AOTG Sport given two months to file overdue accounts after R360 postponement

AOTG Sport, the company behind the R360 all‑star rugby start‑up, was served earlier this week with a strike‑off notice after failing to meet a Companies House filing deadline, giving it two months to publish overdue accounts or face dissolution. The accounts were due to be filed in July.

R360 had been due to launch in October 2026 but organisers postponed the inaugural edition until 2028 after a concerted move against the series by eight leading Test nations and the British and Irish Lions. Former England centre Mike Tindall, the public face of the project, spoke when the postponement was announced last November, saying: "We remain absolutely determined to bring R360 to life at full scale and with maximum global impact." He added: "We're building something bold and new that will resonate globally - and we cannot wait to show the world in 2028."

Organisers described R360 as a five‑month, F1‑style circuit of events staged in major world cities, featuring eight men's and four women's teams and some of the sport's biggest names competing at high‑profile venues. Possible venues that were floated include New York's 82,000‑capacity MetLife Stadium, which hosted this year's football World Cup final, Barcelona's remodelled Nou Camp and Dublin's Croke Park.

Those running the project said they had contracts signed with close to 200 men's players, but the start‑up ran into scheduling conflicts with existing international tournaments that organisers found hard to resolve. World Rugby did not ratify the proposal without guarantees over player release for the Test window.

Several unions responded by banning players who signed for the series: England, Ireland and Scotland were among the teams to issue a blanket ban on selecting those who joined R360. High‑profile players were not universally attracted to the offer, with England fly‑halves George Ford and Fin Smith among those who opted to remain with their current clubs rather than pursue R360 interest.

Organisers warned the venture would require a substantial budget to secure elite players and secure major venues while promoting a new brand outside rugby's traditional strongholds. As of December, the majority of AOTG Sport shares were held by directors Stuart Hooper and Mark Spoors, with UAE‑based investment firm 885 Capital—the group involved in influencer‑led football event Baller League—holding the largest stake among outside investors.

AOTG Sport had been scheduled to file accounts covering the period up to the end of December 2025 in July; the strike‑off notice served earlier this week gives the company two months to hand over the overdue paperwork or face being put out of business.

With the Companies House timetable now in force, AOTG says the filing delay is an error by its accountants and will be resolved by early next week, and that the proposed global series is still on track to become reality in 2028.