Gloucester Rugby putting relationship with the fans to the test
Fans asked to find £500,000 to help Gloucester Rugby meet its investment goals have pushed forward in numbers, but in rugby parlance, while they're over the 22, they're still some way short.
Dear reader,
We ditched two other stories today when we spotted this update on Gloucester Rugby. Cheery & Whites’ fans will no doubt already be aware of the latest update, but we thought it worth spreading the news to a wider audience.
How you interpret what is going on at the club would be interesting to know. On the face of it, the story below is about a campaign akin to a crowdfunding-type investment to expand Gloucester Rugby’s footprint across the West and push it up the rankings not just in the Premiership and as a feeder club for England.
But does it say anything else about the state of the game, or the club even, and a lack of funds generally currently across the board? Or does it smack of ambition and a desire to build for the future? Or both?
At least it gives fans a distraction, I guess.
The club’s men’s first team returns to the pitch on Friday, away against fifth-placed Bristol Bears hoping for a return to winning ways after a torrid season that has left it one point above second from bottom Harlequins.
It’s a run of results that has seen a restructure of the backroom staff - with George Skivington moving from director of rugby to head coach and Chris Boyd joining as technical director.
Best regards,
Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk
Your briefing note...
🏘️ Housebuilder and housing association Two Rivers has secured £140 million to invest in new affordable homes in Gloucestershire. The Newent-headquartered business worked in partnership with funding advisers Centrus Financial, valuers Jones Lang Lasalle and legal advisers Trowers & Hamlins, to complete a deal worth £90m with Santander, and secured a further £50m revolving credit facility with Barclays Bank. Carol Dover, deputy chief executive for Two Rivers Housing, said “the new investment will allow us to continue to punch above our weight”.
Charity of the week: Parkinson’s UK
Anyone taking part in or passing the popular Cheltenham park run in Pitville Park on Saturday might have noticed different branding. That’s because the run was taken over by the charity Parkinson’s UK to mark World Parkinson’s Day.
It was particularly special for Longlevens resident Sarah Edgeworth, 47, who was behind the takeover. Edgeworth was inspired by her mum, Sue Duckworth, 73, who has been living with Parkinson’s for more than three decades.
“I wanted to organise something alongside Parkinson’s UK that would involve support groups across Gloucestershire. Cheltenham parkrun loved the idea because they’ve done charity takeovers before, and it felt like the perfect way to bring people together for a good cause,” said Edgeworth.
The takeover saw volunteers from Parkinson’s UK and local support groups helping to marshal and cheer on runners and walkers.
Ruth Wright, community fundraiser for the South West at Parkinson’s UK, said: “Sarah’s story shows the incredible strength and generosity within the Parkinson’s community.
“Parkinson’s is a complex brain condition that gets worse over time. Affecting 166,000 people in the UK, it has more than 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety, and there is currently no cure.
“Events like this not only raise vital funds for research and support services, but also bring people together to show those living with Parkinson’s that they are not alone.”
For information and support, visit parkinsons.org.uk or call the charity’s free, confidential helpline on 0808 800 0303.
Diary Dates…
Tuesday - employment law updates and more: Key changes to UK employment law will be top of the agenda on Tuesday (14 April) morning when a team of experts from Willans LLP solicitors team up with the CIPD for a seminar at Queen’s Hotel, Cheltenham. Aimed at HR professionals and senior managers, lawyers including Jenny Hawrot, Simon Pathé and Hifsa O’Kelly (all partners at the Cheltenham firm) and Achante Anson will be leading from the front and on hand to answer questions too. On the agenda, the Employment Rights Act 2025, employment law implications of AI and case law updates. From 9.30am to 12.30am. More here.
Future dates
🏇 Willans LLP solicitors and Cheltenham Open Door, the Cheltenham-headquartered law firm’s nominated charity for the year, invite you to join them for an evening of fun, fundraising and friendly competition. The entry fee, which all goes to the charity, puts you and a team in with a chance of winning one or more of six recorded races. Price includes two drinks and pizza. The date has been moved from the end of February to 23 April. At The Bottle of Sauce, Cheltenham, from 6pm. More here.
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Gloucester Rugby putting relationship with the fans to the test
Fans asked to find £500,000 to help Gloucester Rugby meet its investment goals have pushed forward in numbers, but in rugby parlance, while they’re over the 22, they’re still some way short.
Gloucester Rugby has long been one of those teams where the fan-base is regarded as a significant force and vital to its success. And that relationship is currently being well and truly tested.
Fans were asked back in October to help raise £500,000 by buying shares in the club, and it looks like they have duly obliged, but the Kingsholm operation is still significantly short of the line - by almost £300,000.
Its last set of accounts show the Premiership club made a loss of close to £500,000, with commentators putting the numbers in the context of an English game that continued to struggle generally to turn a profit.
If you are a fan and unfamiliar with the numbers, before you get too disheartened it’s worth pointing out the loss was on a turnover of £14.9 million - and it is the smallest loss among the league’s 10 clubs.
In a video message just recently released the club’s multi-millionaire owner and chairman, Martin St Quinton sounded upbeat, calling the chance to own shares (from £250 upwards. A single share priced at £4.08) “a very sound investment”.
And there is exciting news about how the funds raised will lead to a major expansion, a series of new training hubs across a catchment stretching into the West Midlands aimed at finding and developing new talent.
“It is a very exciting time for Premiership Rugby. The spectre of relegation is a big no-no for particularly American investors in the sport,” said St Quinton, who in the video (see below) is sat in the stands at Kingsholm stadium alongside chief executive Alex Brown.
“Any investor doesn’t want to be making an investment in a rugby club that a year later could potentially have been relegated, at which point you’ve almost certainly lost your entire investment.
“Getting rid of the spectre of relegation has given a huge amount of confidence to commercial acquirers and sports investors around the world.
“You’ve seen the recent investment from Red Bull at Newcastle – they wouldn’t have invested in Newcastle if there was any chance of Newcastle getting relegated – and the 50 per cent stake taken by (Sir James) Dyson in Bath Rugby, which is a fantastic endorsement of the future of Premiership rugby.
“I am not making any promises, but I think this is a very sound investment in Gloucester Rugby.”
But as with any investment, the words of the Financial Conduct Authority are never far away - running as a permanent caption as both men speak to camera: “Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest”, reads the FCA’s common refrain for any such undertaking.
At least the fans will know where the money is going. That’s already spelt out.
Money from the campaign, called A Piece of Holm, will be used across the club’s academy and facilities.
Brown didn’t just underline this, he talked about a massive expansion in the reach and training facilities of Gloucester Rugby.
“Having a strong academy lends to a strong first team performance and on-field success. We want to accelerate that plan.
“Investment in A Piece of Holm will directly go into our academy. We currently have one hub in Gloucester.
“We’ve targeted four hubs. Each of these require coaches, strength and conditioning staff,” said Brown.
“We estimate each hub is going to be £100,000. Having a strong academy leads into on-field success.”
When the news broke of the fundraising push back in October it came amidst a growing backdrop of uncertainty surrounding English rugby.