Saracens owner Silvester backs CEO Coetzee, refutes Times' 'executive-level chaos' claim

Dominic Silvester, owner of Saracens, wrote an open letter on the club's website on 20 October 2026 backing chief executive Ed Coetzee and rejecting a Times article that alleged "executive-level chaos" at the club. He posted the response after the newspaper piece was published the previous Friday.

Silvester became owner of Saracens in 2022 as part of a £32m takeover in which he assumed control from former owner Nigel Wray. The Times article argued the 2022 takeover had "triggered a period of executive-level chaos", pointed to Coetzee being the club's third chief executive in two years and alleged a high turnover of staff. The newspaper added: "With such a churn in executive staff, club sponsors may well be reluctant to engage in relationship-building."

In his open letter Silvester rejected those suggestions and said Coetzee had achieved an "extraordinary amount" since being appointed in July. He listed events and deals the club had secured, citing the all-female athletics meeting Athlos and the Gaelic football fixture between Mayo and Kerry being brought to StoneX Stadium, and said new commercial and hospitality partnerships had been agreed.

Silvester described changes to the club's senior management and named Jason Thomas as chief financial officer and Rob Cook as chief operating officer. "Together, Ed, Jason and Rob bring significant experience, complementary expertise and a clear commitment to building a financially sustainable business while maintaining Saracens' high-performance sporting ambitions," Silvester wrote.

He also wrote: "The board has full confidence in Ed and his team." In the same letter he added: "We believe they have the experience, capability and determination to raise standards across every area of the club, strengthen our financial sustainability and ensure that Saracens continues to be an organisation of which our players, staff, partners and supporters can be proud."

The article also included the line: "Compulsory media duties like something in an autocracy - Venter"

Silvester closed the open letter by writing: "We are ambitious about our future, realistic about the work required to achieve our goals and united in our commitment to taking Saracens forward."