Wasps set to play key home matches at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, as search for a permanent ground continues

 

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Nomads: Wasps are still in search of a permanent home ground
Chris Jones29 August 2014

Wasps are ready to switch high‑profile games to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry as they search for a new permanent home, which could take three years.

It is understood that Wasps will conclude their groundshare at Adams Park — home to Wycombe Wanderers — at the end of this season.

They kick off their campaign a week tomorrow in front of a bumper crowd at Twickenham for the London Double Header, which also involves Harlequins, London Irish and Saracens.

The annual season opener hammers home the fact Adams Park has not produced the number of fans to make Wasps a viable Premiership winner, with attendances at around 7,000.

Wasps used the 30,000-capacity Ricoh Arena in 2007 and Saracens have also played at the ground where Coventry City football club have returned this season after a controversial short-term switch to Northampton.

Despite Wasps’ strong links with Land Rover — which is based in Coventry — the city is not seen as a long-term solution, and the club, captained by James Haskell, are understood to be trying to identify a new home nearer London.

However, this is part of a strategic plan that will not be implemented for at least three years.

Until then, Wasps look certain to have to continue using various stadia for home games with Adams Park remaining the first choice if they opt to sign a new agreement.

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