Wasps: Off-field developments have "been positive" (From Bucks Free Press)

Eastwood feeling lucky at Wasps

9:20am Monday 7th January 2013 in Sport By Alan Feldberg

WASPS chief executive Nick Eastwood says plans to secure the club's future in the short and medium term have moved forward significantly in recent weeks.

He says that once these have been finalised Wasps can start long-term planning.

Wasps staved off administration at the 11th hour in the summer when a consortium led by Ken Moss agreed to take over the club from Steve Hayes.

But that was a short-term solution and Eastwood says that additional investment is vital to safeguard the club going forward.

It's understood Irish investors are now poised to take the club over while a shirt sponsorship deal is also close to being finalised – although it might not come into play until the summer.

Speaking in the club's programme, Eastwood, who joined Wasps from the RFU six weeks ago, said: “I came into the role acutely aware of just how much needed to be done here.

“My immediate priority has been to get a detailed understanding of the club's financial situation and understand what needs and will need to happen to take the business forward.

“Since the completion of the recent sale of the club, it has become clear that the club needed additional investment and as such my main priority in my first few weeks here has been to be part of the planning and negotiation to put that in place.

“I am pleased to say that developments on this front have been positive in recent weeks and we are now working on a financial plan which will put us in a much stronger position in the short to medium term.

“Once this is in place we can then really start looking to the future and finalising our long term aims and ambitions, but we must be realistic and get the nuts and bolts in place first.”

Meanwhile, Wasps are hoping to introduce improved season ticket packages for next season in a bid to reverse the trend of falling numbers.