Premiership Rugby side London Irish Owner Mick Crossan "launched a plea for new backers to step forward after admitting he can no longer afford to sustain heavy losses," according to Neale Harvey of THE RUGBY PAPER. Crossan's company, waste management service Powerday, has covered annual deficits of £2M-£3M. But he knows that without extra finance, the club "will struggle to compete." Irish lost more than £2M in '15-16, its last in the Premiership, and with average crowds in the Championship falling to just 4,000, Crossan will "stump up nearly double that amount this year after maintaining a Premiership-standard squad." Irish's turnover of £8.7M was the second-lowest in the Premiership in '15-16, while only Sale and Newcastle had smaller wage bills. A £2M "cash boost from top-flight central funding will help" but the club will "require far more than that to prosper." Crossan said, "Financially, relegation has been tough and if we want to build London Irish back to the club it can be, we need to get more people to invest. I need people to help with the bills. My bank balance was a lot better before I took over London Irish three years ago and my wife will testify to that, but I took on a challenge and I’ve always done that" (THE RUGBY PAPER, 5/30).
