Worcester future unclear despite owners saying player wages paid September 1, 2022 The close of play yesterday, the last day of the month, was the deadline for troubled Premiership rugby club Worcester Warriors to pay their players and staff. But as we reach September, just a week out from the new Premiership season, it’s still not certain as to whether Worcester will take the field against London [...]
Private equity influx in rugby will not save entire club game August 31, 2022 It’s no new phenomenon to see sports clubs, which tend to be at the heart of the community they serve, face financial challenges and ultimately go under. But why is this happening in rugby when the sport has benefited from a flurry of private equity investment which is shaping the future of the oval-balled game? [...]
Warriors’ land deals could be overturned if they enter administration August 23, 2022 Unexplained land deals undertaken by the owners of Worcester Warriors could be investigated and ultimately overturned if the Premiership rugby club goes into administration. The West Midlands club’s hierarchy have confirmed talks with HMRC after receiving a winding-up petition over unpaid tax, amid fears that a team who finished 11th last season could go into [...]
Worcester woes suggest wider issues for rugby as a whole August 22, 2022 Rugby union has never been the cash cow that football has developed into and this week we could be seeing the latest club enter administration following a series of financial woes. It is expected, according to multiple reports, that west midlands Premiership club Worcester Warriors could suffer that fate later today following a winding-up petition [...]
Premiership club Worcester hit with HMRC winding-up petition, reports suggest August 17, 2022 Premiership Rugby club Worcester Warriors have been hit with a winding-up petition by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, according to reports. A liquidation of the club is sought by the UK tax authority unless a debt is settled for an unpaid tax bill, the Telegraph report. This follows reports in recent months surrounding the late [...]
Lessons from Lionesses: What English rugby can learn from Euros for 2025 World Cup August 9, 2022 The iconic Chloe Kelly goal celebration, the record attendance for a final, success on home soil; England Women’s Euro 2022 victory felt like a watershed moment for women’s sport. But in a few years’ time England will be doing it all over again. This time, however, it will be with the oval ball. It was [...]
Gambling sponsors back on the up in sport despite continued threat of a ban, study finds August 4, 2022 Gambling sponsorship in English sport is back on the rise despite the threat of a potential ban, according to a new study. The number of betting companies with front-of-shirt sponsorship deals at leading clubs appeared to be in terminal decline just a year ago, having plummeted 48 per cent from 2019 to 2021. Premier League [...]
Competitive rugby and global calendar shouldn’t come at cost of player welfare July 12, 2022 If you were to assess the hopes of the Home Nations as they crossed the equator to play their annual summer rugby series, you’d have been forgiven for suggesting they weren’t too high. But two thirds of the way through each of the tours – Ireland in New Zealand, England in Australia, Wales in South [...]
Ed Warner: Wimbledon shows that the Lawn Tennis Association gets too much money June 23, 2022 If you want to know what’s wrong with tennis in Britain, look no further than Wimbledon. Blame the Championships for being such a phenomenal success that they bequeath the Lawn Tennis Association more money each year than it appears to be able to handle effectively, while simultaneously raising the public’s hunger for the LTA to [...]
Simon Shaw interview: ‘Addressing concussion is for the here and now’ June 15, 2022 It was a project hatched over a pre-arranged dinner, but the cogs that were left turning once the bill had been settled have spearheaded innovation into understanding concussion in and out of sport, and provoked questions as to why it continues to take so long to implement change. Simon Shaw is a former Wasps rugby [...]