FINANCE
Stephen Vaughan has overseen a fourth year of profit in a row at English Premiership rugby club Gloucester Rugby , vital in continuing the virtuous circle of success on and off the pitch which has helped it become a host for the world ’ s third-largest sporting event
THERE ARE ALL too many examples of sports clubs enduring severe financial stress amid building enormous piles of debt .
English football in particular is awash with well-recognised teams going into administration thanks to irresponsible management and outrageous expenditure on players and salaries . Fans of Southampton , Crystal Palace and Portsmouth have endured the uncertainty of administration , with the latter ’ s set of supporters having to go through the pain twice in as many years .
In the world of rugby too , although on a much smaller scale to football , many English clubs ( league and union ) are ran alongside accumulation of significant amounts of debt as they fight to attract the finest internationals and hit the maximum salary cap .
Gloucester Rugby is one of a handful of English Premiership clubs to run as a self-sustaining business . The English Premiership rugby union side has been competitive in the highest tier of domestic rugby for many years and competes strongly in Europe , winning the European Challenge Cup in 2006 and Anglo- Welsh Cup in 2011 , while remaining on a steady financial footing .
Sustainable business Founded in 1873 , the club has posted four years of profit in a row despite recent upsurges in expenditure . Chief Executive Stephen Vaughan joined Gloucester in 2012 , determined to
10 January 2015