Premiership enjoys attendance bounce, but figures little for rugby to cheer about May 9, 2023 Premiership rugby’s average match attendance is close to returning to pre-pandemic levels as the sport shows signs of recovery following a turbulent period. Average attendance in the Premiership this season was 12,569, up by more than 1,000 on last year and almost back to pre-Covid-19 levels, according to data crunched by City A.M. The figures [...]
Worcester fan group: We don’t want ‘cuckoo club’ Wasps May 9, 2023 A new fan group representing recently purchased rugby team Worcester Warriors have called on the sport’s governing body to block a proposition that would see fellow strugglers Wasps move to their stadium. Following the completion of a deal between the Atlas consortium and administrators Begbies Traynor for Worcester Warriors, it emerged that Wasps owner Chris [...]
Opinion: Worcester Warriors and a defence of the RFU May 5, 2023 Governing any sport is never easy. It is a slog of monstrous proportions where failure to please the masses is almost guaranteed. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) cannot claim to have an unblemished record but, so far at least, in the case of Worcester Warriors, they haven’t put a foot wrong. English rugby’s bigwigs have [...]
Exclusive: Wasps apply to RFU to use Worcester Warriors’ Sixways Stadium May 3, 2023 Former Premiership club Wasps have applied to the Rugby Football Union to play at Worcester Warriors’ Sixways Stadium from next season, City A.M. understands. The Coventry-based club fell into administration just weeks after the Warriors but with news of the Atlas consortium’s purchase of Worcester earlier today, it is understood that Wasps have asked the [...]
Why 2023 is the year of the litmus test for women’s rugby, cricket and football April 24, 2023 On Saturday afternoon more than 50,000 fans will descend on Twickenham Stadium to not only watch England’s final match of the Women’s Six Nations against France but also be part of history. Because the fixture is set to smash all previous records for attendances at a women’s rugby match and set a new standard in [...]
Exclusive: Diamond stands ready to save Worcester Warriors if Atlas deal collapses April 18, 2023 Former Worcester Warriors boss Steve Diamond stands ready to rescue the financially stricken rugby club amid growing uncertainty over whether the Atlas consortium will meet a looming deadline to complete their purchase. Sources close to the situation told City A.M. that Diamond and previous Worcester Warriors sponsor Adam Hewitt maintain their interest in the club, [...]
Leaving the Premiership XV: Talent drain from English rugby laid bare April 15, 2023 It’s not uncommon for the world’s various top flight leagues to see quality talent steadily flow in and out, but the Premiership – the top level of rugby in England – is about to see a mass exodus of players to rival leagues. Leaving the Premiership are a number of individuals who between them have [...]
Ollie Phillips: It’s time for RFU axe its short-sighted England selection policy April 15, 2023 I won’t hold my breath, but Jack Willis’s decision to stay at Toulouse ought to sound alarm bells at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and cause them to reconsider their refusal to pick overseas-based players for the England team. That stance might be sustainable when your clubs can pay the same as those in France [...]
London Irish confirm players WILL be paid amid uncertainty March 29, 2023 Premiership club London Irish have confirmed that all staff will be paid amid reports of players waiting growing anxious over payday. This comes as a buy-out for the club has reportedly been delayed, according to the Daily Mail. Premiership Rugby are doing “everything possible” to help a takeover of the club with current owner Mick [...]
Premiership Rugby’s Newcastle Falcons deny plan of voluntary relegation March 29, 2023 Newcastle Falcons have denied suggestions that the club’s recent cost-cutting is paving the way to voluntarily drop out of the Premiership next year. City A.M. has learned of a growing belief in English rugby that the Tyneside team could be looking to ease their financial situation by joining the Championship as part of a wider [...]