Club owners Atlas have u-turned on the plan to rebrand Worcester Warriors as Sixways Rugby; Speaking at a supporters event on Saturday, Atlas co-owners Jim O'Toole and James Sandford announced an agreement in principle with Wasps to play at Sixways from next season
Saturday 18 February 2023 18:57, UK
The new owners of Worcester Warriors have u-turned on their plan to drop the club’s name and say they have an agreement in principle with Wasps to play at Sixways.
Atlas co-owners Jim O'Toole and James Sandford made the announcements while speaking at a supporters' event at Sixways on Saturday.
Earlier this month, Atlas had announced their intention to rebrand as Sixways Rugby, but have now opted to stick with the original name of the financially-stricken club.
"We will hold our hands up and say we got it wrong on the name," O'Toole told those in attendance. "So, we intend to keep the Worcester Warriors name."
At the same time, Atlas claimed an agreement in principle to play at the Warriors' Sixways home from the start of the 2023/24 season for a minimum of three-years.
The deal will see Wasps, who have been accepted into the Championship for next season after going into administration and being relegated from the Gallagher Premiership along with Worcester, train at the ground and base their business there too.
Also in the agreement is the proviso that once Warriors reach the Championship or equivalent level, Wasps - without a ground after leaving the Coventry Building Society Arena - will have their own facility to move into.
Following the event, Wasps issued a statement saying no agreement has been signed for next season onwards they remain in talks with other possible homes for the club.
"To clarify on rumours today, Wasps have not signed a ground agreement with any stadium and remain in discussions with several potential venues," the statement read.
"We will not put pen to paper on any agreement without having first consulted with both the relevant governing bodies and more importantly, the local communities that would be impacted by such a move."
Worcester Warriors Women, who are a separate entity from the men's team and funded by Cube International, will continue to play in the Premier 15s at Sixways on a five-year agreement.
What level the Warriors' men's team will play at in 2023/24 is yet to be confirmed after Atlas withdrew their proposal to play in the Championship at the same time as the Sixways Rugby rebrand was announced.
"The reason we have made that decision, is after long discussions with the RFU, we are at an impasse over three or four key points in the insolvency agreement that would be the basis of our participation in the Championship," O'Toole told Sky Sports at the time.
"We have felt from day one that the terms of that contract were over-onerous and represented overreaching on behalf of the RFU in terms of putting us into special measures and controls over the development we need to implement to make the project work and any borrowing we may do against the land which, as we start off, is all incumbered with no debt.
"We don't think we can sign that agreement as it is currently framed and that was the driving force behind the decision."
O'Toole and Sandford have already announced plans to merge the Warriors with National League Two club Stourbridge, although that is subject to being agreed by Stourbridge's members and a vote on that has not yet been taken.
Also in the agreement with Wasps is the proviso that once Warriors reach the Championship or equivalent level, Wasps will have their own facility to move into.
