R360 company faces strike-off notice over overdue accounts

AOTG Sport, the company behind the proposed R360 rugby series, has received a strike-off notice after failing to submit its accounts on time, according to BBC Sport. The notice gives the business two months to provide the missing documents or face dissolution, adding a corporate filing problem to a project whose first competition has already been delayed.

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BBC Sport reported that the accounts were due at Companies House in July and cover the period ending in December 2025. AOTG blamed an error by its accountants and said the paperwork would be supplied by early next week. The company also maintained that R360 remains on course for 2028. That is its stated timetable, rather than confirmation that the filing issue has been resolved.

The competition had originally been scheduled to begin in October 2026. Its inaugural edition was subsequently moved to 2028 following opposition from eight leading international rugby nations and the British and Irish Lions. Former England centre Mike Tindall, the public face of R360, reiterated the organisers' commitment to delivering the project when the postponement was announced last November.

R360's proposed format is a five-month circuit taking teams to major cities around the world. Plans called for eight men's teams and four women's teams, with prominent players competing at major venues. Organisers claimed they had signed contracts with nearly 200 male players, BBC Sport reported. That figure remains an organisers' claim, while the proposed competition has yet to begin.

The project also encountered obstacles over international availability. According to the BBC, World Rugby approval was not forthcoming without assurances that players would be released during the Test window. England, Ireland and Scotland were among the national teams to rule out selecting players who joined the series. England fly-halves George Ford and Fin Smith instead chose to remain with their existing clubs.

BBC Sport identified former Bath coach Stuart Hooper and player agent Mark Spoors as the directors who held most of AOTG Sport's shares as of December. UAE-based investment firm 885 Capital held the largest outside stake. The immediate issue is now the overdue filing: AOTG says it can correct that promptly, while continuing to pursue the postponed tournament.