Welsh rugby chief Martyn Phillips has warned there will be no quick fix for the governing body owned Newport Gwent Dragons.
The Welsh Rugby Union chief executive insists playing matters will take immediate priority at Rodney Parade, but says it will be two or three years before effective change takes root.
The Dragons have mostly been the regular whipping boys among the four regions in the Guinness Pro12 and this season they even managed the unusual feat of splitting the two Italian sides to finish 11th in the table.
The takeover of the Dragons went through on Tuesday night, when Newport RFC shareholders voted to approve the WRU rescue package – clearing the 75 per cent threshold by gaining 81 per cent in favour. There were 429 votes cast – 351 for the proposal and 78 against.
The agreed proposal is that the governing body will pay £2.85million for the ground with Newport RFC receiving a cash sum of £600,000.
Around £4.4m of the £6.5m debts that were owed by the Dragons will now be written off by benefactors Tony Brown and Martyn Hazell.
The WRU will now progress with the deal for the nine-acre site at Rodney Parade and plans for the Dragons – they have said Newport and Gwent will be dropped from the name – with a targeted completion date of July 1.
Phillips says: “We have put together the very best package we can for rugby in Gwent.
“Initially, we will focus on consolidating a high performance environment for the players and on ensuring high quality coaching. We recognise however that this will take time and will focus in the initial two to three years on laying solid foundations.
“Gwent has always been a rich source of rugby talent and we are looking to strengthen that pathway even further. This will be a Welsh centric region with young Welsh talent given real opportunity on the professional stage.
“We also plan to utilise the region to repatriate emerging exiled talent and women’s and girl’s rugby is also a significant part of our plans for rugby in Gwent.
“A working party will be engaged as soon as possible, to consider all of the opportunities raised and to provide a clear way forward for the long term.
“Our vision for the future of rugby in Gwent is to deepen relationships with clubs throughout the region and to provide a clear plan for on-field and off field success.
“We have an immediate opportunity to utilise WRU resources and expertise to firmly establish a successful professional regional side here.”
All current NGD employees will be taken on by the WRU Group and a new company will be formed which will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the WRU and will be free of any historic debt.
