Former Wasps chair acquires Worcester Warriors but only wants lease
The Worcester Warriors rugby brand has changed ownership yet again after former Wasps owner Christopher Holland was confirmed as an individual with significant control in the club’s parent company.
Holland, through Loxwood Holdings Limited, acquired a 97 per cent stake in Atlas Worcester Warriors Rugby Club Limited, documents on Companies House confirmed yesterday.
But in a statement to BBC Hereford and Worcester, Holland said: “As previously reported Loxwood Holdings provided a loan to Atlas Worcester Warriors Limited at the beginning of May 2023 solely for the purposes of securing an option to lease Sixways for a possible return of Wasps. That option gave the owners of AWW until the 25th of May 2023 to repay the loan, which was secured as a debenture on the company.
“Regrettably AWW have not repaid that loan and therefore their 97% shareholding now rests with Loxwood.
“Whilst that shareholding controls the interest in the long lease of Sixways as well as the IP, brand and chattels of Worcester Warriors, our only interest remains in the option to lease the stadium for 5 years from May 2024.
“We will protect the interest in the long lease and the IP, brand, and chattels of Worcester Warriors until a suitably qualified entity is identified. We have no interest whatsoever in the property.”
The move could hand Worcester Warriors fans optimism after their club fell into administration in the early part of last season but equally their new owner was at the helm when Wasps followed their West Midlands’ club out of the Premiership.
In May Holland had made a loan to Worcester and Atlas Consortium to help secure a lease for Championship rugby to be played at Sixways Stadium this season – but with both Wasps and Worcester no longer operating as clubs in the English pyramid, the dream died.
Many fans have contacted Morning Wire since the announcement to express their confusion over the ownership move while one former employee slated the move as the latest chapter in a chronicle of bad events at Sixways.
Questions remain as to whether there’s any possible resurrection for Worcester Warriors or Wasps, or whether plans for what was a Premiership outfit takes a different turn.