Worcester Warriors sold in takeover that will keep club at Sixways and provide ‘millions’ in investment

Premiership side has no plans to move after agreeing takeover deal with a consortium that includes former Swindon Town chairman Jed McCrory and ex-player Dave Seymour

Worcester Warriors have been sold to a consortium led by finance specialist Errol Pope (Getty)

Worcester Warriors have been sold to a consortium led by finance specialist Errol Pope, with the new owners committed to keeping the Premiership club at Sixways and committing “millions of pounds” to develop the club into a top-flight mainstay.

Pope is joined by former Swindon Town chairman Jed McCrory and ex-Saracens and Sale Sharks flanker Dave Seymour, as well as financial consultant Scott Priestnall.

The takeover will see the club remain at their current home venue, with plans to redevelop the site “with the intentions of making the club self-sustainable and achieving long-term success both on and off the field”, having posted a loss of more than £8m last year.

Despite the takeover getting the green light, previous chairman Bill Bolsover will remain on the club’s board with Cecil Duckworth continuing as president, and they made it clear during the tending process that the selected bidders would need to commit to keeping the club at Sixways in order to tap into the potential for a successful rugby club in the area.

“Having met with numerous potential new owners and investors we have found long-term owners who are capable of taking the club to the next level,” Bolsover said in a statement on Monday.

“Our search has been extensive and the whole process has been a thorough one to ensure we found the right owners who have the backing to take this club forward.

“The new owners have that backing and, with it, a clear vision to ensure Warriors can achieve long-term success and become one of the top clubs in the Gallagher Premiership.”

Worcester has been sold after more than a year on the market (Getty)

Worcester were tipped for relegation from the Premiership at the start of the season due to the strength of the promoted Bristol Bears side, not to mention the financial clout they bring with them, but the round four victory over Leicester Tigers and narrow defeats against Wasps, Sale Sharks and Newcastle Falcons suggests that they have enough to make a fist of staying afloat for a fourth consecutive season.

The club was initially put up for sale last summer and attracted widespread interest, with the Scottish Rugby Union exploring the possibility of purchasing the club with a view to moving them north, while former Saracens chief executive Ed Griffiths was also understood to be in the running.

But keeping the club in the heart of Worcestershire was instrumental to the chosen consortium winning the tender process, with Bolsover convinced that it is a step in the right direction for their future.

The consortium has promised 'millions of pounds' in investment (Getty)

“They have shown that they have the capability and commitment to invest millions of pounds into Warriors to further develop the club,” he added. “As a board we believe the new owners have inherited a club with huge potential both on the pitch and commercially. The club is blessed with talented players, staff and coaches so we are all excited about the future.

“We would like to thank Livingstone Partners for their hard work over the last year to facilitate the club’s sale.

“We would also like to thank Sixways Holdings Limited and Cecil Duckworth, who will remain as president, for their past investment and support, which has helped the club become what it is today.”

The new owners plan to redevelop the Sixways site to make the club self-sustainable (Getty)

The announcement comes at the start of an important week for Worcester’s survival hopes as they take on Bristol on Sunday in what is sure to prove a pivotal fixture in the race to beat relegation, with the Premiership set to take a back seat afterwards as the European campaign begins.