The Rugby Football League have confirmed Oxford and Gloucestershire All Golds have merged to create a new club in Bristol.
The new club will replace the current clubs and aims to be part of the League 1 competition for the 2019 season.
The merger was first reported as a possibility by League Express on August 14th, and after months of discussion has finally come to fruition.
Following a meeting in London earlier this month, the Rugby Football League Board accepted a proposal put forward by both clubs that they would not compete in the 2018 competition and would instead spend 2018 focusing their efforts on the creation of a strong Bristol Rugby League development project to take their place in the competition from 2019.
“The Rugby Football League is clear that there is an expectation on all clubs in the professional game to offer a clear strategy that demonstrates their plans to help grow and strengthen the sport in future years,” said Ralph Rimmer, Chief Operating Officer of the Rugby Football League.
“Oxford and Gloucester have come to the conclusion that the best way for them to now move forward is by creating a new club in Bristol that is backed by significant support and investment. The Rugby Football League Board has accepted this and is looking forward to seeing further detailed plans for the new club in due course. Rugby League will continue to have a presence in both Oxford and Gloucester with community clubs and foundations remaining in place.”
The League 1 fixture list is due to be published in November and will consist of 14 clubs playing each other home and away.