Wasps to ground share with League One club at ex-Premier League stadium 120 miles away from city where they went bust

09/04/2024 02:00 PM

Wasps will ground share with Charlton Athletic if the club’s revival in the second tier of English rugby goes ahead in the 2025/26 season, according to reports.

The rugby union outfit are said to be looking to establish itself as a top-flight professional club in Kent, with the current vacuum and 63 community clubs in the county offering an ‘untapped’ area to grow in.

Charlton’s home, The Valley, is not based in Kent, but very close by in south east London.

A considerable portion of the Addicks’ fan base comes from Kent, with Gillingham and Bromley the only EFL clubs rivalling them in the county.

Wasps, once a top flight club, went into administration in October 2022 with debts of about £95million.

They played at Coventry City’s Ricoh Arena, which they became outright owners of in 2014, at the time they went bust.

In an attempt to reform, Wasps bid to build a 28,000-seat stadium on a greenbelt site near Sevenoaks, Kent.

However, this has triggered strong local opposition, with a survey showing 85 per cent of people were opposed to the plans.

According to The Times, Wasps are believed to have secured use of The Valley, where a new hybrid pitch was laid over the summer, as they eye a return to competing in the near future.

Charlton’s men side are not the only team using the former Premier League ground this season.

The Addicks’ women’s team moved there permanently for the 2024/25 season, having previously played most of their games at The Oakwood in nearby Crayford.

The Valley is still owned by the club’s former controversial owner, Roland Duchatelet, who was the focus of numerous protests over the last decade. It is rented by Charlton in a lease that expires in 2035.

The Valley previously hosted rugby league side London Broncos in 1996/97 and in 2000/01.

Wasps, originally based in Sudbury in London, have a history of playing their games at football grounds.

Before Coventry, they played at Adams Park, home of Wycombe Wanderers.

Prior to this, Wasps hosted games at Queens Park Rangers’ Loftus Road.

In October 2023, almost a year after exiting administration, Wasps mooted a move to Kent.

The club stated that it hoped to be involved in the pending relaunch of the professional game in England from 2025.

The Times report English rugby executives have been laying the ground for the club to be parachuted into the Championship.