Editing Wasps RFC (section)

{{Short description|Professional rugby team based in Coventry, England}}
{{About|the professional rugby union team|the amateur team|Wasps FC|other uses|Wasp (disambiguation)#Sport{{!}}Wasp (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox rugby team
| teamname       = Wasps
| image          = Wasps RFC logo 2021.svg
| imagesize      = 150
| fullname       = Wasps Rugby Football Club
| location       = tbc
| ground         = tbc
| capacity       = tbc
| countryflag    = ENG
| founded        = {{Start date and age|df=no|1866}}<br>(as "[[Harlequin FC|Hampstead Football Club]]" )<br>{{Start date and age|df=yes|1867}}<br>(as "[[Wasps FC]]")<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=http://www.wasps.co.uk/History1.ink|title=History 1867–1930 London Wasps|website=wasps.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722215008/http://www.wasps.co.uk/History1.ink|archive-date=22 July 2014}}</ref>
| ceo            = ''Vacant''
| chairman       = Christopher Holland
| caps           = [[Simon Shaw]] (355)
| top scorer     = [[Jimmy Gopperth]] (1,152)
| most tries     = [[Christian Wade]] (82)
| season         = [[2022–23 Premiership Rugby|2022–23]]
| league         = tbc
| position       = Premiership (Relegated due to administration)
| url            = https://www.wasps.co.uk/
| pattern_la1    = 
| pattern_b1     = _blackhoops
| pattern_ra1    = 
| pattern_sh1    = 
| pattern_so1    = _gold
| leftarm1       = 000000
| body1          = FFD700
| rightarm1      = 000000
| shorts1        = 000000
| socks1         = 000000
| pattern_la2    = 
| pattern_b2     = 
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| pattern_sh2    = 
| pattern_so2    = 
| leftarm2       = 00CED1
| body2          = 00CED1
| rightarm2      = 00CED1
| shorts2        = 00B9B9
| socks2         = 00CED1
}}
'''Wasps Rugby Football Club''' was a professional rugby union team. They last played in [[Premiership Rugby]], the top division of English rugby, until being suspended on 12 October 2022.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/63232043|title=Wasps suspended from Premiership and set to enter administration 'within days'|date=12 October 2022|access-date=18 October 2022|work=BBC Sport}}</ref> On 17 October 2022, the club entered administration, resulting in relegation from the league and all staff being made redundant.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 October 2022 |title=Wasps suspended from Premiership and will be relegated, RFU confirms |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/oct/28/wasps-suspended-from-premiership-as-rfu-confirms-relegation |access-date=12 December 2022 |website=the Guardian }}</ref><ref name="BBC Sport">{{Cite news |title=Administrators accept offer to buy stricken Wasps |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/63447055 |access-date=12 December 2022 }}</ref> They exited administration on 16 December 2022.<ref name=":1" />

Founded in 1867 as [[Wasps FC|Wasps Football Club]], from 1923 to 1996 they were based at Repton Avenue in [[Sudbury, London]]. From 1996 to 2002 the team played at [[Loftus Road]] in [[Shepherd's Bush]], London and from 2002 to 2014 they played at [[Adams Park]] in [[High Wycombe]], [[Buckinghamshire]]. From 2014 to 2022 their home ground was the [[Coventry Building Society Arena]] (known until 2021 as the Ricoh Arena) in [[Coventry]]. They have not yet announced a permanent playing ground following their exit from administration.

Wasps won 12 major titles. They were European Champions twice, in [[2004 Heineken Cup Final|2004]] and [[2007 Heineken Cup Final|2007]]; won six English Championships including three in a row from 2003 to 2005; and won three [[Anglo-Welsh Cup]]s. They also won the [[2002–03 European Challenge Cup|2003 European Rugby Challenge Cup]]. Wasps most recent trophy was the [[2007–08 Premiership Rugby|2007–08 Premiership]].

In [[2021–22 Premiership Rugby]], their last completed season, Wasps finished 9th. [[Lee Blackett]] was appointed head coach in February 2020,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/51547625|title=Dai Young: Wasps director of rugby leaves Premiership club after nine years|date=18 February 2020 |work=BBC Sport|access-date=18 February 2020 }}</ref> until being made redundant.

In October 2023, the owners of the club announced plans to revive the team in a permanent home in Kent, while maintaining the possibility of playing from [[Sixways Stadium]] in Worcester pending completion of any new build. The club stated that it hoped to be involved in the pending relaunch of the professional game in England from 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IN A GROUNDBREAKING MOVE FORWARD, WASPS TODAY ANNOUNCES ITS INTENTION TO ESTABLISH A LONG-TERM HOME IN KENT. |url=https://www.wasps.co.uk/club-announcements/wasps-announces-plans-for-new-stadium-development-in-kent/ |access-date=24 October 2023 |website=wasps.co.uk }}</ref>