'What would we do if this was a brand new club and we start again, what is the ideal scenario?'
Joint owners Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring believe the coronavirus pandemic’s indefinite suspension of the Gallagher Premiership will prove to be a long-term tonic for Worcester Warriors. The pair, who also own League Two football club Morecambe, were initially appointed to Warriors board in October 2018 when a consortium headed by Jed McCrory took over before they confirmed as joint-owners eight months later.
Before they arrived, Worcester had wracked up losses of £13.8million for the years ending 2017 and 2018, the second-highest figure among the 13 Premiership stakeholder clubs who between them lost a combined total of £88.7m in this two-year period.
However, despite the coronavirus now bringing the 2019/20 season to an indefinite halt, the co-owners believe the eleven weeks they have had since Worcester last played on March 6 have been invaluable in allowing them to finesse their initial five-year plan aimed at turning the club into an English rugby powerhouse.
Taking to YouTube to answer questions from Worcester fans who learned in midweek that 2020/21 season ticket prices will be reduced to 2013/14 Premiership levels, Whittingham explained: “It has given us a real opportunity to look at where certain things needed improvement, where cracks are, stop painting over them, let’s actually fix the cracks and come through this in a much stronger position.
“We are doing lots of work behind the scenes, site development, engagement, commercial, just to make sure that when we emerge the club is stronger, not just financially but also in its efficiencies and in the way it operates and also with quite a few initiatives we are looking at to bring in to strengthen the business.
“This is a community asset and it is going to be here a long time after we are gone so everything we do now is working in the best interests of making this club sustainable. That has always been at the heart of everything we are doing here to make the club sustainable.
“We have stronger links with the community through this because the support from community and sponsors and partners has been absolutely overwhelming and where you get these shared experiences – everyone in the world at the moment is sharing this experience – it has really in my mind brought the club and the community much closer together.
“That is another strength that we will have coming out of this and we are hugely grateful for that support. Long may it continue when we come through.”
Fellow owner Goldring agreed: “I don’t think you can underline just how difficult the situation. It has been a challenge for everyone across the whole country but as a club, we have met it well. I’m very proud of the way we have dealt with it and coming out the other side just a bit stronger.
“It is certainly touching how much support we have got. We are getting through this together and we will get through it as one big club.”
Managing director Peter Kelly said; “We have made a big effort to keep in touch with all our staff and our players. Zoom has played a major part in that, an amazing thing that everybody found.
“We have kept in touch with everybody even though most of them have been furloughed and in the background, the owners and I have been looking at a stronger plan for when we come out of this from the basis of what would we do if this was a brand new club and we start again, what is the ideal scenario? We have plans for that.”
Comments on RugbyPass
What ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
128 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
128 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
128 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
128 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
128 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
128 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
128 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
128 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
128 Go to commentsHo hum.
128 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
128 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
128 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
128 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
128 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
128 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
128 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
128 Go to comments