Doncaster on the brink of collapse

[adrenalinxx]

The prospective new owners backed out of a proposed takeover and poor crowds mean that Doncaster could be forced into liquidation by 13th June.

There was talk of Doncaster applying for a Franchise place in a few years after moving to the Keepmoat Stadium but if something isn't done the club might not exist by the end of the year.

Sad to see yet another National League club in financial problems but if your a club outside the Super League your on your own because the RFL won't bail NL clubs out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 729471.stm

[DaveO]

adrenalinxx posted:

Sad to see yet another National League club in financial problems but if your a club outside the Super League your on your own because the RFL won't bail NL clubs out.

The RFL would not bail an SL club out either. They can't afford to. They just announced profits of £167K for the year as an organisation so have hardly got funds available to prop clubs up.

I think Doncaster is a case of putting the cart before the horse. Buy a professional full time team and the crowds will come seems to have been the idea and when they didn't the wheels came off.

A pity because there is a top class stadium going to be lost to RL if they go bust.

Dave

[GeoffN]

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... tlead.html

"National League One club Doncaster Lakers is up for sale - for just £1."

Wonder if they've tried ebay?

[OAMJSONA]

the people who wanted to take over have refused to buy the club for £1

it is a crying shame that this situation as arose

but if you over stretch ur selves this is what can happen

good luck lakers

[adrenalinxx]

DaveO posted:
The RFL would not bail an SL club out either. They can't afford to. They just announced profits of £167K for the year as an organisation so have hardly got funds available to prop clubs up.

Didn't the RFL bail London Broncos out the year before they became Harlequins?

OAM posted:
the people who wanted to take over have refused to buy the club for £1

The whole club is not up for sale for £1 not like Chelsea football club a few years ago. He is selling his shares for £1 but that is still a small amount of money for an investor to be playing for shares.

I'm sure that he could sell his shares at £1 to rugby fans who want to save Doncaster but the problem is investment after that and unless some investor does step in it looks like the end is near for Doncaster

[DaveO]

adrenalinxx posted:

DaveO posted:
The RFL would not bail an SL club out either. They can't afford to. They just announced profits of £167K for the year as an organisation so have hardly got funds available to prop clubs up.

Didn't the RFL bail London Broncos out the year before they became Harlequins?

No. London Broncos had massive debts and by going bust these got written off. Quins then came into being and the only thing the RFL did was get the SL clubs together to decide if Quins should be admitted into the league in place of the Broncos.

The rules were then changed I think to prevent this happening again so other clubs would not be tempted to go into debt expecting to go bust to wipe the debt out and then be back playing under a different name soon after.

Dave

[jinkin jimmy]

What about the so called "mergers" between Hull and Gateshead and Huddersfield and Sheffield? That looked to me just a simple way of giving Hull and Hudds a million quid each.

[adrenalinxx]

DaveO posted:
No. London Broncos had massive debts and by going bust these got written off.

I thought if clubs went backrupt but wanted to continue to operate they had to be given a points deduction, to stop clubs just spending all the cash in one club then setting up another debt free.

Like Leeds United where deducted points in the football Championship.

[DaveO]

adrenalinxx posted:

DaveO posted:
No. London Broncos had massive debts and by going bust these got written off.

I thought if clubs went backrupt but wanted to continue to operate they had to be given a points deduction, to stop clubs just spending all the cash in one club then setting up another debt free.

The broncos had debts of £3m and were wound up in March 2005 and Quins came into existence. Quins narrowly won a vote of confidence from the other SL clubs to carry on in London's place.

Mo and Wigan voted against. I think Mo was in favour of them continuing if they were given a points deduction but when it became clear this was not going happen he voted against them being allowed to continue.

I think the rules have now changes so that if this happened again any team doing the same would get a points deduction.

One of the side effects of this episode is some Quins fans hate Mo as much as some of the Latics fans do!

Dave

[DaveO]

jinkin jimmy posted:
What about the so called "mergers" between Hull and Gateshead and Huddersfield and Sheffield? That looked to me just a simple way of giving Hull and Hudds a million quid each.

Don't know but if they did get the dosh it would be the Sky money, not from the RFL.

Dave