Dear Supporter
With the business end of the season upon us, I would like to take this opportunity to give our loyal supporters a behind-the-scenes update from Sixways.
The matter of the Club’s ownership has clearly been a topic of great concern this season and we have tried to be as open as possible during all stages of the process.
There have been occasions where we haven’t been able to divulge the specifics of our negotiations due to their confidential nature but we have endeavoured to keep you informed of our owners’ position.
To reiterate, our owners hold a clear view that they will only sell the Club to a party which has Worcester Warriors’ best interests at heart, can provide long-term stability and can oversee a successful future for this Club.
The owners have been backing this Club for the last decade and are not restricted by a timeframe in which to complete its sale so, until the right investor is found, they are committed to offering their continued financial support.
Their support has ensured we are able to build for next season and beyond. The appointment of Alan Solomons as Director of Rugby in December has given us the stability we needed on the pitch and he is already putting the foundations in place for our future success.
With Rory Duncan set to arrive as Head Coach in the summer, it is certainly an exciting time for the Club and we are confident we will go into next season in a strong place.
We have already announced the signings of prop Callum Black and lock Anton Bresler and we expect more excitement amongst supporters as we will be announcing further signings today.
While we recognise that a number of players will be leaving the Club at the end of the season, we are delighted that we have retained some key members of the squad, with seven first-team players already putting pen to paper and another contract extension set to be announced today.
Every Club in the Aviva Premiership will lose players at the end of every season, but when individuals of the calibre of Ryan Mills and Sam Lewis commit their futures to Warriors, it sends out a clear message that we are in a good place as a Club.
On the pitch our players have remained committed and passionate after a difficult start to the season and that has been rewarded with a number of stand-out performances.
Our victories at Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs will live in the memory of players and supporters for years to come and those victories are another sign that we are moving in the right direction.
We want to get to a stage of our evolution where victories at tough away grounds like Welford Road and Sandy Park are the norm.
Away from Sixways we have had nine Warriors and six Valkyries called up for international action at senior and age-grade level over the last few weeks and that recognition is testament to the hard work going on at the Club.
In Ben Te’o and Josh Adams we had two Warriors coming up against each other in a NatWest 6 Nations game for the first time in the Club’s history.
In Gus Mackay’s commercial area off the field we have had a busy time and we are working hard to achieve bumper attendances for our four remaining home games.
Our figures over the last few years show that our attendances are much bigger as the season progresses towards the end so we are working hard to achieve the same pattern this campaign.
Next season we are planning on returning to playing as many of our home games as possible on a Saturday at 3pm. The feedback we have received from the majority of supporters this season suggests that they would like to see games being played on a Saturday rather than a Friday night.
There has been good news on the sponsorship front this season as our income has hit record levels and this gives us a great platform to build on next season.
As we plan for next season we will be obtaining feedback through surveys and Season Ticket holder focus groups. We will use this feedback to better understand the changes we need to implement to ensure our matchday experience is as enjoyable as possible next season.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for your continued support and commitment to Warriors. I look forward to seeing you at Sixways soon.
Come on you Warriors.
Bill Bolsover
Warriors Chairman