London Welsh Statement: Future Location will Depend on Investment, CEO Steps Down

Relegated Premiership rugby club London Welsh have released a statement expressing their disappointment in dropping to the Championship and suggesting their future home could depend on where they find investment.

Defeat against Northampton on the weekend condemned London Welsh to the drop and primary investor Kelvin Bryon has said he will pull his investment at the end of the season in June.

Relegation and a lack of investment has raised questions over where the club will play their rugby next season, drug with their current ground, buy Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium, drugs proving too costly for Championship rugby.

Chairman Bleddyn Philips has released a statement confirming their future will depend on where they find investment. He said: “Despite heavy investment by certain other people, serious and sustained efforts to identify further major potential investors have proved unsuccessful thus far as have attempts to try and attain a more equitable means of central funding.

“We will of course continue our efforts on the above matters and this is certainly one factor which will have a bearing on where we may base ourselves for next season.”

Bleddyn confirmed that staying in Oxford, where the club have generated a strong supporter base, is still an option, as is returning to their roots at Old Deer Park.

On top of this news, CEO Tony Copsey has stepped down. Copsey said: “I’m obviously very disappointed to be stepping down as the CEO of London Welsh, but given the situation I did not feel carrying on in my current capacity was the best for me or the club.

!I will continue to support the club going forward and wish it all the best in the very challenging times it faces ahead.

“I know it has the players, the staff and the spirit to overcome the difficulties it has had to contend with in recent weeks and would like to thank all the staff, players and supporters, who have been tremendous in their support and professionalism through increasingly difficult times.”