Warriors Women secure RFU sanction and finance to kick off season
Worcester Warriors Women has now secured financial backing for the team to participate in the Allianz Premier 15 which kicks off against Harlequins on November 20th.
Existing team sponsors and a local Worcester business have underwritten the team’s operating costs to the satisfaction of the RFU enabling the team to compete, while the administrator concludes the process of securing a new owner for the overall club.
As part of the agreement, Worcester Warriors Women will continue to have rights to train and play at Sixways, thereby ensuring Premiership rugby will continue to be played at Warriors Way.
Director of Rugby, Jo Yapp and Operations Director, Josh Payne has secured financial support from existing club sponsors including auctioneers and agricultural salvage experts, Adam Hewitt Ltd, IT managed services provider, EBC Group, and independent lubricant specialist, Exol Lubricants.
Another local business, Cube International, has stepped forward to acquire (subject to contract) Warriors Womens’ assets and entitlements and is providing the balance of the team’s operating costs until the end of the year.
Should the assets of WRFC Trading Ltd t/a Worcester Warriors not be acquired by a new owner by the end of the year, Cube has indicated its willingness to manage the ongoing funding of the women’s side as an independent entity.
Adam Hewitt, CEO of Adam Hewitt Ltd said: “We have partnered Warriors for over ten seasons. It has been a matter of pride for our staff to be a sponsor of the club and consistent with the whole community, we were devastated by its demise. But along with other sponsors like EBC Group and Exol, we believe that something so important deserves to be rekindled to ensure that rugby continues to be played at Sixways”.
Richard Lane, CEO of EBC Group said: “We have formed a strong commercial relationship with Worcester Warriors, as both a sponsor and technology partner. We are delighted to help support Warriors Women, ensuring that they have a sustainable future. We are fully committed to the club’s next chapter and look forward to hearing Sixways resonate to the cheers of fans again.”
Josh Payne, Warriors Women Operations Director said: “The community around Warriors is so strong that our first instinct when the club went into administration was to search out help from the Warriors family. I’m delighted a number of our sponsors and other local businesses have given us a solid financial foundation – essential for the RFU and administrator’s support – while the process of securing new owners is conducted.
“This means the focus of staff and players is now back on rugby, confident in the knowledge that wages will be paid and the commercial operation of the side is financially underwritten”.
Worcester Warriors Womens’ Allianz Premier 15 launch will take place this week, with an unveiling of the team’s 2022/3 season team kit, a squad and backroom staffing announcement and the launch of a new website developed by local team partners, Design Religion, for the forthcoming campaign.
