Worcester pledge to honour rugby debts after Tier 2 entry approved

Worcester Warriors and the winners of National 1, subject to them meeting the entry criteria, will play in an expanded 14-team championship next season. Mirroring the Gallagher Premiership, no team will be relegated from the Championship at the end of the season.

The Tier 2 Board has approved Worcester’s application after the club’s new ownership provided a financial security guarantee, held by the RFU, as well as showing a real commitment to paying off rugby creditors from the previous regime.

In addition, new owner Chris Holland, who also owns Wasps, has already made substantial payments to the administrators and have entered into an agreement with the relevant parties, which will result in the remaining contractual funds from the administration being paid to DCMS and HMRC by the end of the year.

Former Championship outfit Richmond are overwhelming favourites to join Worcester in English rugby’s second tier as they currently hold a 10-point lead over Rotherham Titans at the top of the National 1 table with only three games left to play.

The Warriors entered administration in September 2022 with debts of around £25m, playing their last game against Newcastle. Since then, many of their former players have carved out successful careers elsewhere, including Bath duo Ollie Lawrence and Ted Hill, and Northampton’s Fin Smith.

Worcester will continue to play at Sixways Stadium, with plans to increase capacity to 12,750, build a new 120-room hotel on site and establish a national centre for esports. There had been rumours that Worcester would take on the Wasps moniker, but, for now, they are keeping the name Warriors.

Simon Gillham, Tier 2 Board Chair, stated: “The vision for this league is really ambitious, and so much work and collaboration has taken place over nearly two years to establish a path towards a vibrant and self-sustaining competition.

“Today marks a significant step forward with Worcester Warriors returning to professional rugby under new ownership in a heartland for our sport with the club’s new owners having provided a financial security guarantee, held by the RFU, as well committing to paying off debts left by the previous owners to rugby creditors.

“Worcester Warriors brings with them a fanbase, history, commercial value and infrastructure that will be important to the league; we’re really pleased see their return to professional rugby as I’m sure are their fans.

“National 1 is a highly competitive league with some ambitious clubs and we look forward to welcoming the promoted club from National 1 as well as continued collaboration with the current Championship clubs into next season.

“There is a great deal still to achieve, and we will be working at pace over the coming months to prepare for the 2025-26 season and beyond.”

Christopher Holland, Worcester Warriors owner, said: “We are really pleased to be bringing rugby back to Worcester and have made significant progress in stabilising the Sixways business as well as successfully navigating the detailed application process for entry of the club into the second tier of professional rugby in England.

“After careful consideration we chose to make the application to the new league under the name Worcester Warriors to preserve its history and legacy. As a result, we are required to settle rugby creditors and acknowledge and fully own this process and the responsibility that comes with it.

“We now enter a defined period in which to provide financial guarantees, and to identify, validate, and agree all inherited rugby creditors. The completion of this process is the key to success and requires the collective support of all involved. We are committed to resolving this swiftly.”

A statement released by the RFU said that further details on competition format, new branding and commercial strategy would be announced in due course. RugbyPass understands that there won’t be a Tier 2 Cup competition next season.