What Wasps' Move to Coventry Means for the Club and the Premiership

The writing was on the wall for Wasps fans when the club dropped the "London" from their moniker before the start of the season but a move to Coventry means more than just alienating their supporters.

In reality, the club has exiled itself from the capital for most of the last 12 seasons, playing their home games at Adams Park in Wycombe, 25 miles from their training base in west London.

Wasps are part of the rich history of London-based clubs, winning two Heineken Cups in the mid-2000s and finishing as league champions on six occasions—three of which came in the modern-day Premiership.

But moving to Coventry will mean the end of the traditional London rivalries with the likes of Saracens and Harlequins and set them up deep in Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints territory.

Unsurprisingly, the move has been unpopular with the Wasps faithful, who will now have to fork out £32 for a return train ticket from London to Coventry to follow their team, or face a 200-mile round trip on the road just to see a "home" game.

Julieanne Savage

But it's not just their own fans who will have to deal with the upheaval, with the Tigers and Saints also wary of new boys taking fans away from their bulging attendance figures.

And attendance figures is what it all came down to for Wasps. No longer could they sustain playing their rugby in front of just 5,700 people—a figure, as reported by the Independent, down from 8,500 four years ago. 

Wasps captain James Haskell told the Guardian's Richard Rae:

"

I fully understand the unhappiness but once people are informed they’ll realise there is no other option, other than to cut the squad and get relegated.

I’ve read the comments, I know some supporters would be happy with that if it meant staying around the capital but that’s madness, you just discount that.

After all, some people find it easy to be negative on social media. We have fans following us all round the country because Wasps is a unique club.

"

In these terms, it can only be beneficial for Wasps, and the Premiership, to start afresh in Coventry. No league wants to see one of their teams playing in front of empty seats.

Although, as London Irish found in the 2000s, growing a new fanbase can take time, and Wasps cannot expect to see the Ricoh Arena packed to the rafters for some time yet.

Jim Mallinder, Northampton’s director of rugby, told Robert Kitson of the Guardian:

"

They are going to have a massive challenge to build up their fan base.

We’ve a number of fans from around that area and they are loyal fans. I think they will keep coming to Northampton. I feel sorry for the Wasps fans, to be honest.

I feel sorry for the person who lives around the corner or travels locally to the games to follow their beloved Wasps team.

"

Mallinder's Leicester counterpart, Richard Cockerill, also told the Guardian:

"

There hasn’t been top-flight rugby in Coventry for 25 years, so every supporter in the last two decades has gone to one of the other Premiership sides.

Are you suddenly going to stop supporting the club you’ve followed for the last 20 years and go to the Ricoh? I’m sure someone has done their homework.

"

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It is clear to see that the move certainly has its positives for Wasps. Their short-term future is secured and they have made an investment in a modern facility which can be a home for them for decades to come.

But for the team, and the league, the worry must be whether the fanbase is present in Coventry to make it a viable long-term move. Will Wasps be able to attract new supporters without damaging the attendances of new rivals Northampton and Leicester?

As per the Telegraph's Gavin Mairs, Wasps plan to play a game at their new ground before the end of the year.

This will be their first indication of how hard they have hit their London fans and how soon the people of Coventry will take Wasps under their wing.