London Irish has announced that its 2001/2002 season home fixtures will be played on Sunday afternoons.

The move has been forced on the club because two-thirds of its fixtures were scheduled for the same day as Reading FC.

The clashes arose from the early release of fixtures by Premier Rugby ahead of the publication of the Football League fixtures, despite London Irish's efforts to delay the announcement until it had been given the opportunity to consult with it's landlord.

The two clubs anticipated that some potential fixture conflicts would arise during the term of London Irish's seven years at the Madejski Stadium. Work began at the end of last season to install a "Desso" pitch system at a cost of £350,000 that will facilitate the staging of 'back to back' matches.

Geoff Huckstep, London Irish's Chief Executive said: "With over 25,000 people watching or playing rugby in the Thames Valley each Saturday, the club is confident that its decision to play on Sunday afternoons will prove popular and encourage more fans to watch the only Premiership rugby club in the Thames Valley.

"We are keen to avoid any confusion for our supporters, sponsors and corporate clients alike by opting for Sunday rugby rather than a mixture of Saturdays/Sundays thereby allowing everyone concerned to plan their weekends well in advance, continued Mr Huckstep. "We undertook a limited market research study with our supporters towards the end of last season and there was no discernable objection to Sunday rugby."

This has been endorsed by Peter Graham, Chairman of the London Irish Supporters Club with whom the club has forged strong links. Speaking on behalf of the Supporters Club, Mr Graham said: "We are very disappointed that Premier Rugby's decision to publish next seasons fixture list without any consideration for those clubs who ground share with football clubs, has left London Irish with no alternative but to schedule our home matches for Sundays.

"However, we are very optimistic about next season which sees the return of Brendan Venter and the recruitment of South Africa's World Cup hooker, Naka Drotske, to bolster the pack; I urge all supporters to come along to the Madejski Stadium to cheer the team on."

The only exception to the Sunday rule will be London Irish's home fixture on Saturday March 16, 2002, against Bristol Shoguns ... the St Patrick's Day celebration which the club promises will be bigger and better than last season's outstanding success which witnessed London Irish's record attendance of 12,037 for a club game and established a new record for the consumption of Guinness - 24,000 pints!

Geoff Huckstep concluded by sayin: "We are looking forward to welcoming our friends, old and new, to the Madejski Stadium to watch Premiership rugby at its best, starting with Premiership new boys, Leeds Tykes on Sunday 9th September, kick-off 3.00pm. And don't forget, you don't have to be Irish to enjoy the Craic!"