Bath Rugby’s debts to its owner, Bruce Craig, reached £32 million during the club’s triumphant 2024-2025 season, prior to the recent investment by billionaire Sir James Dyson, according to accounts filed with Companies House.
The West Country club announced last week that Dyson had acquired a 50 per cent stake in the group comprising Bath Rugby, Arena 1865, the club’s stadium development company, and the Farleigh House training ground. The deal is understood to have included a significant reduction of the club’s outstanding liabilities.
The newly filed accounts reveal that the loan from Craig, which carries no interest, increased by £2.2 million to £32.3 million as of June 30, 2025. The net present value of the loan, after a discount of over £4 million, was recorded at £28 million. This substantial financial burden had raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the club’s reliance on a single benefactor.
Bath Rugby reported a loss of £2.8 million for the year, an improvement from the £3.7 million loss recorded in the previous financial year. The accounts as well detail a £4 million loan received from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport related to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the next repayment due this month.
Dyson, whose family wealth is estimated to exceed £20 billion according to the Sunday Times Rich List, joins Craig as a co-owner of the reigning Premiership Rugby and EPCR Challenge Cup champions. Bath also secured the Premiership Rugby Cup last season.
The report emphasizes the club’s “commitment to becoming financially sustainable and everyone at the club recognises the importance of this goal.”
Beyond the financial details, the accounts also note an unusual addition to the club’s training facilities: a family of beavers now resides at the Grade II listed Farleigh House in Somerset. The club is also undertaking initiatives to enhance grazing land and develop bee hives for natural pollination.
The move by Dyson follows a recent decision by Premiership Rugby to abolish relegation, a change that insiders believe will encourage further investment into the league. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport approved Dyson’s stake in the club earlier this year.
