London Irish name and brand bought by Steve Daniels' Gamechanger Investments

The name, brand and associated intellectual property of London Irish have been bought. Steve Daniels' company, Gamechanger Investments, has taken them from Kyle Jordan and Daniel McKeown, BBC Sport reported on 23 October.

Jordan is the son of the late Eddie Jordan, the former Formula 1 team owner. The deal does not mean the club is back on the pitch yet. It is a step towards that.

London Irish entered administration in 2023 after financial difficulties. Administration is a formal process in which an insolvency professional takes control of a company's finances, and it ended the club's time in the Premiership, England's top flight.

Chief executive Jamie Balls said London Irish would welcome a place in the Championship, England's second tier, at the earliest opportunity. He told BBC Sport the club would like to return next season if allowed, and otherwise would wait another year. London Irish had also explored joining the United Rugby Championship, the cross-border league featuring teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa.

The club's most recent home was Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium, where it played from 2020 to 2023. Before that it played at Reading's Select Car Leasing Stadium. The new ownership is considering existing grounds for the short term, and the possibility of building a new one.

One option is Hazelwood in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, the club's former training base. The site covers 53 acres and was developed to serve both professional and amateur rugby. London Irish does not own Hazelwood at present, and negotiations over its future are ongoing.

Steve Daniels is 47 and co-founded the energy business PE Solutions with two partners. The company reportedly grew to a turnover of £1.4bn within seven years. The London Irish takeover is being led jointly with Sarah Daniels, according to RugbyPass, which also reported that a formal launch is planned for December 2026 or January 2027.

The women's team is also set to return. London Irish intends it to aim for Premiership Women's Rugby, the top flight of the women's game in England.

For supporters, the next questions are practical ones. Where will the club play, which league will it enter, and when? Those answers are not yet settled, and talks over the ground in particular are still under way.