It's taken just over 3 months since the first meeting of our working group but we can proudly say that the Worcester Warriors Supporters' Trust is now fully registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and is listed on the Mutuals Public Register as a Community Benefit Society. Our official name is the Worcester Warriors Supporters' Society Limited but we will continue to be known informally as WWST.
WWST is the first and only Supporters' Trust in English Rugby Union
You too can be part of that history
The 39 pages of our constitution are available to peruse here:
The Supporters' Trust has 4 main objectives (in brief):
To give a voice to all supporters thus assisting the resurrection of a men's Worcester Warriors team, playing and training at Sixways Stadium.
To work closely with the Worcester Warriors Foundation.
To support the Worcester Warriors Women's club and restore Academy status at Sixways.
To restore the damage done to the legacy of Cecil Duckworth.
We have, of course, already begun our collaboration with the Foundation and are extremely grateful to them for hosting our meetings at their fantastic new facilities at the Royal Porcelain Works. Board member Bob Low has special remit to promote the Warriors Women's team and the Foundation.
Our primary purpose however, will always be to act as the credible and audible voice of Worcester Warriors supporters and, indeed, the whole population of a wider Worcestershire. Whether a rugby fan or not, all of Worcester are so proud of Cecil Duckworth, whose determination (and a fair few millions) took Worcester Rugby Club from Tier 8 to Tier 1 of English Rugby in less than a decade. We believe that Cecil's vision of raising the profile of not only the rugby club but also the city of Worcester cannot be betrayed.
Our voice will be all the louder as the Supporters' Trust grows. For us to succeed in our aim of restoring top-level men's rugby we are all going to have to make ourselves heard. In numbers comes strength; by joining the trust you will add to that strength. TOGETHER we can achieve great things.
We do not pretend to have a magic wand. Our incorporation will not suddenly lead to announcements of the return of rugby but we absolutely promise that we will do all we possibly can to pressurise and cajole those in charge (whoever they may end up being) to have men's rugby at the heart of their plans.
So. What's next? Well, currently our Treasurer, Gabby Radford, has the unenviable task of trying to fast-track the opening of a bank account for the trust. This is essential for us to be able to take on members and is the rate-limiting-step for our proposed launch event. We will obviously keep you updated but if you happen to be a friendly bank manager, keen to provide an account for the benefit of your community, then please get in touch.
In the meantime we will press on with our plan to nominate Sixways Stadium as an Asset of Community Value. (Thank you to Rob Adams and Sara Stojanovic at Wychavon District Council for your help with this.) We will be reaching out on Social Media for all your ideas as to why Sixways Stadium is indeed an asset to our community - not just as a host for sporting events but in so many diverse ways. We will also continue in our attempts to broaden the dialogue we have opened with administrators, receivers, owners, potential owners, the RFU and all other interested parties.
Thank you to everyone out there for all your kind words over the last few months. Knowing that there are so many people who feel the same way about Worcester Warriors as we do is the encouragement we need to keep moving things forward.
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