WORCESTER Warriors have officially announced they will return to Rugby Football Union competition in the 2025/26 season.
The side will go into next season's second tier, the Championship, which will be made up of 14 teams.
At a press event hosted at Sixways Stadium today, Chris Holland (executive chairman of Worcester Warriors), Stephen Vaughan (CEO of Worcester Warriors), Simon Gillham (Tier Two board chairman) and Conor O'Shea (Rugby Football Union director of performance) spoke to confirm the side have secured a place in next season's revamped second tier.
"After careful consideration we chose to make the application to the new league under the name Worcester Warriors to preserve its history and legacy. As a result, we are required to settle rugby creditors and acknowledge and fully own this process and the responsibility that comes with it.
"We now enter a defined period in which to provide financial guarantees, and to identify, validate and agree all inherited rugby creditors. The completion of this process is the key to success and requires the collective support of all involved. We are committed to resolving this quickly."
The division will be made up of all 12 current Championship clubs, the promoted National League One club (so long as they meet the league's minimum operating standards), and Worcester Warriors.
Having last contested competitive rugby in 2022, it has been a long road of uncertainty for the fans of the club, who can now celebrate the return of elite-level rugby to Sixways Stadium.
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Mr Gillham added: "The vision for this league is really ambitious and so much work and collaboration has taken place over nearly two years to establish a path towards a vibrant and self-sustaining competition.
"Today marks a significant step forward with Worcester Warriors returning to professional rugby under new ownership in a heartland for our sport with the club's new owners having provided a financial security guarantee, held by the RFU, as well as committing to paying off debts left by the previous owners to rugby creditors.
"Worcester Warriors brings with them a fanbase, history, commercial value and infrastructure that will be important to the league; we're really pleased to see their return to professional rugby as, I'm sure, are their fans."
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