Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Worcester owners advise Sports Minister on how fans can return to stadiums

By PA
(Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

Worcester owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham have met with Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston to show how crowds can return to rugby stadiums.

ADVERTISEMENT

The future of a number of Gallagher Premiership clubs remains uncertain after new restrictions preventing fans from attending matches for up to six months were implemented by the Government this week.

But Goldring and Whittingham said the Worcester have held constructive talks with Huddleston, whose Mid Worcestershire constituency includes the Warriors’ Sixways Stadium.

Video Spacer

Jack Nowell on Exeter Chiefs and their chances of making a new rugby dynasty

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 7:26
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 7:26
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Jack Nowell on Exeter Chiefs and their chances of making a new rugby dynasty

    “The meeting was extremely positive and gave the Minister the opportunity to look behind the scenes and to appreciate and understand the key role that we play in our local community,” Whittingham said.

    “A task group has already been set up to look at ways of ensuring that crowds can return to sports stadiums in an environment that protects them from the disease.

    “We were also reassured that the Government understands the challenges and concerns that we and other professional sports clubs have and that they are seeking to address them as a matter of urgency.”

    English professional rugby could be forced to restructure as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and many have predicted that some clubs will fold without financial assistance from the state.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    But Goldring said: “Having spoken with Nigel and hearing how valued the club is by the community we are confident that the Warriors can weather the storm.

    “Jason and I are fully committed to the club. We need everyone to pull together and show their support in any way they can.

    “With the continued support from our Government and the collective power of our supporters, community and everyone at the Warriors we will get through this together.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    KOKO Show | July 22nd | Full Throttle with Brisbane Test Review and Melbourne Preview

    New Zealand v South Africa | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

    USA vs England | Men's International | Full Match Replay

    France v Argentina | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

    Lions Share | Episode 4

    Zimbabwe vs Namibia | Rugby Africa Cup Final | Full Match Replay

    USA vs Fiji | Women's International | Full Match Replay

    Tattoos & Rugby: Why are tattoos so popular with sportspeople? | Amber Schonert | Rugby Rising Locker Room Season 2

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    0 Comments
    Be the first to comment...

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    N
    NH 1 hour ago
    'The Wallabies need to convert much better - or Melbourne could be much worse'

    Nice one as always Brett. I think the stats hide a bit of the dominance the lions had, and they would look alot worse in that first half when the game was more in the balance. You mention it here but I think it hasn’t been talked about enough was the lineout. The few times the wallabies managed to exit their half and get an opportunity to attack in the 1st half, the lineout was lost. This was huge in terms of lions keeping momentum and getting another chance to attack, rather than the wallabies getting their chance and to properly ‘exit’ their half. The other one you touch on re “the will jordan bounce of the ball” - is kick chase/receipt. I thought that the wallabies kicked relatively well (although were beaten in this area - Tom L rubbish penalty kicks for touch!), but our kick receipt and chase wasn’t good enough jorgenson try aside. In the 1st half there was a moment where russell kicked for a 50:22 and potter fumbled it into touch after been caught out of position, lynagh makes a similar kick off 1st phase soon after and keenan is good enough to predict the kick, catch it at his bootlaces and put a kick in. That kick happened to go out on the full but it was a demonstration on the difference in positioning etc. This meant that almost every contested kick that was spilled went the way of the lions, thats no accident, that is a better chase, more urgency, more players in the area. Wallabies need to be better in who fields their kicks getting maxy and wright under most of them and Lynagh under less, and the chase needs to be the responsibility of not just one winger but a whole group of players who pressure not just the catch but the tackle, ruck and following phase.

    17 Go to comments
    J
    JW 1 hour ago
    Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

    Thanks for the further background to player welfare metrics Nick.


    Back on the last article I noted that WR is now dedicating a whole section in their six-point business plan to this topic. It also noted that studies indicated 85-90% of workload falls outside of playing. So in respect to your point on the classification of ‘involvements’ included even subs with a low volume of minutes, it actually goes further, to the wider group of players that train as if they’re going to be required to start on the weekend, even if they’re outside the 23. That makes even the 30-35 game borderline pale into insignificance.


    No doubt it is won of the main reasons why France has a quota on the number of one clubs players in their International camps, and rotate in other clubs players through the week. The number of ‘invisible’ games against a player suggests the FFRs 25 game limit as more appropriate?


    So if we take it at face value that Galthie and the FFR have got it right, only a dozen players from the last 60 international caps should have gone on this tour. More players from the ‘Scotland 23’ than the more recent 23.


    The only real pertinent question is what do players prefer more, health or money? There are lots of ethical decisions, like for instance whether France could make a market like Australia’s where their biggest rugby codes have yearly broadcast deals of 360 and 225 million euros. They do it by having a 7/8 month season.

    68 Go to comments
    LONG READ
    LONG READ 'The Wallabies need to convert much better - or Melbourne could be much worse' 'The Wallabies need to convert much better - or Melbourne could be much worse'