London Welsh get thumbs up for promotion

The decision last Friday to promote London Welsh to the Aviva Premiership was great news for anyone who holds the integrity of sport at heart.

Having declined their original application through not meeting the Minimum Standards Criteria (MSC) for playing Premiership rugby, the RFU had no option but to admit them to the top tier, on the basis of the decision by the independent panel led by James Dingemans QC.

Kassam Stadium
Pic (c) footballaway.co.uk

The panel met to decide on London Welsh's argument that the rules governing the Primacy of Tenure section of the MSC had infringed UK and EU competition law. London Welsh were successful in arguing their case, so are now free to play their fixtures at their new home, the Kassam Stadium in Oxford.

The ground is home to Oxford United, and owned by the club's former chairman, Firoz Kassam, who oversaw the completion of the stadium's construction over a decade ago.

Given the ground's main status prior to the introduction of the London Welsh scenario, it would be difficult to see how Primacy of Tenure could justifiably have been given to the rugby club.

Ground-sharing between different sports clubs at the highest level in England has been a feature of the sporting landscape since the advent of professionalism in rugby union during the 1990s.

London Irish have used the Madejski Stadium in Reading since 2000; Saracens have been Watford FCs tenants at Vicarage Road since 1997 (although will be moving to their own ground at Barnet Copthall before the end of season 2012/13); and London Wasps playing home fixtures at Adams Park in Wycombe since 2002, and prior to that, Loftus Road from 1996-2002, as part of their ownership by Loftus Road Holdings plc.

Sale Sharks have shared Stockport County's Edgeley Park since 2003, and will now play at the Salford City Stadium, alongside the Salford Reds Super League side. That move comes at a time when they remain as the only northern side in the Premiership, while there are five clubs within the London area.

The Newcastle Falcons will of course, face at least a year in the Championship, under the guidance of Dean Richards, who has a great track record in that division, taking Harlequins back to the Premiership in 2006 at the first attempt after their relegation the previous year.

The side who take up residency at the Kassam meanwhile, will not only have to prepare for life on the playing field among the rugby elite, but also need to build up their fan base in a city that up until now, has only been served by professional football. Rugby fans in the town may already have their allegiances with nearby London Irish in nearby Reading, or any of the clubs within reasonable travelling distance, including Gloucester, further along the A40 to Wales.

They need to recruit a new list of club sponsors who are willing to support the new venture - what happens to those businesses who have supported them over the years in Richmond, their spiritual home?

Despite much hype surrounding the Championship Play-off Final played at the Kassam, only 3456 turned up; a fair proportion of which would have been Cornish Pirates fans.

So, despite congratulations on a deserved promotion, the real battle starts by trying to win the hearts and minds of the good people of Oxford, and also their supporters from the bad times.