Rugby players unpaid as club returns to stadium

The first official home game in nearly three years will see Warriors host Bath on Friday

Several players from a rugby club that went into administration three years ago have still not been paid, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has confirmed.

It follows a report in The Times that about 20 players from Worcester Warriors, the club's former director of rugby Steve Diamond and other staff, are all owed money.

The club will return to the Sixways Stadium with a pre-season friendly against Bath on Friday, with tickets sold out and a guard of honour planned for the players.

Payment of creditors had been a condition imposed by the RFU ahead of any return to professional rugby. The RFU said all parties were working to resolve claims as quickly as possible. The club has not yet commented.

The RFU did not directly comment but provided guidance that said Warriors had already paid a significant amount to creditors, and an independent adjudication process was taking place to review some claims.

It said the club had been offered a conditional place in England's second tier, Champ Rugby, and the club had kept the Champ Rugby Board and the RFU updated.

The RFU said some claims were still outstanding because a number of players were using the adjudication process, but it was hoped claims would be resolved and payments made as quickly as possible.

It confirmed sanctions were available if creditors were not paid.

'Provide financial guarantees'

Last week, the club's chief executive officer Stephen Vaughan spoke to BBC Hereford and Worcester about the creditors, of which there were three groups.

"We've got rugby creditors that are now settled. That is the mass majority by the way," he said.

"We've got the middle group which we are awaiting more information from... so they're not in dispute."

Mr Vaughan said the third group related to "anything which is in dispute".

"What 'in dispute' means is that XYZ person or business claims to be a rugby creditor," he said.

"Our legal partners that are dealing with this independently... suggest that they are absolutely not."

In 2022, the club went into administration after it faced an unpaid tax debt of about £6m. Players and staff had their contracts terminated.

In April, the club announced its professional return for 2025-26, after a 2024 takeover.

A statement by chairman Christopher Holland said Warriors had made significant progress and was in "a defined period in which to provide financial guarantees, and to identify, validate and agree all inherited rugby creditors".