WORCESTER WARRIORS RETURN TO PROFESSIONAL RUGBY
More than two years after entering administration, Worcester Warriors are pleased to confirm that following a rigorous process, they have been selected by the Tier 2 Board to join the new professional Tier 2 league and will compete in the 2025/2026 season at Sixways Stadium in Worcester.
The takeover of Worcester Warriors by Junction 6 Limited in 2024 has been pivotal in the recovery of the stadium operations and now, the return of the club itself. The energy, business resilience, and determination to succeed have drawn immense encouragement and support from a small but loyal team of staff, key stakeholders, local politicians, Wychavon District Council, and, of course, the enduring Warriors fanbase.
Christopher Holland, Chairman of Worcester Warriors, said:
“In 2024 it became necessary for us to take over the freehold interests of the Stadium and the Warriors. That process has been challenging and rewarding in equal measure, and we have now made significant progress in stabilising the Sixways business as well as successfully navigating the detailed and demanding 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, a club founded in 1871, to preserve its history and legacy. As a result, even though we applied as a new non-league entrant, we are required to settle rugby creditors as defined by the RFU Regulation 5. We acknowledge and fully own this process and the responsibility that comes with it.
Had we opted to restart at the bottom of the rugby pyramid, as others have before us, the obligation to settle rugby creditors would have been removed. However, with the clear intent of investing and developing the future of rugby in the region, and to create opportunities and pathways within the sport, we have taken full responsibility for addressing these inherited obligations.<
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.”
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YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
We’ve done our homework on the best pricing for both general matchday tickets and season tickets by checking out what competitors are offering, reviewing prices from previous seasons, and gathering feedback from fans through research conducted by the Worcester Warriors Supporters Trust. We’re excited to introduce a competitive pricing model that improves on what we’ve offered in the past.
We’ll share details about season ticket pricing as soon as our ticketing platform is launched, so be sure to subscribe to our email updates and follow us on social media to stay in the loop!
We’re close to selecting a supplier to create a smart ticketing system that seamlessly connects with our current setup. We know fans are eager to buy their tickets right away, and you won’t have to wait long! We’re just as excited as you are to get this up and running.
In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to our email list and follow us on social media for the latest updates so you can be first to know when they are ready for sale.
We’ve talked a lot about how important our financially sustainable model is for our return, and that means being as efficient as we can with how we operate the club and Sixways stadium.
We will take things step by step. That’s why we’ve planned different phases for our first season back, with increasing stadium capacity over time. At the beginning of the season, not all seats will be available right away, but will be should demand dictate. So we may not be able to offer the same seats to previous season ticket holders immediately.
When does the recruitment of backroom staff and players begin and what are the time frames involved?
We are working to extreme deadlines to assemble a competitive team for the start of the 2025/26 season. With this in mind, while our Tier 2 application has been in progress, we have engaged potential players and staff in an effort to bring the best available talent to Worcester Warriors, and we’re excited to share more news as contracts are signed.
Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our email updates to stay in the loop with all the latest from Worcester Warriors!
Right now, due to resources and timescales, we must focus initial efforts on bringing the men’s senior team back to Tier 2 for the 2025/26 season. However, we’re fully committed to the return of Worcester Warriors Women in the future. Supporting women in sport is something we’re passionate about, and we want to ensure the team has the right foundations to thrive. Our priority is making sure our return to rugby is strong, sustainable, and built for long-term success.
We will be working with the RFU and Premiership Rugby within the new academy setup as announced last September.
As we enter this new chapter, we’re excited to relaunch our Community Programs, bringing rugby to more local areas through Mini and Junior programs while supporting schools and colleges. We’ll be hiring for our Community Department soon and can’t wait to share more details in the near future.
Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our email updates to stay in the loop with all the latest from Worcester Warriors!
Get ready for all the things you loved about our Fanzone and hospitality to make a comeback! We’ll have fantastic food and drink, entertainment, on-pitch challenges, and fun activities for the whole family.
Even though Worcester Warriors hasn’t been operational since 2022, Sixways Stadium has been buzzing with events during that time. We’ve hosted lots of large events and will continue to do so.
We have an exciting lineup of events to celebrate the return of Worcester Warriors as we gear up for the start of the season, and we want you to be part of it! With the upcoming 2025/26 fixture list announcement, we’ll be adding even more events soon.
Here’s a taster of what we’ve got planned so far:
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Fan forums
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Evenings with coaches and players
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Family fun days
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Summer Rugby Camps
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Kit launch event
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Sixways 50th Anniversary celebration
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We’re planning the redevelopment of Sixways in phases to make sure we minimise any impact on our visitors, fans, and supporters.
Nobody wants the club to be in the same position as it was previously. Being self sustainable effectively means that we need to operate in a way that doesn't rely on any one single point of failure, and that events at the stadium, ticket sales and match day purchases, as well as any Commercial developments on the wider Sixways footprint supporting the Rugby operation. This is why your support is so vital to our success.
We enjoy a close relationship and engage regularly with all three organisations. We recently enjoyed hosting the Worcester Warriors Supporters Trust (WWST) AGM at Sixways Stadium on 24th January 2025, followed by a Q&A panel consisting of Christopher Holland, Stephen Vaughan (both Junction 6 Limited), Carol Hart (Worcester Warriors Foundation), and Marcus Mulcahy (WWST).
Our close relationship with Worcester Warriors Foundation continues with us providing the stadium and facilities for their work as required, while they continue to make an impact for the Worcester community and beyond in their central town location at Cecil Duckworth House in the Porcelain Works.
We’ve built a strong relationship with Worcester RFC and we look forward to working closely with them to build our future community program.
Our Tier 2 application had a long list of detailed requirements we needed to meet, covering everything from stadium facilities and business plans to staff structure, ticketing systems, marketing, community engagement, and financial planning. It has been a thorough process to make sure every detail is covered and that we’re building a strong, sustainable model, to avoid any of the same mistakes of the previous ownership.
We’ve met all the requirements set out in the application, including a process for repaying all rugby creditors. We know this has been an important issue for many in the Rugby community, and we’re committed to fulfilling this obligation. It was agreed with the administrators as part of the purchase of Worcester Warriors, that Junction 6 Limited would repay the outstanding DCMS loan in full. The majority of this has been settled, and the final tranche of this loan is due to be paid at the end of 2025.
Worcester Warriors have been described as a Phoenix club, but this is not the case. The Phoenix provisions apply to clubs currently in an RFU league that have undergone an insolvency event, where a new owner seeks to establish a new club and take over the existing club’s assets, including its league position.
When Junction 6 Limited acquired Worcester Warriors’ assets, the club was not participating in any RFU league. The Tier 2 Board, with RFU Council approval, initiated an open tender process for any club, college, or university at any level to apply for a place in the second tier, provided they met the league's minimum operating criteria and growth strategy. Worcester Warriors submitted an application through this process.
We chose to apply as Worcester Warriors, a club founded in 1871, to preserve its history and legacy. As our application is in the club’s name, we are required to settle rugby creditors, as defined by RFU Regulation 5, and provide financial guarantees. We fully support this responsibility and have already provided the financial security guarantee.
Had we opted to start at the bottom of the rugby pyramid, as others have done, we would not be required to settle rugby creditors. However, we believe in investing in the future of rugby in the region, creating opportunities, and strengthening pathways within the sport. Therefore, we take on the responsibility of addressing these inherited obligations.
The club has undergone a rigorous assessment to ensure compliance with the league’s minimum operating standards, central objectives, and financial commitments, including the repayment of rugby creditors and the DCMS loan. The Tier 2 Board recognised that, beyond meeting these criteria, Worcester Warriors add significant value to the league through their commercial appeal, established fanbase, rich history, and high-quality facilities at Sixways Stadium.
We know it’s been a tough journey for everyone involved. The team at Sixways and Worcester Warriors have put in a huge amount of work behind the scenes over a long period to make sure our future plans are financially and logistically sound. To secure a sustainable future for Sixways and Worcester Warriors, we’ve focused on creating diverse revenue streams, including events, conferences, partnerships, stadium tenancies, and future redevelopment plans. We’re committed to keeping everyone updated with real, tangible progress to ensure transparency and clarity for our supporters.
Engaging with the community has been a key priority, and over the past year, events and corporate partnerships at Sixways have helped rebuild trust and relationships. It’s been fantastic to see the return of our annual Fireworks Night and Christmas Parties, as well as networking events for local businesses and Worcester Warriors fans, like our Golf Day and Clay Pigeon Shoot.
We were also proud to host the recent Worcester Warriors Supporters Trust (WWST) AGM and we’re looking forward to hosting more events and panels at Sixways in the future. Details of which are to follow shortly.
RFU regulations are clear that one individual cannot own a majority share in or be a director of two clubs which operate in the same league. There will be full compliance to this regulation.
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