Rugby Football Union or RFU Championship side the London Welsh have pledged their foreseeable future to the Kassam Stadium in Oxford after signing a new three year deal with the stadium owners.
The Exiles have been playing at the Oxford ground since they got promoted to the top flight last season but with relegation, there were fears that they would leave the ground for pastures anew with revenue expected to drop in the RFU Championship. But that didn’t happen and the club played the RFU Championship with Oxford as their home base and that structure is expected to continue now for the next three seasons at least.
The London side has been planning to redevelop the old football ground at Witney Town and had also been granted planning permission. But with development being very slow, they have now decided to commit to Kassam Stadium, which they share with League Two football club Oxford United.
The club announced in a statement their decision and admitted that the facilities at Kassam Stadium are one of the best in the country. The statement further read that the club is delighted to be able to reaffirm their commitment to Oxfordshire with this new contract extension.
The club’s former home had been the Old Deer Park in Richmond and many people considered that to be the spiritual home of the club and so, fans were taken by surprise when they first announced their decision to move to Kassam.
But with the club currently lying in second place in the RFU Champions and a spot in the playoff sealed, the revenue generated by the club is strong enough to sustain them at the stadium long enough for them to redevelop the Witney Town ground before they move into their new home sometime in the next few seasons.
