London Irish target 2027 return after takeover

London Irish have set a target of returning to professional rugby in 2027 after Gamechanger Investments, led by Steve Daniels, completed a takeover of the club, the BBC reported on 23 October 2026. The club has been inactive since going into administration in June 2023.

Gamechanger Investments purchased the club's name, brand and associated intellectual property from Kyle Jordan and Daniel McKeown, who had been involved in revival efforts since the club went out of business in 2023. Chief executive Jamie Balls said the new owners would welcome a place in the Championship, English rugby's second tier, at the "earliest opportunity." "If next season were an opportunity and they would allow us to do so, we would like to go then. If it's not, then we'll wait another year," Balls told BBC Sport.

The club had previously explored joining the United Rugby Championship but those ambitions met resistance within the game, Balls said, and he described the Championship as a more realistic starting point to rebuild. Balls added that beginning in the Championship would allow London Irish to re-establish itself on a firmer footing before considering longer-term plans.

Steve Daniels said: "London Irish is a huge name in rugby and means a great deal to a lot of people. We want to get the club back where it belongs - on the pitch and competing again." He continued: "We are determined to get the foundations right and build a club that is competitive, sustainable and gives supporters something to believe in. We want London Irish firmly back on the rugby map."

Home venue remains unresolved after the club staged matches at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium from 2020-2023 and played at Reading's Select Car Leasing Stadium prior to that; the new ownership group is considering existing stadiums for the short term as well as the possibility of building a new ground. Hazelwood, the club's former 53-acre training base in Sunbury-on-Thames, is among the sites the new owners hope to bring back and is the subject of ongoing negotiations.

Jamie Balls said: "We'd love to have that back, that site has potential for us," while also stressing London Irish do not currently own Hazelwood and that the process was ongoing. He listed securing a competition place and establishing a home ground as immediate priorities for the project.

New owner Steve Daniels, 47, co-founded energy business PE Solutions after entering the utilities market about a decade ago; the company reportedly grew to a turnover of £1.4bn within seven years and Daniels has since stepped back from the business to pursue other investments. He has been described as a "rugby man through and through", highlighted by his involvement in the community game and his support for the sport through his business interests.

Balls said there was "a serious amount of money" behind the revival but stressed the intention was not to rely on a single wealthy backer indefinitely. "He doesn't want to be seen as a sugar daddy," Balls said. "What he wants to see is, if you want X amount of millions here, you show me how that's going to become sustainable."

The club intends for its women's team to return with the ambition of reaching Premiership Women's Rugby while the immediate focus remains on securing a competition place, establishing a home ground and putting the right financial foundations in place; Balls admitted: "We didn't get it right in the past." "But we will get it right going forward."