Latest news with #WorcesterWarriors
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Less than 10 senior players, no manager and under an embargo: Morecambe are on brink of disaster - surely owner Jason Whittingham is the most hated man in sport
The man from whom many sports fans would very much like an explanation has made himself scarce, though all the evidence points to him being rather less occupied than he once was. He's Jason Whittingham – the only individual, as far as I can establish, on track to crash both a rugby union and football club. He was the catastrophic co-owner of Worcester Warriors, who under his custodianship plunged into administration and were expelled from rugby's Premiership with more than £15million of debts three years ago. Now he's taking Morecambe's venerable, 105-year-old football club towards what looks increasingly like a similar end.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Relaunched Worcester out to 'create own history'
Worcester Warriors chief executive Stephen Vaughan insists the club will be ready when they return to professional rugby this autumn. The Warriors' brand-new squad trained for the first time last week as they build towards their first season since administration at the start of the 2022-23 campaign. They were admitted to the second-tier Champ Rugby in April and will make their much-anticipated return at home to Coventry on 4 October. Under head coach Matt Everard, the Warriors have recruited a blend of former Premiership players alongside young newcomers. "We obviously started with a blank piece of paper a few months ago," Vaughan told BBC Hereford and Worcester. "It's quite a proud moment, really, to see it all come from an embryonic thought and suggestion to reality now." Despite the experience brought in, such as former British and Irish Lions back Billy Twelvetrees and Saracens prop Fraser Balmain, Everard faces a big challenge to mould together his quickly-assembled squad. "Naturally, we will not have the combinations that other teams will have and all the rest of it, but we're not seeing that as a weakness," Vaughan said. "We're seeing it as an opportunity to create our own history." 'Worcester is a Premiership set-up' The Warriors were a Premiership side for all but two seasons from promotion in 2004 until 2022, and Vaughan is keen for a return to the top flight, but he has also tempered talk of immediate promotion. "Worcester Warriors and Sixways is a Premiership set-up," he added. "It needs to be in the top flight at some point, but considering where it was from administration to where we are now, I think it would be crazy of us to start putting ridiculous targets in place. "But naturally, we'll go out to try and win every game." Vaughan, who was group CEO with Wasps when they also went into administration in October 2022, soon after Worcester, says the club will be "unapologetically commercial" to avoid history repeating itself. Plans were submitted to develop their Sixways home last November and Vaughan wants to host concerts and events at the stadium to give the club a sustainable future. "We have to make sure that we're more commercial going forward, develop the site, because that's the way we can then invest more money into the rugby," he added. "But not in a way where you can create investor fatigue or a situation where you're relying on one single individual, because we've seen what's happened in the past." Listen: Sport's Strangest Crimes - Bloodgate Listen to the latest Rugby Union Weekly podcast
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Relaunched Worcester out to 'create own history'
Worcester Warriors chief executive Stephen Vaughan insists the club will be ready when they return to professional rugby this Warriors' brand-new squad trained for the first time last week as they build towards their first season since administration at the start of the 2022-23 were admitted to the second-tier Champ Rugby in April and will make their much-anticipated return at home to Coventry on 4 head coach Matt Everard, the Warriors have recruited a blend of former Premiership players alongside young newcomers."We obviously started with a blank piece of paper a few months ago," Vaughan told BBC Hereford and Worcester."It's quite a proud moment, really, to see it all come from an embryonic thought and suggestion to reality now."Despite the experience brought in, such as former British and Irish Lions back Billy Twelvetrees and Saracens prop Fraser Balmain, Everard faces a big challenge to mould together his quickly-assembled squad. "Naturally, we will not have the combinations that other teams will have and all the rest of it, but we're not seeing that as a weakness," Vaughan said. "We're seeing it as an opportunity to create our own history." 'Worcester is a Premiership set-up' The Warriors were a Premiership side for all but two seasons from promotion in 2004 until 2022, and Vaughan is keen for a return to the top flight, but he has also tempered talk of immediate promotion."Worcester Warriors and Sixways is a Premiership set-up," he added."It needs to be in the top flight at some point, but considering where it was from administration to where we are now, I think it would be crazy of us to start putting ridiculous targets in place."But naturally, we'll go out to try and win every game."Vaughan, who was group CEO with Wasps when they also went into administration in October 2022, soon after Worcester, says the club will be "unapologetically commercial" to avoid history repeating were submitted to develop their Sixways home last November and Vaughan wants to host concerts and events at the stadium to give the club a sustainable future."We have to make sure that we're more commercial going forward, develop the site, because that's the way we can then invest more money into the rugby," he added."But not in a way where you can create investor fatigue or a situation where you're relying on one single individual, because we've seen what's happened in the past."
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
City 'buzzing' as Worcester Warriors set for Championship return
As Worcester Warriors are set to return to professional rugby, one player says "the buzz" can be felt in the September 2022, the club were suspended from all competitions over unpaid tax of about £6m. Players and staff had their contracts terminated, resulting in the men's team not competing City Council said the return of the club to the Championship could contribute about £29.6m to the local economy through tourism and match day Josh Bassett described the return as something to be celebrated. He said: "People need to really understand how amazing it is that a club has come back in the current climate to allow 40-plus rugby players to come together." "It's really exciting ,and it's something special, because something like this has happened before - a club coming back from what it's been through to then be able to bring it back to life. "We've got amongst the community; you've got lads living in Worcester, getting to know the area. It's really special," Bassett years on, the new squad had assembled for the first time in preparation of the Championship season where the team's first game will be a Midlands derby at home against will host Worcester Warriors' first game in three years this their return was announced, more than 4,000 season tickets were sold, a record-breaking number of sales, surpassing the club's best year of ticket sales when they were in the Premiership."I think rugby is in a very interesting place at the minute with the rebrand of the championship," Bassett said."If this league wasn't here, I wouldn't be a professional rugby player."There is a buzz in the area, it's such an exciting and positive thing within the English game that needs to be celebrated," Bassett added. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Twelvetrees says mystique of Lions tours makes them special
Worcester Warriors defence coach Billy Twelvetrees says "no one really knows what it's like" on a British and Irish Lions tour unless they have been involved in one. The 36-year-old, who won 22 England caps, was called up to join the Lions tour to Australia in 2013 as injury cover. He told BBC Hereford &Worcester: "You can watch it on TV and think you know, but all the players are the same, you're put into that room, there are world-class players everywhere and there is imposter syndrome a little bit." Twelvetrees has come out of retirement following a coaching stint at Champ Rugby side Hartpury after agreeing a player-coach role with Worcester, who kick-off their return to professional rugby against Coventry on 4 October. Speaking ahead of the first Lions Test against the Wallabies on Saturday, Twelvetrees said Worcester produced some real talent before going into administration and has high hopes for former fly-half Fin Smith, who has missed out on a start this weekend. "I remember Willie Heinz coming here, and he said 'Bill, have a look at Fin Smith he'll be the next England 10' and that was four or five years ago now. "When you're in the game you know good players straight away, so being in the game, I am a big Fin Smith fan, I like the way he moves the ball and the way he operates" "I think it's so cool for him, and he'll learn so much being around world class players and coaches, and he'll have the social side of it in Australia so what a cool thing to do as a young lad." Smith joined Northampton Saints after leaving Sixways and was a member of their 2024 Premiership title-winning side, and also played in their 28-20 European Champions Cup final defeat by Bordeaux in May. Get the latest updates from the Lions tour Listen: Sport's Strangest Crimes - Bloodgate Listen to the latest Rugby Union Weekly podcast
