Worcester Warriors: Premiership club seek new investment, says managing director

Gus Mackay took over as Worcester managing director when chief executive Jim O'Toole left in June

Worcester Warriors have confirmed that they are seeking new investment in the Premiership club, following reports of a potential takeover at Sixways.

Warriors, who have been owned by Sixways Holdings Ltd since 2013, are reported to have been made an offer.

But the club's only response to various media rumours has been to issue a statement to season ticket holders from managing director Gus Mackay.

"Any proposed funding structure has to be in our best interests," he said.

"Our position remains unchanged from a statement we issued a few weeks ago, in which we specified that we were looking for investment, that there were no timelines and that it is essential we find the right partner.

"Furthermore, our current shareholders are committed to funding the club for the foreseeable future or until the right partner is found.

"We are not the only Premiership club looking for investment. Some clubs are finding it increasingly difficult to be profitable with rising costs."

Warriors are currently bottom of the Premiership, having failed to pick up a point from their opening three games.

Their two home games so far, against last season's top two, Wasps and Exeter, have attracted attendances which were a long way short of being a full house.

The Wasps game was watched by 7,735 and the official gate for the Chiefs game was 7,023 - both well short of Sixways' 11,499 capacity.

The short history of Premiership rugby at Sixways

Sixways Holdings Limited took over when Warriors' main long-time benefactor Cecil Duckworth, now also part of the board as club president, stepped back his involvement.

Duckworth remains part of a six-man board, which also includes Mackay, Greg Allen, the son of logistics firm DHL co-founder Dave Allen, John Crabtree, Bill Bolsover and Anthony Glossop.

Former Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths, who was working at Sixways on a consultancy basis, has now ended his involvement with Warriors, having been reportedly named as one of the parties interested in buying the club.

Warriors, who bought the freehold on the 50-acre Sixways site back from the old Worcester Rugby Club, are reportedly valued at £26.7m.

Worcester first won promotion to the Premiership back in Duckworth's heyday under coach John Brain in 2004. This is their 12th season in the top flight, interrupted only by relegation in 2010 and again in 2014.