Looking back at 2003/04
& looking forward to 2004/05

The current season seems to have come and gone faster than ever for London Irish.  Whether it was England's victory in the World Cup, the record crowds at the Madejski Stadium or Ireland's famous win at Twickenham, the weeks slipped by and here we are at the end of another Zurich Premiership season.

London Irish has enjoyed another record-breaking season; -

• A club record crowd of 20,318 turned up at Madejski Stadium for the London Wasps match on 27th  December, ensuring a wonderful atmosphere in the stadium for the visit of the Webb Ellis Cup.
• Ireland's victory over England at Twickenham set the scene for London Irish's back to back games with  the Premiership leaders, Bath, on the 21st and 27th of March.  The home match on the 21st was the  club's traditional Saint Patrick's week celebration and set a new Premiership attendance record of 20,840
• Average Zurich Premiership Attendance at the Madejski Stadium of 10,657
• Several young stars have also emerged from the London Irish (England Rugby) Academy, with Nils  Mordt, Richard Thorpe, Delon Armitage, Topsy Ojo and Ross Laidlaw all representing England in their respective age groups

Off the pitch, with your support, things have gone from strength to strength culminating in winning the Premier Rugby Marketing Award for 'Club of the Year', while on the pitch was a bit of a roller coaster. A great start to the season followed by a difficult period post Christmas. Hard times, maybe, but never a question that the team ever gave anything but their all. London Irish will always give you that.

So what does Season 04/05 have in store?

• Exciting new Players to complement an already competitive squad and young Academy players coming through - Mike Catt (England International), Scott Staniforth (Australian International), Peter Poulos (Samoan International), Robbie Russell (Scotland International), Rodd Penney (England 7's), Paul Hodgson (England U21's) and Richard Skuse (England U21's)
• Announcement of Guinness as our Principal Sponsor, backed up by sponsorship from Gold Circle Casino.com, Canterbury of New Zealand and Bartercard, to name but a few
• Prices are frozen for Season Tickets and Match Tickets – so you can still see Irish play at the Madejski without breaking the bank - information on Season Tickets can be viewed here
• The 2004/05 season will start with the 'London Double Header' at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 4th September. - Information, Downloadable Application Form and FAQ's

This season we have built the foundation for our future; now thanks to your continued support we can look forward to moving to the next level.

So, on behalf of everyone at London Irish can I say how much we are looking forward to seeing you down at the Madejski Stadium in September. In the meantime don't forget to visit our website at www.london-irish.com to catch all the latest team news and club events over the summer.

Regards,

Conor O'Shea
Managing Director