. They often had enough players for several teams each week. In 1951, they were the first club to host an Italian touring team, Roma. On September 9, 1959, London Irish returned to Sunbury. They had a new home field called The Avenue. They had a record-breaking season, staying unbeaten.

The 1960s had mixed results, with both good wins and losses. But the club started playing against more famous teams. This changed how they trained and played. In the 1970s, London Irish became a very strong team. They finished first in the London Division of the Rugby Football Union in the 1976–77 season. Pre-season tours became popular. In 1977, London Irish made history in South Africa. They were the first touring team to play against mixed-race teams there.

Modern Professional Era

London Irish playing against Toulon in 2010.

Rugby became professional in August 1995. Since then, London Irish has won one major trophy. They won the Powergen Cup in 2002. They beat Northampton 38–7 at Twickenham. About 75,000 people watched the match. This is seen as one of the club's most successful days. London Irish also did well in Europe in 2005–06. They reached the final of the Challenge Cup but lost to Gloucester 36–34.

In 2013, a group led by Mick Crossan took over London Irish. His company, Powerday, became one of the club's main sponsors.

In May 2023, the RFU (Rugby Football Union) asked London Irish why players and staff had not been paid. The RFU gave the club a deadline to find new owners or show they had enough money. London Irish missed this deadline.

On June 2, 2023, London Irish faced legal action over an unpaid tax bill. This led to the club being forced out of business.

Future Hopes

In October 2024, there were reports about a group wanting to buy London Irish. This group includes Irish businessman Eddie Jordan and former rugby stars Andrew Mehrtens and Bobby Skinstad. They hope to bring the club back to success.

Academy

London Irish had its own academy to train young players. Many players from the academy went on to play for the main team. Some even played for their national teams. These include Tom Homer, Nick Kennedy, Topsy Ojo, Anthony Watson, and brothers Delon and Guy Armitage. Other notable players are Alex Corbisiero and Jonathan Joseph. Topsy Ojo played 301 games for the club before he retired in 2019.

Stadiums and Training Ground

Gtech Community Stadium under construction.

Since the 2020–21 season, London Irish has played at the Gtech Community Stadium. This stadium is in Brentford, Greater London. It is owned by Brentford F.C., who also play their home games there. The stadium opened in 2020 and can hold 17,250 people.

Before 2020, London Irish played at the Madejski Stadium in Reading, Berkshire. They were there for twenty seasons, from 2000 to March 2020. The 2019–20 season was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Brentford Stadium opening was delayed. So, London Irish played their remaining games at Harlequin's Twickenham Stoop. They had played at The Stoop before, in the 1999–2000 season.

London Irish drummers and fans at the Madejski Stadium.

The biggest crowd for a London Irish match was 23,790 people. This was for a game against London Wasps on March 15, 2008. It was also the highest attendance for a regular Premiership Rugby match at that time.

On March 12, 2016, London Irish played their first home Premiership match outside England. They traveled to the United States to play Saracens. The game was held at the New York Red Bulls' Red Bull Arena.

In 2016, the club announced they wanted to move back to London. They talked with Hounslow London Borough Council about playing at Brentford's new stadium. In 2017, the council approved their plan. This allowed them to move into the new stadium when it opened.

The club's training ground and offices are at the Hazelwood Centre. This facility is in Sunbury-on-Thames. It opened in 2014 after their old ground, The Avenue, closed. NFL teams also use Hazelwood for training when they play in the NFL International Series.

London Irish Amateur Rugby Club

London Irish also has a separate club for non-professional players. This is called London Irish Amateur RFC. It helps people improve their rugby skills. This team plays at the Hazelwood Centre, where the professional team trains. Some players, like Justin Bishop and Kieran Campbell, started in the amateur club. They then moved up to play for the professional London Irish team.

Mascots

Digger

Digger

Digger is an Irish wolfhound. He is the official mascot of London Irish. In 2003, Digger won the "Best Mascot" award in Premiership Rugby.

On April 23, 2006, Digger ran the London Marathon. He raised money for spinal research. He finished the marathon in 6 hours, 39 minutes, and 31 seconds.

Other Mascots

Mr Doyle

Digger was joined by his cousin, Duggie, starting in the 2006–07 season. Duggie is taller and slower, and younger children enjoy him. Besides the costumed mascots, there is also a real Irish wolfhound named Mr Doyle. He attends the home games. Before Mr Doyle, his great uncle, Jumbo, used to attend games.

Rivalries

London Irish has rivalries with other teams in the Greater London area. Their main rivals are Harlequins and Saracens. Now that London Irish is back in West London, these games are local derbies. The Gtech Community Stadium is less than two miles from the Twickenham Stoop. They also have a friendly rivalry with London Scottish, another team for exiles.

Season Summaries

Gold background means champions
Silver background means runners-up
Pink background means relegated

* Finished first in pool but did not progress to the quarter-final. Their place was taken by Brive

Club Honours

Major Trophies

• Premiership Rugby
  • Runners–Up: (1) 2008–09
• RFU Championship
  • Champions: (2) 2016–17, 2018–19
• European Challenge Cup
  • Runners–Up: (1) 2005–06
• Premiership Rugby Cup
  • Champions: (1) 2001–02
  • Runners–Up: (3) 1979–80, 2021–22, 2022–23
• Surrey Cup
  • Champions: (4) 1980–81, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1986–87
• Premiership Rugby Sevens Series
  • Champions: (1) 2012

Friendly Competitions

• Middlesex Sevens
  • Champions: (1) 2009
• Cunningham Duncombe Series
  • Champions: (1) 2016

Notable Former Players

Players at the Rugby World Cup

The players listed below played for their countries at the Rugby World Cup while they were with London Irish:

Tournament	Players selected	England players	Other national team players
1999	7		Malcolm O'Kelly , Kieron Dawson , Justin Bishop , Conor O'Shea , Julian Loveday , Isaac Fe'aunati , Stephen Bachop
2003	0
2007	7	Peter Richards, Mike Catt	Olivier Magne , Juan Manuel Leguizamón , Gonzalo Tiesi , Seilala Mapusua , Sailosi Tagicakibau
2011	8	Alex Corbisiero, Delon Armitage, Shontayne Hape	Joe Ansbro , Jebb Sinclair , Paulică Ion , Ofisa Treviranus , Sailosi Tagicakibau
2015	6		Blair Cowan , Sean Maitland , Asaeli Tikoirotuma , Ofisa Treviranus , Halani Aulika , Jebb Sinclair
2019	6		Allan Dell , Motu Matu'u , TJ Ioane , Steve Mafi , Bryce Campbell Alivereti Veitokani

See also

In Spanish: London Irish para niños

• Rugby union in London
• London Cornish
• London Scottish
• London Welsh
• Richmond
• Hazelwood