AFC Wimbledon approached by London Irish over Plough Lane groundshare

AFC Wimbledon have been approached by London Irish over a groundshare deal at Plough Lane.

The Rugby Union side currently play at the Gtech Community Stadium, sharing with Premier League side Brentford.

Rugby League side London Broncos currently play at Plough Lane.

According to the Daily Mail, the consortium taking over London Irish would invest £7million into upgrading Plough Lane to bring it up to Premiership Rugby’s minimum standards. This would include improving the pitch and making at least one temporary stand permanent.

A statement on the club’s website said: “The club has been approached by London Irish about utilising our stadium, but no detailed discussions have taken place.

“We have built a wonderful facility in a fantastic location and frequently get approached by third parties, including sporting organisations, to use the Cherry Red Records Stadium.

“For example, in the past month we have proudly hosted Ukraine versus Brentford B and our first full international between Australia Women and Scotland Women, and both of these events were a great success for all parties.”

A spokesperson told the Mail Sport: ‘The club can confirm no formal notice has been served from Brentford or London Irish to vacate the Gtech Community Stadium.

‘London Irish looks forward to continuing the close relationship between the two clubs, which has proven hugely successful since our move back to London from Reading.

‘Exploratory conversations with AFC Wimbledon have taken place with regards to potentially hosting a Premiership Rugby Cup fixture.’