Nottingham Rugby Put Up for Sale

Nottingham Rugby today announced that they are putting the club up for sale in a bid to satisfy their Guinness Premiership ambitions.

Chairman Alistair Bow has confirmed that the majority shareholding is being made available, and the hope is that a group of investors will come forward to provide a major cash boost.

He explained: "The new deal we recently agreed with Notts County to continue playing at Meadow Lane for the next seven years has enabled us to sit down and look at where we want to take Nottingham Rugby.

"We are all in agreement that we want to see this club re-established as one of the genuine powers of the game in this country, as Nottingham were in the 1980s when the likes of Brian Moore and Rob Andrew played for us. But how do we achieve that?

"I honestly believe that it is possible to develop a club that has a central role to play in the sporting life of this city - on and off the pitch - but we need an injection of cash to help fund our ambitions."

This time last year, Nottingham were in the midst of a financial crisis that threatened to put them out of business. They fought back well, but then had to contend with a fresh crisis this season - which proved to be very costly - when Munto Finance attempted to evict them from Meadow Lane.

Added Bow: "It's certainly not a case of us handing round the 'begging bowl' again. With careful management, we could probably carry on the way we are for years to come, but that's not what we want.

"We want to raise our sights, show some real ambition and make plans to take Nottingham Rugby to a new level."

Nottingham are about to embark on the inaugural Championship Promotion Play-offs, starting with a home game against Exeter on Sunday March 21, and believe they have a realistic chance of at least making it through to the semi-final stage.

But the chairman is very mindful of the fact that if they did secure promotion this season, the need to attract new investment would be even more acute.

He added: "If we want to compete at that level it will require a significant increase in our playing budget, and although being in the Premiership would undoubtedly generate far more income, we'll need a cash injection as quickly as possible.

"I have already had a couple of approaches from people who are interested in joining some form of consortium. They have the will, and the means to do so, and they share in our desire to establish Nottingham Rugby at the highest level.

"We are really serious about achieving promotion - if not this season then next - and we believe that putting the club up for sale is the best way to accomplish it."