NEWPORT chairman Will Godfrey told a meeting of supporters at Rodney Parade that the Dragons need fresh blood on the board, declaring “we can’t stay as we are”.

The Black and Ambers held a Q&A for fans in the Bisley Suite in which Godfrey and chief executive Stuart Davies outlined plans to attract fresh investment into the professional side.

It followed Monday’s meeting for Newport Gwent Dragons supporters featuring Davies and head coach Kingsley Jones with the aim of keeping punters in the loop after the announcement that Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union are prepared to transfer their shares in the region to new investors.

Agents have been appointed to hunt for fresh backers but detail was thin on the ground at both meetings and they largely dealt with hypotheticals because, as Davies has stressed, it is the start of the process.

Godfrey said: “As far as where we actually are, we are actively looking and do have to find additional investment whether one person or a number of people.

“What their reason for wanting to invest in rugby remains to be seen but we hope it’s because of enthusiasm and that they want something to be successful.

“We haven’t come to this decision lightly. We can’t stay as we are at the moment. We have to move forward.

“We’ve very deliberately told supporters and have opened up meetings to anyone. Our intention is to be as inclusive as we possibly can be.

“We have been meeting on a regular basis to get to this point but we are anticipating a lot of hard work to do for the next step. There is a huge amount still that has yet to be discussed and is yet to be decided, the detail is a long way off.

“If we want to move forward, we’ve exhausted the guys (Martyn Hazell and Tony Brown) that have been in it up to now and need to have new faces and new blood.

“As far as the position of the two organisations, we have to look at where we go with the Dragons and the opportunities we can give given the constraints that there are on the professional game and the ability to fundamentally buy an expensive squad.

“And on the other hand we have to look at Newport and protect its very rich heritage. Those are two separate things and are paramount in our thinking. We have an equation that we have to get right.”

Under the proposal, the Dragons will sign a long-term lease with Rodney Parade owners Newport RFC – likely to be 20 years according to Godfrey – to give security to the Black and Ambers.

Godfrey said: “One of the primary considerations of the board – and it was strongly emphasised at a board meeting the other day – was that Newport have been here at Rodney Parade for 140-plus years and it is not our intention that Newport should falter on our watch.

“One of the reasons we are doing what we are doing is in fact to secure the future of Newport RFC. That will be significant in our thinking of how we put things together.”

Davies said he is confident that there are potential backers out there: “Regarding the question of return on investment, we are not looking for someone to come in and think if they put £5million in over five years they will double their money in 10. That’s clearly not what people who get involved in rugby are about, it’s more of a passion.

“The offering isn’t about return on investment, it’s about what the Dragons are and their place in Welsh rugby.

“I wouldn’t have had the discussions I’ve had if I didn’t believe the proposition is attractive, even if the assets sit with Newport RFC.

“I’d point to the last 12 years where the existing arrangement hasn’t worked in being able to invest as much in the side as others. There are a number of drivers for why we think change is necessary.”

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He also said that if nobody came in over the next season that “it is business as usual and that means cutting our cloth accordingly” while the Welsh Rugby Union, part-owners, “will offer assistance and benefit (us) in pursuing investors”.

The meeting mirrored Monday’s in that it was passionate yet cordial but also in that it touched upon the name of the professional side.

Davies once again emphasised that he happy to talk to anybody interested in providing fresh backing and when asked what he would say to a wealthy individual “would only invest in a regional team if they were called Newport playing in black and amber”, the chief executive replied: “Let’s talk! We are completely open minded.

“We don’t know who is going to come forward and in what capacity. We will talk to anyone who is serious about investing about the basis in which they want to invest.”

He continued: “If an investor talks to us about Newport Gwent Dragons, (then it will also be about) the relationship and interdependencies we all recognise. The proposal going forward is based on that continuing but if an investor comes in and wants to swing that towards Newport or start afresh, naturally we have that discussion.”

He said later: “This hasn’t been done to address the name but it might follow that it gets revisited once we have achieved the outcome that we set out for.

“I’d never be disrespectful of the Newport name and heritage. Not a chance. I understand the passion and respect that needs to be afforded in a very difficult situation that clearly hasn’t been addressed properly since the regional entity came into being.

“In some respects what we are talking about MAY present an opportunity to address that finally. I’m not saying I will dictate or influence, that it has to be Newport or it has to be Gwent or go with the Dragons or whatever.

“I would acknowledge that it’s an opportunity to address it. The difficult thing is – and this is not an exercise in appeasement – quantifying it.

“Eighty per cent of season ticket holders are from the surrounding area but that’s true across all the professional regions in Wales. It just seems to be a characteristic, that they tend come from around the stadium area.

“If we change the name do all of the 80 per cent walk way or do we lose 5 per cent and everyone else says ‘I don’t care what you call them?’.

“It’s a difficult one and I respect and understand the passion in the room but this process in itself has not been designed to address it but may be a natural consequence of it.”

Godfrey talked about the desire to improve the condition of the clubhouse – “I feel rather like the church that knows its roof is beginning to leak” – and to utilise the Burnett Suite more.

Davies spoke, as he had on Monday, about the challenges of the Guinness Pro12 and moves to improve the product through dialogue with broadcast partners.

Godfrey said there was no chance of the Black and Ambers being asked to play fixtures away from Rodney Parade for the sake of their tenants and also discussed the Principality Premiership fixture list and player recruitment.

Davies told supporters the legally-binding lease with Newport County was vital to the company and said: “As a good landlord if you receive rental you should do right by the tenant as well, we are working very hard on that relationship.”

Godfrey ended by stating he will come back to shareholders once he has detail to put in front of them.