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Cecil Duckworth: Hoping Warriors can soon be given financial parity with the other clubs.

WARRIORS chairman Cecil Duckworth is confident the club will become self-sufficient next year and not have to rely on his personal funding.

Duckworth has bank-rolled Worcester's charge from regional rugby all the way up to the Guinness Premiership as well as sinking vast sums of money into the redevelopment of Sixways.

However, the self-made millionaire is now optimistic the club will soon be able to finance itself thanks to its increased commercial activity.

"Self-sufficiency always seems to be next year," he said with a wry smile. "The club being self-sufficient will certainly be refreshing and to turn it into a profitable enterprise has always been the aim.

"Combined with a fairer deal from Premier Rugby Limited, the better commercial deals we have been able to strike and possibly getting into Europe - we haven't counted those chickens yet, though - will mean that when I say next year, it might actually be next year this time!"

As Worcester have only been in the top flight for four years, they receive less funding than the more established clubs, but Duckworth is hopeful this will change soon too.

He added: "The wage cap is the wage cap, although we're not quite sure how some clubs do it. The PRL have tried to eliminate all the grey areas, but it is still a problem for us to afford that as, at this moment in time, we're not treated equally with regard to the shelling out of monies.

"We've spent four years in the Premiership, where you're supposed to spend eight years to get parity. However, we've been given some assurances that is going to be addressed and we will get there much quicker - not necessarily next season, but probably at the end of the season after.

"That will help and the new development going ahead will also bring in more revenue. Also, because of what we are doing we are getting better deals - such as the one we've just announced with Kukri.

"So with the combination of that and improving the match-day experience, Sixways will be a significantly better place to come to from early next season.

"That is all part and parcel of making the money to be able to afford the players we need to meet the wage cap and not be subsidised, so the club becomes a viable commercial enterprise.

"We fund the expansion of the facilities here and we run the amateur section with around 500 kids as well as the adults' amateur side. All of this costs us money, but it is in the long-term interest of the club.

"We've got a strong academy and we have proved we can bring through Premiership-standard players.

"However, when we get the road system and car parking finished so we can get more people into the new stands, the extra capacity will help."

9:15am Saturday 17th May 2008

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