WARRIORS director of rugby Dean Ryan says he feels “a mixed bag of emotions” over Wasps’ move to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.
Ryan is a former London Wasps player and says he feels sorry for the supporters who have watched the club play at Sudbury, Loftus Road and Adams Park.
But Ryan says Warriors are concerned over the “long-term viability of academy structures” be - cause the Worcester club are working with young players in Warwickshire.
Wasps will be playing their first match at the Ricoh Arena in December and Warriors have asked for clarification from the RFU and Premiership Rugby Limited.
Ryan said: “There’s a whole mixed bag of emo - tions, as an ex-Wasps player I feel for those supporters who have been bumped around QPR, Wycombe and Sudbury and suddenly it’s gone somewhere else. But, on the other hand, you can totally understand the busi - ness decision.
“From a Worcester per - spective we have not got any issues with what Wasps have done.
“We are just really sur - prised that, in this era of promoting academies, a business can dump itself on top of an area and have no restriction on fan en - gagement programmes and community programmes through the same vehicles that we are running our academy systems through.
“There isn’t any forum for discussion, there isn’t anybody that could have said no. There isn’t any talk about it – it just happened.”
Ryan added: “We have asked for clarity. The move hasn’t come out of the blue.
People have heard a whisper about this happening for a while. But when you start to dig around – when was this discussed? It hasn’t been.
“Because Coventry’s Ricoh is already registered and has hosted LV Cup semi- finals they can move. This isn’t about Wasps being on our doorstep – they are on Leicester’s and Northamp - ton’s doorstep. Getting peo - ple into the Ricoh will be a massive challenge, which I am sure they understand.
“But the long-term viabil - ity of academy structures is a concern for us because it has formed such a central part of our strategic plan to bring the club back. It is emotive to us and it doesn’t affect the next year or two years but in the long-term it is going to remap how that area goes through and what kids go where.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here