Worcester in no rush to return to Prem - Vaughan

Worcester Warriors chief executive Stephen Vaughan says the owners will never "over-promise and underdeliver" and are in "no rush" to get back to the Prem following their successful return to professional rugby union.

Worcester's new owners have been rebuilding the club, on and off the field, for the past two years after Warriors were suspended from the Premiership and put into administration in September 2022 due to financial problems under a previous regime.

Having assembled a new squad from scratch in 12 weeks last summer under head coach Matt Everard, Warriors finished fourth in the revamped Champ before going on to win the title via the play-offs.

After beating Chinnor in the quarter-finals, Worcester stunned runaway leaders Ealing, who finished 40 points ahead of them, in the semi-final before seeing off Bedford in the final 27-14.

It capped a remarkable comeback for a club that spent more than three years on the verge of extinction before current owner Chris Holland took control from Atlas, who had initially taken the club out of administration.

Vaughan said he knows this season's success would lead to inevitable speculation over when the club might be in a position for a top-flight return, but is wary of getting too preoccupied with that prospect.

"The last thing we're going to do is over-promise and underdeliver. This club didn't exist and the very thing that drives us, and the new DNA, is that it will never get to that position again," Vaughan told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"We understand what it means to people and we will not jeopardise the club ever going forward, not a chance.

"However we're all competitive people and we want to make sure this club can play at the highest possible level.

"The one blocker is finance and we're very, very clear about this - at the moment the club will probably break even, if not be very, very close this year.

"That's very rare and extremely rare in a new business. That's because we've spent what we think we can afford to spend, versus revenues, and we want to continue that and grow as a sustainable business."

With the plan to scrap promotion to, and relegation from, the Prem voted through by the Rugby Football Union's Council in February, any club aspiring to reach the top flight will now have to wait until at least the 2029-30 season.

Under a new franchise-style system the league hopes to expand from the current 10 teams to 12 with new applicants having to satisfy a range of criteria including standard of play, finances, investment potential, infrastructure and establishing an academy and women's side.

Added to that is the requirement to buy a 'P share' in order to unlock a slice of annual revenues.

Vaughan said the investment needed to bring Warriors into contention meant even considering a top-flight return was "not an option" at the moment, although he believed Worcester were "the next cab off the rank".

"There's no secret that those involved in the Premiership [Prem] would be very keen on Worcester Warriors coming back. We understand that and we think that's fantastic," Vaughan said.

"Why do they want us back? We've got a great audience, we've got a brilliant stadium, we're in a great location geographically. We're the 11th Premiership club. We're the next cab off the rank, call it what you will."

But Vaughan described the financial clout needed to get back as "enormous" with £10m a year a "broad-brush figure".

"We're talking double-digit millions to buy your way in effectively with the P shares," he said.

"That sits on your balance sheet as an asset. But then to compete in the Premiership is a different thing. You could throw £50m over three years into it - that would immediately put this place into jeopardy overnight. So that is not an option."

In the future, though, Vaughan sees a process of "growing things organically over time" attracting outside investment, along similar lines of Red Bull's takeover of Newcastle in 2025, Black Knight Group's involvement in buying Exeter Chiefs and the "landmark" deal for fellow Champ side Cornish Pirates.

"I do think we're the sexiest opportunity around in sports at the moment because not only are we the kind of 'Rocky' project, we have this amazing opportunity around a development so there's a there's a great return on investment for somebody," Vaughan said.

"This is a very, very interesting investment and we are not short of inquiries at the moment for people to want to come in.

"We're in no rush. There is no promotion but we know that we are very much sought after. So we'll be very considered, we will not talk to investors or deal with people that won't have the interest of Worcester Warriors going forward as part of that.

"In 12 months' time things could look different."