London Welsh to stick with Kassam Stadium – Rugby News Update
London Welsh, a club that plays in the Championship, the first tier of rugby in England has refused to use Selhurst Park of Crystal Palace as an elected stadium for next year.
Crystal Palace's co-chairman, Steve Parish, shared that the Exiles have refused to use Selhurst Park, and plan to stick with Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium for next year, even though it fails to meet the minimum requirements for promotion.
"I contacted them to find out more about the situation, but if the problem is a primacy of tenure agreement then they wouldn't have that if they shared with us either," Parish told
TalkSport. "I thought it was a really nice idea, the thought of bringing rugby to south London.”
London Welsh won the Championship but they were not awarded promotion into the Aviva Premiership, the top tier of rugby in England, as they could not meet the minimum requirements set by the Premiership to gain promotion.
The biggest sticking point for the Exiles has been the primacy of tenure, which according to the Rugby Football Union, they do not meet, and Crystal Palace could not offer them that either.
Parish confirmed this by saying, "But we wouldn't give them primacy, which is what they need. They said thanks for the offer but they are pretty committed to the stadium in Oxford. It was an offer of help but I won't interfere in their problems and I hope
they get it sorted."
After winning the Championship by beating the Cornish Pirates, the London Welsh is set to challenge the ruling, and the matter could end up in court. Club officials have stated many times in the past that they will challenge the ruling, with Chairman Bleddyn
Phillips categorically stating that they will avail every opportunity, to ensure their rightful passage to the Premiership.
The plight of the Exiles has also reached the House of Commons, with many pundits question RFU’s stance on promoting second tier professional rugby in the country.
The Club has three months to sort out their future, before the new season begins. At the moment it seems that Newcastle Falcons are going to play in the Premiership next season, even though they finished bottom of the League.
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