Grim prediction following crisis meeting: 'I believe Premiership clubs will go out of business'
Leicester chairman Peter Tom expects Gallagher Premiership clubs to fold as a result of new restrictions on crowds that also threaten the future of English professional rugby. A telephone meeting of the top flight’s chairmen was held on Thursday morning to discuss a way through a crisis that has been renewed by government guidelines preventing fans from attending matches for up to six months.
For all the unified purpose in ensuring clubs and the league survive a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Tom admits the outlook is bleak. “This is a disaster for Premiership Rugby and all the clubs involved,” said the Leicester administrator.
“I’m very worried about what the future for English professional rugby is. Nobody will be able to sustain this. Adjustments have been made to players’ salaries and other cuts have been made, but if we have to go another six to nine months like this, it will be absolutely devastating.
“I believe Premiership clubs will go out of business. The whole of the Premiership would be threatened. Certain clubs have a different structure in the shape of an owner with lots and lots of money. But for the rest, these are brutal times. Myself and the board have two clear objectives – the survival of Leicester Tigers and improve our performance on the pitch,” continued Tom about the decision to keep Premiership stadiums closed to fans.
Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Football Union have applied for government bailouts and while Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has indicated support will be offered, it is unknown what form this will take.
Even well-run Exeter are now minding the pennies https://t.co/aYNIhPTXk6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 23, 2020
Even for a Premiership club the size of Leicester, the finances are severely stretched after £500,000 was paid back to season ticket holders two weeks ago and £1.6million to £2m lost on having to stage four home games behind closed doors. And with the RFU also being hit hard by the absence of spectators for their Autumn Nations Cup and Six Nations games, there could be a reduction in funding from Twickenham.
“We were early in realising the consequences in March and April. We had the public fallout with four of the players and we had to make 30-plus people redundant,” Tom said. “We were starting to feel more confident, but now we’re having to completely rethink what we do. We came into this in a pretty strong financial position because we put the CVC money back into the business.
“Some fans may come under pressure financially because of job losses and things like that, so we have to assume we’ll lose season ticket money as well. We’re in as good position as anyone to get through this – except for the clubs with owners who have lots of money – but it will be brutal.”
Tom’s grim forecast has been echoed across the Premiership with Worcester owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham revealing the Warriors are facing potentially ruinous losses.
“Playing matches behind closed doors for another six months is clearly not sustainable for this club nor for the Premiership as a whole,” a statement read. “The additional loss of our events business puts further pressure on our chances for financial survival.
“Without the revenue generated on matchdays from crowds, sponsors and their associated spend, Warriors and all professional sports clubs cannot hope to be sustainable without significant support. At the moment we do not know, even if it does arrive, what that support might look like. Until we have that clarity it is impossible for us to know what the future of professional rugby in England looks like.”
"It’s a big testimony for me… I thought my rugby was over but it just kept me going. When you stick to the word of God, that keeps me going every day"
– New Leicester signing Kini Murimurivalu on his successful long career w/@heagneyl ???https://t.co/rMJTc4Lshg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 22, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to comments