London Irish Amateur
Full name | London Irish Amateur Rugby Football Club |
---|---|
Union | RFU |
Nickname(s) | The Wild Geese[1] |
Founded | September 1999[2] |
Location | Sunbury-on-Thames, England |
Ground(s) | Hazelwood |
Chairman | David Fitzgerald |
President | Alan McCartney |
Coach(es) | Duncan Cormack |
Captain(s) | Eddie Fraher |
League(s) | National League 3 South East |
2013–14 | 14th (demoted) |
Official website | |
www |
London Irish Amateur Rugby Football Club, also London Irish Wild Geese, are an amateur English rugby union club based in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, who currently play their rugby in National League 3 South East. They are the amateur team of London Irish[3] and play at Hazelwood.[4]
History
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.[5] The club was founded in September 1999 after London Irish left The Avenue to play at the Madjeski Stadium in Reading.[4][6][7][8] It was formed to be the feeder club for senior and junior amateur players to then go on to play for London Irish, who play in the English Premiership.[9] A few players such as Justin Bishop and Kieran Campbell went on to play international rugby.[2]
London Irish and London Irish Amateur jointly share the new Hazelwood Rugby complex. Since 2012, links between London Irish and London Irish Amateur were upgraded with the two becoming part of a joint venture where London Irish Amateur players play for London Irish in the A League.[10] In return, members of London Irish's Academy are entitled to play for London Irish Amateur.[11]
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. In 2011, they were promoted from London 1 into National League 3 London & SE.[12] In 2012, they were moved into National League 3 South West,.[13][14] In 2013, they were promoted into National League 2 South.[15]
London Irish Amateur receives a grant from the Irish Government's Emigrant Support Programme to support Mini Rugby.[16]
Club Honours
- Surrey 1 champions: 2001-02
- London Division 2 South West champions: 2009-10[17]
- Surrey Cup winners: 2009-10,[18][19] 2012-13[20]
- National League 3 South-West champions: 2012-13[21][22]
Current standings
London Irish Amateurs were demoted from National League 2 South at the end of the 2013–14 season and will play in National League 3 London & SE from 2014–15.
See also
References
- ^ "Wild Geese on brink of the title". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
- ^ a b "About us". London Irish (archived). 8 April 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "Titans tackle London Irish Wild Geese". Somerset County Gazette. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Cambridge eye hat-trick by clipping wings of Wild Geese". Cambridge News. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ Intouch Rugby | Ulster Rugby Coverage (29 February 2012). "LONDON IRISH AMATEUR RFC: Wild Geese Flying The Flag For Amateur Status". Intouchrugby.com. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "London Irish (Rugby Team)". 20thcenturylondon.org.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "Exiles up for "Craic in the Valley"". ESPN. 11 July 2000. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ About the Club at www.london-irish.com. Retrieved 1 Mar 2014.
- ^ Intouch Rugby (23 April 2011). "London Irish Amateur RFC, Flourishing Thanks To A Former NIFC Scrum Half From Armagh". Intouchrugby.com. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "London Irish join forces in Amateur partnership". Get Surrey. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "Billy Clark excited by London Irish academy squad". Get Reading. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ Intouch Rugby (23 April 2011). "London Irish Wild Geese Rugby I XV 21 – 14 Sidcup Rugby I XV: London Division 1 Promotion play off – 23rd April 2011". Intouchrugby.com. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ Owens, Trevor (13 May 2012). "Malvern RFC made to switch divisions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "The Wild Geese Division Transfer". London-irish-amateur.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ Bristol, The (14 October 2013). "We just couldn't get our game firing, admits Dings coach Alex Guest". Bristol Post. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "British-based charities given £5.4m by Irish government". Irish Post. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ http://clubs.rfu.com/Fixtures/MatchByDivision.aspx?DivID=17119918
- ^ http://www.cobhamrfc.com/archive-news/1sts-miss-out-in-cup-challenge/
- ^ http://www.cobhamrfc.com/senior-rugby/1st-xv/archive
- ^ http://www.surreyrugby.com/pages/pv.asp?p=surrey415
- ^ http://clubs.rfu.com/fixtures/ViewClubDetail.aspx?CompetitionID=5730102&TeamID=5747358&LeagueID=158565975&sType=League
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/LondonIrishARFC