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Post by citytoon on Nov 25, 2015 13:13:41 GMT
I see Warriors are reported to be in the market for signing Manu Tuilagi and throwing some cash at him too (£500k a year). I don't know anything about Warriors' finances but presumably this is Cecil Duckworth bank rolling: Sky Sports ArticleA few crumbs off the Duckworth table to help out a homeless local football club wouldn't go a miss...
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Post by thesecondjack on Nov 25, 2015 15:52:20 GMT
Cecil has never had any interest in the football club. The only chance we have of getting some money off him imo is if we get the planning application approved, and ask around for some money - he might put a bit in, no more then 50k or so.
For as long as I've been about, supporters of the club have been asking about the idea of Cecil backing us, be it financially to clear debts, or with some ground for us to build on. Just because he has put money into the rugby club, doesn't mean he has to put money in the football club.
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Post by Mark on Nov 25, 2015 18:41:34 GMT
I see Warriors are reported to be in the market for signing Manu Tuilagi and throwing some cash at him too (£500k a year). I don't know anything about Warriors' finances but presumably this is Cecil Duckworth bank rolling: Sky Sports ArticleA few crumbs off the Duckworth table to help out a homeless local football club wouldn't go a miss... Don't hold your breath
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Post by worcestersauce on Nov 25, 2015 23:05:04 GMT
The numbers being talked are huge in rugby terms but we are supposedly well under the £5.5m salary cap and that same cap is being increased to £6.5m next season and £7.5m the following season. In all honesty most Worcester fans think that this is just his agent stirring it up for Tuilagi to get a better deal with Leicester. Our DoR (equivalent of a manger in Football) Dean Ryan has come out tonight and denied the rumours, but Leicester's DoR has come out and said they are true, so it's a bit up in the air.
Cecil Duckworth is club president and still a shareholder but is no longer the major shareholder at the club and hasn't been bankrolling the club for some years now. His last major financial input (I believe) is when he contributed to building the new East Stand which cost £8 million and was finished in 2008. The new chairman and major shareholder is Dave Allen. He's media shy and it's hard to get much information about him, but as far as i've been told, his parents have always lived in Worcestershire and he used to play rugby for Evesham. It's difficult to find out exactly what role he had, but he was then involved in some form of the founding of logistical giants DHL. Some Worcester fans say he co-founded it, some say he was 'only' responsible for the expansion of the business into Europe, Australasia and Africa. He was chairman of DHL UK for quite some years but isn't any more. As I said - he's a very, very private man and it's difficult to find out much about him or indeed exactly how much money he is investing in Worcester but we have expanded our facilities massively in the past two years - opening up 6 academy centres, buying various properties in Worcester and turning them into academy houses and getting state of the art training facilities as well as funding a new club house for Worcester Wanderers. This has resulted in us making some substantial losses (£1-3 million) in the past few years, but should mean we are in a better place in 5-10 years, but nevertheless I'd imagine Mr Allen is putting in a fair bit and of course I'd imagine Duckworth is still chipping in too. We are basically currently in a very fortunate situation where we have two very wealthy backers on board if they are needed. They are trying to put the building blocks in place that won't just be a quick fix but will give us a sustainable future in the top flight. They have built some great facilities and got the best DoR in place who is buying some world class players and building a phenomenal team spirit.
I wish we would (could?) accommodate the football club. I am an avid supporter of both teams and just want to see both doing well. I remember when City first moved to Aggborough BBC H&W had an interview with a representative of City who said they had received a lot of donations from fans of the rugby club, when the Season Ticket offer was first announced so don't think Warriors fans are against City returning to the Worcester. I think the vast majority want it to happen. We just need to hurry this application up...
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Post by citytoon on Nov 26, 2015 13:34:41 GMT
Thanks worcestersauce. I hadn't realised that Duckworth had now taken a back seat. Interesting to hear that the club is investing so heavily in facilities and infrastructure for the future. I guess there is the need the financial backing from the Allens and Duckworths of this world with a club like Worcester who have been flipping between premiership and championship and the uncertainties over income that brings. It'd be nice to see them become an established Premiership side. I'm certainly not holding my breath nor would I expect anyone behind Warriors to give City any financial support. It's just a case of envy at City not having access to such opportunities. Even if it was a case of getting City into a position where they could be sustainable in their own new ground. I can't help feel that its all or nothing with Perdiswell and my fear is that would mean the future existence of the club lying in the hands of others (the Council). I see Gloucester are going through similar problems (albeith that they have been in exile for longer than us of course). An interesting piece from their manager here with him weighing in on the Gloucester's current troubles: Tim Harris Interview
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Post by adycrean on Nov 26, 2015 15:28:57 GMT
You have to respect the way Warriors have gone about things. Yes, they have had sustained funding for a number of years – but seem to be very measured on where they invest, and keen to promote long term sustainability.
The Tim Harris interview is interesting – a number of parallels with City’s situation. It’s hard to know whether to feel pessimistic / optimistic without understanding the underlying economics of our current situation. How many more years can the club survive without a ground in Worcester? If Perdiswell did get approved, one could assume would require another 3 years of exile. If not, and back to square one, very open ended. And potentially terminal.
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Post by citytoon on Nov 26, 2015 17:40:14 GMT
I was just thinking how Carl has always kept a low profile, at least in the press, on such off field subjects (in comparison to that interview by Tim Harris). Interestingly I see that it has just been reported that Carl has joined the City board of directors so guess his involvement may change. Carl is City through and through and his addition can only be a good thing as long as it doesn't distract from his management duties. Worcester News: Carl Heeley one of five new directors to join Worcester City board
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