Worcester Warriors: Atlas Group complete takeover of former Premiership club
- Published
Worcester Warriors' Sixways Stadium is set to host Worcester Raiders, Warriors women and Wasps Championship home games next season
The sale of former Premiership rugby club Worcester Warriors to the Atlas Group has been completed.
Atlas, led by former Warriors chief executive Jim O'Toole, had been given until 2 May by administrators Begbies Traynor to get the deal done after agreeing to buy the club in February.
Although that deadline passed without any news, the deal has now been officially finalised.
When, and in which division, the club will return to playing are unknown.
In a statement Atlas said they were "delighted" to confirm the sale and "look forward to delivering their vision for rugby, the business and the wider community at Sixways".
Hours after the takeover was made official, the Rugby Football Union confirmed Wasps - who, like Warriors, went into administration and lost their place in the Premiership, have applied to use Sixways for home games in the Championship next season.
That agreement was first announced by Atlas at a supporters meeting in February with the RFU telling the BBC on Wednesday they will "consult with local stakeholders before the request is considered towards the end of May".
Similar deals for the use of Sixways, previously agreed with non-league side Worcester Raiders and Worcester Warriors women, can now also be rubber stamped.
Atlas acknowledge media silence
Atlas were given a seven-day deadline on 25 April after the administrators issued a 27-page progress report which revealed the consortium had paid a £500,000 non-refundable deposit with an original 90-day completion window.
Despite that expiring, Wednesday's confirmation by administrators to BBC Hereford and Worcester secures the immediate future of Warriors.
Atlas said they "acknowledge they have been quiet in the media until today" citing the "complexities of the deal and the various elements required to regenerate a sustainable business for the community of Worcester" as the reasons.
After being named as preferred bidders following the collapse of the club, Atlas withdrew from negotiations with the RFU over playing in next season's Championship and backtracked on deeply unpopular plans to re-brand the club as Sixways Rugby.
Although proposals remain to merge with the first team of local tier-five side Stourbridge, nothing official has been announced, with Atlas warned by the RFU any move to "buy their way" back higher up the league, rather than start at the bottom in tier 10, would not be allowed.