London Irish Women today received the news that their bid to join the Allianz Premier 15s competition from 2023 was not successful.
Jamie Balls, London Irish Women Executive Chair commented: “We gave our bid everything that we could and are grateful for the team who put so much into the submission to get us this far but on this occasion, we fell just short. The bid process run by the RFU and the Allianz P15’s Limited was a fair and well-run process. We are grateful to them and send our congratulations to those clubs that were successful. We look forward to seeing this next important step in the women’s and girls’ game.”
Eight clubs have been selected subject to the signing of shareholder and other agreements:
- Bristol Bears Women
- Ealing Trailfinders Women
- Exeter Rugby Club
- Gloucester-Hartpury Women’s RFC
- Harlequins FC
- Leicester Tigers
- Loughborough Lightning/Northampton Saints
- Saracens
The league has capacity for ten teams and while a number of clubs have not been selected to enter at this stage, there is potential for clubs to join the league at a later stage. The RFU and Women’s Premier 15 Ltd (WP15) will continue to work with these clubs on their potential to participate in the league.
