By Matt Hardy
Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor insists troubled club Worcester Warriors will take their place alongside the other 12 teams in this year’s league next week but warned that doubts remain over their future.
Speaking at the launch of the season at Twickenham Stadium, Massie-Taylor said that the West Midlands club had enough funds for the next month, which would buy time to find a financial solution to their woes.
The Warriors owe in the region of £6m to HM Revenue and Customs, £14m to the government, other monies to local businesses and suppliers as well as some staff wages – which the club’s owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham have promised to pay within five working days.
“They’re not out of the woods yet,” Massie-Taylor said.
“Last night [Wednesday] the club was able to confirm that they were going through the payroll.
“They have given assurances that the players will get paid this month. That takes us to the beginning of the season so Worcester are able to take to the pitch on the 10th [against London Irish], but they’re not out of the woods and let’s be frank about that.
“The next month is key for them to find a long-term solution for the club.”
However, as of yesterday evening, some players had said they still had not been paid.
It remains uncertain whether one of the reported bids for the cash-strapped club could succeed – the current owners have vowed to sell if all creditors can be paid as part of the deal.
Head coach Steve Diamond said that he’d been encouraged by the club but that a long-term plan was still urgently needed.
“I think they can get enough funding in to get us through for 12 months,” head coach Diamond said. “So I don’t think time is an issue.
“But it would be foolish and foolhardy of them [Goldring and Whittingham] to keep doing this every month so we need a solution.
“I don’t know whether the solution is the current solution of how rugby clubs are run because none of them seem to be making money – Worcester are just first in the line.
“There’s a willingness from supporters, staff and players that [makes me wonder] why they’ve [Worcester] got it wrong for 20 years if I am honest.
“I’m enthused. It’s not a challenge to me, we should be taking this opportunity with both hands.”
The Worcester saga has raised questions within Premiership circles surrounding the viability of the league, given reports of other clubs – including but not limited to Wasps – being in financial trouble.
Some suggest that Premiership Rugby itself needs to have further testing of club owners in future to ensure the stability of the league – currently it is the Rugby Football Union which is in charge of those assessments.
“There are fit and proper tests that the RFU administers when new ownership comes into play,” Massie-Taylor said. “What we don’t ask beyond basic business plans is how clubs are going to be funded which in other leagues they have other structures.”
Premiership Rugby could start to ask those questions, the chief executive added.
“The Top14 have a few more regulations there around financial policy on a year-on-year basis but it’s not something we are currently exploring.”
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