By Harry Mottram: The news that Sir James Dyson of the vacuum cleaner firm is to take a 50-50 partnership in Bath Rugby with owner Bruce Craig has been warmly greeted by many supporters who see it as an endorsement of a positive future for the team.
Mr Craig is to continue running the club while Mr Dyson is to inject cash to help achieve the team’s continued success including the development of the upgraded stadium on the Rec.
He said: “This is the club I have supported for most of my life. My children and my grandchildren do so too. I stood on the terraces and have watched the high moments as well as the difficult years.
“Bruce deserves enormous respect for rebuilding the club to be the force that it is today and I am not here to change that. I am here to support, just as I have for the past 45 years but now with greater commitment and responsibility. My family and I are proud to stand alongside Bruce as equal partners to further strengthen the foundations of Bath Rugby, realise the new stadium and help ensure its future. Bath Rugby matters deeply to this city and its wonderful supporters who are the most dedicated in the land.”
Dyson’s 50% financial stake in Craig’s company Arena 1865 that owns Bath Rugby, its Farleigh training set up and the new stadium development company has not been disclosed but it must be several million pounds.
On the face of it the investment and the plans to develop the Rec to be able to accommodate 18,000 spectators as well as hosting new events and increasing hospitality is all good news. Bath are on a high with a treble won last year the team in the hunt for more silverware this season with every expectation of finishing at the top of the rugby union tree in May.
However, with the war in Iran hitting the global economy there will inevitably be increased costs for all businesses – including rugby. Not one PREM team made a profit last year with all the top flight teams and most of the second tier Championship clubs in debt. Technically several are insolvent with four of rugby union’s clubs collapsed in debt in the last three years. Fuel and overhead costs are set to rise along with potentially inflation and interest rates – and with clubs like Bath needing loans to either stay competitive with a large wage bill or to rebuild the Rec things are a economically a little uncertain.
Craig is clearly relieved that he is no longer funding the club on his own. He said of the deal with Dyson: “This has never been a short-term project. From the beginning the aim has been to build something resilient, competitive and worthy of the club’s history. James understands Bath Rugby first and foremost as a supporter and a friend. His family has stood behind the club for decades and it always felt inevitable that our paths would align in this way. I will continue to run Bath Rugby and together we will strengthen its foundations, realise the new stadium and build the club for generations to come.”
The idea following the Council’s planning committee giving the green light for the stadium plans last year is to replace all four stands one by one over a period of time so that the majority of the ground can continue to hold the bulk of the crowd.
It is expected that work will begin soon – especially when the season ends in May – on the huge task of demolition of existing and outdated structures outlined in the detailed planning proposals. Perhaps first will be the removal of the temporary East Stand – normally taken down in the summer – so that work can begin on the rest of the ground.
Bathonians are not all fans of the rugby club – although many are supporters but were against the new stadium plans because of its encroachment into the city’s park or recreation ground by a private firm.
Critics will be concerned with the potential noise and disruption the building work may create and will not have been impressed by Craig announcing he may change the name of the ground from the Rec to the name of a sponsor for hard cash – as is common today. Bath City FC have for some time referred to Twerton Park as the Cannon Clarke Stadium after a sponsorship deal with the structural waterproofing firm in Brassmill.
Some have already commented online about Dyson’s background as a fan of Brexit – who then relocated some his firm’s production to Singapore. But he is one of the nation’s richest men whose deep pockets are clearly welcome at the Rec.
For older fans of the game Bath Rugby has changed massively since the 1970s when the players were amateurs with full time jobs and spectators could stand on the touchline for 20p to see the likes of Pontypridd or Newport in low scoring games – before the advent of the league and the professional game.
Whether you approve or raise your eyebrows at the changes – one thing is true. Professional rugby union is very popular with the public and TV broadcasters, generating jobs and careers for many – and boosting supporting businesses like hospitality and tourism, and branded products from shirts to gin. Now it’s a question of watch this space and hope it heralds a new golden era for Bath Rugby.
Bath Voice and Local Democracy Reporters
The journalists are funded by the BBC as part of its latest Charter commitment, but are employed by regional news organisations. A total of 165 reporters are allocated to news organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland including Bath Voice. These organisations range from television and radio stations to online media companies and established regional newspaper groups. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities, second-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – distributed from the first of the month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor
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