The company linked to the Premiership Rugby club has now filed the statement to Companies House
Kalaveti Ravouvou of Bristol Bears scores his team’s third try under pressure from Will Porter of Harlequins (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
A company linked to Bristol Bears Rugby Club has once again failed to file an important Companies House document on time.
Bristol Bears Limited, whose office address is Ashton Gate Stadium and whose director is Gavin Marshall – the chief executive of Bristol Sport – was required to submit a confirmation statement between 25 May and 8 June.
But on Monday (9 June), the Government website revealed the document was ‘overdue’ in red letters.
Bristol Live’s sister site Business Live asked Bristol Bears Limited why it had not filed its statement, but it did not provide a comment. It has since submitted the document to Companies House and the website has been updated.
Every UK company, including dormant and non-trading organisations, must file a confirmation statement at least once every year – even if there have not been any changes during the review period.
It confirms the information about that business is up to date and it is required for the public record. Since March 2024, companies also need to state that the intended future activities of the company are lawful.
It is not the first time Bristol Bears Limited has filed documents on time. Last year, compulsory strike-off action against the company was discontinued.
Bristol Bears Limited was also issued with a notice for compulsory strike off in 2022, which was also later discontinued.
If a strike off occurs a company is removed from the official Companies House register and formally closed. It is usually due to non-compliance with filing requirements such as annual accounts or confirmation statements.
Bristol Rugby Club Limited – a separate operating company behind Bristol Bears Rugby Club – has filed its accounts on time. According to the latest documents on Companies House, the organisation made a pre-tax loss of £5.5m for the 2023-2024 financial year.
At the time, the company said the loss reflected “revenue challenges” across the board, with fewer competitive home fixtures and reduced distribution income from Premiership Rugby Limited.
The news of the late filing comes just days after Bristol Bears missed out on a place in the Gallagher Premiership final after losing to West Country rivals Bath. Bath Rugby beat Bristol Bears 34-20 at the Recreation Ground on Friday night.
Two Bristol Bears players – scrum-half Harry Randall and lock Joe Batley – have both been forced to drop out of England’s training squad this week after suffering injuries during the match.