Former Worcester Warriors chief exec submits bid to save club

Jim O'Toole says he has submitted a bid to the government to fund the troubled club

Warriors Stadium
Author: Victoria HornagoldPublished 28th Aug 2022

Its understood the club would have to be placed into administration before the proposal could be approved.

The proposal includes a "commitment to multi-year operational funding" and "meeting the repayment of the long-term government loan".

O'Toole and sports firm Atlas SportsTech Limited have submitted a joint proposal to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

He says in-put from the American partner would "ensure the long-term sustainability of professional rugby" whilst "ensuring the legacy of the Duckworth family remains at the heart of the club".

Worcester Warriors are facing a winding up order from HMRC over £6m in unpaid tax. They also received a £14m loan from DCMS during the pandemic.

Last week, Warriors owners released a statement saying they were "working through a number of options with our advisers", adding "these include solutions for keeping rugby at Sixways".

Although non-playing staff are understood not to have been at Sixways for the last week, players and coaching staff have continued with training.

Warriors have a pre-season friendly against Glasgow in Inverness on Friday, and are due to start the Premiership season away to London Irish on 10 September.

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