Warriors Facing Bleak Future
By Lestyn
April 6 2004
Yesterday was all about trying to sign All Blacks, today though it was simply a matter of survival for the Warriors as Leighton Samuel had yet another change of heart.
After failing to attract a suitably large enough crowd at Sardis road on Friday night, Samuel wants to cut his losses and bring to an end his funding of the region, a move that unless a new benefactor can be found before next season, would almost certainly spell the end for the Warriors.
The current financial climate in Welsh rugby is hardly attractive to new investment, unless you have patience in good supply, something that Leighton Samuel appears to have run out of, putting in one million pounds of his own money in this season.
Only in Heineken cup games against Wasps and Perpignan have gates been at acceptably high figures. Samuel has moaned on more than a few occasions, that supporters have failed to buy into the region.
Considering how many Warriors games have been screened live, and a blatant lack of marketing for what is a new entity, low gates were always going to be on the cards. Did Samuel honestly expect support?
With the WRU keen on four regions, central contracting looks out of the question. The other regions, extra funding in hand will be queuing up to lure the likes of Gareth Thomas, Ceri Sweeney et al. That is unless this is all another cruel publicity stunt.