User:The C of E/London Irish Amateur
| Full name | London Irish Amateur Rugby Football Club |
|---|---|
| Union | RFU |
| Nickname(s) | The Exiles, Irish, The Wild Geese[1] |
| Founded | September 1999[2] |
| Location | Sunbury-on-Thames, England |
| Ground(s) | The Avenue |
| President | David FitzGerald |
| Coach(es) |  Jamie Balls MBE |
| Captain(s) | Richard Braithwaite |
| League(s) | London 2 South West |
| Official website | |
| www | |
London Irish Amateur Rugby Football Club, or London Irish Wild Geese, are an amateur English rugby union team based in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey who currently play their rugby in National League 2 South. They are the amateur team of London Irish and play at The Avenue.[3]
History
[edit]The creation of London Irish Amateur was first discussed in 1995 when rugby union became professional and London Irish set aside resources for the creation of an amateur team.[4] The club was founded in September of 1999 after London Irish left The Avenue to play at the Madjeski Stadium in Reading.[5] It was formed to be feeder club for senior and junior amateur players to then go on to play for London Irish, which play in the English Premiership.[6] A few players such as Justin Bishop and Kieran Campbell went on to play international rugby.[7]
London Irish often provide London Irish Amateur with assistance and funding[8] and still use The Avenue as a training venue.[9] Members of London Irish's academy occasionally play for London Irish Amateur.[10]
In 2011, they were promoted from London 1 into National League 3 London & SE.[11] In 2012, they were moved into National League 3 South West,[12] where the first team's official name was changed to London Irish Wild Geese after the Rugby Football Union's governance committee gave consent for the change of name.[13] In 2013, they were promoted into National League 2 South.[14]
London Irish Amateur is registered as a charity and in 2013, it received a grant from the Irish Government's Emigrant Support Programme.[15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Wild Geese on brink of the title". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
- ^ "About Us". London-Irish-Amateur.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
- ^ "London Irish Amateurs Information". London-Irish.com. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
- ^ "LONDON IRISH AMATEUR RFC: Wild Geese Flying the Flag for Amateur Status – INTOUCH RUGBY". 29 February 2012.
- ^ http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/london-irish-rugby-team
- ^ "London Irish Amateur RFC, Flourishing Thanks to a Former Nifc Scrum Half from Armagh – Intouch Rugby". 27 July 2010.
- ^ "About us London Irish Amateur Rugby Club - general information and history". Archived from the original on 2010-04-08.
- ^ "London Irish to Take Full Squad on Ireland Tour". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
- ^ "Exiles move must happen - Martin". 6 July 2010.
- ^ "Billy Clark excited by London Irish academy squad". 5 July 2013.
- ^ "INTOUCH RUGBY – AXIOS | Ulster Rugby Clubs & Lifestyle Magazine".
- ^ "Malvern RFC made to switch divisions". BBC Sport. 12 May 2012.
- ^ http://www.london-irish-amateur.co.uk/club-house/389
- ^ http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/just-couldn-t-game-firing-admits-Dings-coach-Alex/story-19929467-detail/story.html
- ^ http://www.irishpost.co.uk/news/british-based-charities-given-5-4m-by-irish-government-emigrant-support-programme
External links
[edit]Category:English rugby union teams
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