After massive losses revealed, Worcester Warriors face survival battle on and off pitch

Premiership club Worcester Warriors remain on course to avoid relegation, but their financial survival is a much bigger concern after revealing a pre-tax loss of £8.1m for the 2016-17 season.

That loss leaves a serious question mark over the future viability of the club and increases the angst being felt by fans who watched their team’s 27-13 win over Newcastle. While that victory keeps them nine points ahead of bottom-placed London Irish with the three games to go, the worrying financial results will make selling the club to potential new investors an even tougher assignment.

Losses for the 12 months up to 30 June 2017 came after the club reported a pre-tax profit of £14.3m a year before – a situation created by club’s owners writing off loans of more than £20.4m.

That was designed to make the Warriors a more attractive proposition but with South African Johann Rupert deciding to end his 50 percent stake in Saracens and Irish desperate for around £10m of new investment, there are now three Premiership clubs looking for new backers.

Warriors remain, like Saracens and Irish, dependent on the willingness of their current owners to keep pumping in millions of pounds.

Warriors bought the freehold on the 50-acre Sixways site from the old Worcester Rugby Club, and have been reportedly valued at £26.7m. Former owner Cecil Duckworth is the club president and is listed as a director along with Bill Bolsover, Anthony Glossop, Greg Allen, John Crabtree and Gus Mackay- the managing director.

While they still have highly paid England centre Ben Te’o and Springbok Francois Hougaard on their books, Scotland forward Dave Denton has signed a three-year deal to join Leicester at the end of the season.

While Denton cannot directly affect the search for new finance, he can help secure the club’s place in the Premiership an avoid the estimated loss of around £2m in central funding which hits the relegated club.

Denton has three more games in a Worcester shirt before joining Leicester, one of the most financially stable Premiership clubs.

He said: “There is a lot of stake at the moment and I want to contribute towards making sure we stay in the Premiership and with London Irish winning at Harlequins it is not settled yet.

“It was a massive decision to leave at the end of the season and I did what I though was best for me and at 28 there are still some years in the old dog yet and being at Leicester for three years gives me an opportunity to go to the World Cup.

“These last three games for Worcester are a massive focus for me.”