Exiles’ deal of the century has become a funeral procession

When London Irish confirmed in 2018 their move from the unloved Madejski Stadium in Reading to closer to their spiritual west London home in Brentford, it was heralded as a new dawn for the club.

“In moving we’re confident we’ll attract a larger supporter base to join us,” then-president Mick Crossan said. “I would like to thank the London Irish board of directors, current and past, for their hard work in steering the realisation of the London Irish vision and securing the financial stability of the club.”

Alas, it secured neither the larger supporter base nor the financial stability Crossan envisioned. The terms of playing at the Gtech Brentford Community Stadium were far more generous than at the Madjeski, which is why they paid Reading FC to enact their break clause. It was a better location, the most accessible of any Premiership club, with great facilities, but as tenants Irish were always going to remain vulnerable to any financial crosswinds.

Which is what happened when the pandemic hit, forcing the club to play matches behind closed doors at their shiny new stadium while paying prohibitive rent. Remarkably at the time, Irish were operating one of the Premiership’s largest wage bills accounting for marquee players and credits. Adam Coleman, a decent but by no means remarkable Australian second row, joined the club in a reported £900,000 deal, making him one of the league’s highest-paid players.

It was a largesse that even Crossan, whose fortune has been estimated at about £50million after founding Powerday, the waste and recycling management company, was struggling to afford. Last summer, as it became increasingly clear that simultaneous crises were unfolding at Worcester Warriors and Wasps, whispers also started growing around Irish’s future.

This was confirmed when Crossan gave an interview to the Mail on Sunday in which he confirmed he was not just looking to sell the club but was prepared to give them away for free. “If anyone’s looking to buy a rugby club with its own training ground and P shares then they don’t even have to buy it,” Crossan said. “I’ll give it to them as long as they fund it. For me, at my age, it’s most probably the right time for me to say that I’ve done what I set out to do. I think I’ve done my bit. The club is on a good footing, with a great academy.”

Other owners in the Premiership had valued their “P shares”, which entitle a club to the central income from the Rugby Football Union and broadcasting funding, at about £20 million. Their 63-acre training

After simultaneous crises were unfolding at Worcester and Wasps, whispers started growing around Irish’s future

complex in Hazelwood, just around the corner from their charming old Sunbury training ground, is as high class as any in the Premiership and frequently hosted NFL teams visiting for the London games.

Yet what should have been the deal of the century did not attract a stampede of prospective buyers. The club were loaded with £30mil