Worcester Warriors have been given a conditional offer to retain their place in the Premier15s next season despite being left out of the earlier announcement in December.
Women’s Team operating manager Mike Hall said: “After the initial announcement went out that 8 teams had been selected the next iteration of the premier 15s and Worcester wasn’t one of them it was a huge disappointment to everyone.”
However, the team appeared to have a sign of hope as they knew there were still two spaces in the competition.
Hall said: “We were given a lifeline, Josh Payne the managing director and Jo [Yapp] the director of rugby had done huge work behind the scenes to secure the future and to get the announcement on Wednesday, we actually found out on Monday and the players and club were told on Tuesday, it was amazing to see their reaction.
“We were always pretty confident we could get it done, but when you finally get it in writing that you’ve been offered a place it’s a massive relief.”
📰 NEWS: Warriors Women are given a conditional offer to join the @Premier15s for 2023/24! 🔥
— Worcester Warriors Women (@WorcsWarriorsW) February 1, 2023
The next major step in delivering our vision of a sustainable women’s rugby team. 👊
Read more: https://t.co/04qX5Fs0J3 pic.twitter.com/Wm7hfpO6ms
Hall commended the hard work and determination of the club members who made the opportunity possible.
“It’s huge, for the hard work that’s gone in behind the scenes over the last four, five months, to keep the club going this season, to keep the women’s team playing, it has been huge from all the players and all the staff,” said Hall.
“Andy Moss and his company, Cube International, have come in and backed the team financially to enable them to play this season and it’s been huge.
“We were aware that there was still an opportunity for us so we knew we had to improve certain things around finances and the playing venue for the club so there were a few things in the background that Andy and Josh had to sort out.
“We have an amazing facility at Six Ways a brilliant playing squad that stuck by the club, that could’ve easily upped and left, there plenty of other clubs within the geographical area where players could have gone, and they didn’t they stuck by us.
“Watching from afar players like Carys Cox and Cara Brincat, real top class quality players that could walk into any Premier 15s team for them to continue, to commit to the club and the players that travel to get there, the international players, they’ve all come together to be part of Warriors moving forward it’s just hugely exciting.
Embed from Getty Images“I can’t credit the players enough, and I think they’ve done it because of Jo [Yapp’s] leadership she’s always been positive she’s showed them what it is it means to her to be part of Worcester and they’ve all bought into that and backed her and the staff have ad well, it’s a real testament to Jo’s leadership and character that she’s managed to keep that group together”
Warriors women formally split from the men’s team after the financial collapse, but Hall explains the benefits of the men looking to return.
“For Worcester Warriors women to be playing in that stadium next year would be even more powerful if there was a men’s team as well, so wave got to find a way in the next 12 days to get that done.”
