A message to our fans
Thank you for welcoming me as the Club's new chairman.
First, I recognise that the lack of information shared with you in relation to the news of our relegation must have been frustrating. It was an obligation agreed with PRL which we have adhered to.
There is no doubt this has been an emotional time for you all. We know we have let you down as well as the wider rugby community. I was not part of the Club's past actions but I am committed to the Club's future.
I accepted the position of chairman knowing that there is a great deal of work to do on many levels. That work has already started — for example, we are looking to strengthen the board with the appointment of further non-executive directors of some stature and we are looking to recruit a permanent CEO.
My top priority is to ensure that our processes are robust and stand up to the highest level of scrutiny going forward.
Prior to my time here, there were discussions with PRL in relation to conducting a mid season audit spanning several seasons — you will have seen references to that in the press. These discussions continued last week after my appointment.
It would be fair to say that other PRL stakeholders were sceptical about our compliance with such an audit.
We carefully considered the option of a full investigatory audit. However, that inevitably would have involved a long period of more financial and emotional strain and this in turn meant this was not a viable option for us. We therefore agreed with PRL on relegation in the hope that we could draw a line under the mistakes made by Saracens with respect to compliance with the regulations and concentrate on putting our new robust procedures in place.
We know our path will not be a smooth one in the short term. We must face that challenge together; be resilient, united and open in order to move forward.
With regards to the publication of the disciplinary panel's full report, I am surprised by the suggestion that Saracens are objecting to the publication of the report. Since my appointment on 9 January, I have spent considerable time in discussions with PRL and nobody has asked me what my position is on the matter. To confirm, we are keen for the report to be published in full and I made PRL aware of this earlier today. It will provide much needed context and clarity.
Thank you for your understanding. We really appreciate your support, now more than ever.
Neil Golding
