London Welsh paid tribute to the “overwhelming” backing from across the sporting world after submitting their appeal to the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

The Championship winners, who want to play top-flight rugby at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford next season, are contesting a ruling from the RFU last month they were ineligible for promotion to the Premiership.

The Exiles appealed this week and it is due to be heard on June 21.

Chairman Bleddyn Phillips revealed the support the club had received included Premiership owners and managers and figures in the Football League.

He said: “We are most grateful to all of you for this, which to our mind underscores very sharply what we believe to be the fundamental issue at stake.”

And the Richmond club’s chief remains perplexed by the ruling.

He said: “(London Welsh) have arrangements already in place to play its ‘home’ games next season at a top sporting venue which would rank, in our view, as one of the best grounds offering up Premiership rugby in 2012/13.

“To our mind, it makes our case for promotion even more compelling and the reasoning behind its rejection even more difficult to fathom.”