London Welsh commits to Oxfordshire

London Welsh confirmed its long-term commitment to play in Oxfordshire, as revealed in The Rugby Paper back in November, with the agreement of a new three-year deal to continue at the Kassam Stadium.
The Exiles played their first game at the Kassam in the 2nd leg of the 2012 Championship final against the Cornish Pirates before hosting the first ever premiership game there the following September against the Leicester Tigers.
In a statement the club said that “part of the Club’s long-term vision is its investment in the Oxfordshire community.”
Chairman Bleddyn Phillips said: “The Kassam Stadium is an excellent facility with a great pitch and very popular with the Club’s players. We are delighted to be in a position to be able to confirm the Club’s commitment to Oxfordshire with the signing of this agreement.”
“With the team having secured its place in the Championship semi-finals these are exciting times for both the Club, and for Oxfordshire generally, in the realm of rugby. The Club is committed to establishing itself as a Premiership club and this is a very important step in that direction.”
“We are looking forward to building up and deepening local support in Oxfordshire to help us achieve and continue to play top class rugby in the county, together with maintaining our strong and traditional links with the ever loyal support base from Old Deer Park where the professional team will continue to work and train alongside our Amateur and Womens teams as well as participating fully in junior rugby at all levels.”
General Manager of The Kassam Stadium Michael Doyle added: “This is very exciting for the people of Oxfordshire – to have both top-flight professional football and rugby playing week-in week-out is great news, and therefore we are delighted that London Welsh has chosen The Kassam and Oxford to be its home.
“The last two seasons have shown that rugby and football can co-exist very happily and the investments that both Welsh and Oxford United have made, has meant we have a playing surface even better than many single sport facilities.”
“We will continue to welcome the supporters of London Welsh from across Oxfordshire and from further afield to the excellent facilities here at The Kassam. This new three-year agreement will allow us to continue to develop and invest in those facilities.”