‘Millions’ ready to be ploughed into Super League bid

[josie andrews]

Featherstone are to step up their bid for a place in Super League after announcing “substantial investment” in the Championship club.

Rovers parted company with coach John Bastian on Monday just 12 matches into the season after suffering back-to-back defeats by Leigh and have revealed anonymous investors will join the club with immediate effect and plough “millions” into Featherstone over the next five years.

Majority shareholder Feisal Nahaboo said: “Rightly or wrongly at the start of the season the club had made the decision to strike at the end of the season to prepare a Super League strength squad to compete next season.

“Following back-to-back defeats to Leigh, we’ve realised we are no longer the dominant force outside Super League so the club has made the decision to raise the standards for all Championship clubs with imminent investment both on and off the field.

“The club will appoint leading coaching staff and will then follow up by announcing new squad members. Key squad members will be offered two to three-year contract extensions.”

As part of a overhaul of the domestic game, the top four Championship sides in 2015 will play off against the bottom four in Super League to determine the make-up of the top flight in 2016.

Hull KR prop Jonny Walker has been given a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle on Widnes forward Ben Kavanagh during the 34-29 home defeat.

Walker admitted the grade B offence and will sit out Saturday’s game at Salford.

Wingers Chris Riley (Wakefield) and Jason Crookes (Hull) admitted minor grade A offences after clashing during the game at the KC Stadium. Both players avoided suspension after submitting early-guilty pleas.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/ru ... -1-6601138

[Mike]

If this has any substance is a heart over head investment. Featherstone don't strike me as having the potential to become a major club with a strong fan base.

[Wiganer Ted]

This maybe the start of a new era in terms of clubs looking at their chances of attaining SL status and remaining there.

Crowds are their main problem but I'd imagine they look at averaging 5500 - 6000 a home game if they were in SL.
This just makes me think if they are looking at Widnes as a template who have crowds around that number.

The SKY TV money is almost the same now as the salary cap so they won't have to pour money in to maintain a decent squad. They will need monies in transfer fees but on the other hand they are in a hot bed area of Rugby League talent. Local players could well be as good a quality as anywhere else in SL.

Interesting times ahead and Fev may only be the first to try and establish themselves in SL.

[josie andrews]

Think they'd need to seriously upgrade their ground & it's facilities they're terrible.

We had to park in a waterlogged field when we played them in a CC round

[Owd Codger]

Featherstone don't just draw their support from the village of Featherstone but also the town of neighbouring Pontefract and as for their ground, it is now a credit compared with some.

Like any club, their crowds would increase if they were to get into the top level.

You only have to look at Wigan Athletic since they got into the top level of the Premier League and Championship in football as a example.

The secret is to keep them!

[cpwigan]

I do not believe Featherstone has the potential to attract 10,000 or better weer week. I doubt the ground even has the capacity to do in any case. Too many pro clubs in one locality. Maurice Lindsay was right on that albeit his solution was unpalatable irrespective of it being logical.

From a Lancastrian POV, the last thing we want / need are a more Yorkshire clubs in SL. Shame, only Leigh look capable at this time.

A bold experiment IMO would be a Cumbrian SL club whilst retaining the existing clubs. SL Cumbria play at home the weeks all the Cumbrian Champ clubs play away from home.

Not sure either Leigh or Cumbria can average 10,000 or better though

[Panchitta Marra]

I do not believe Featherstone has the potential to attract 10,000 or better weer week. I doubt the ground even has the capacity to do in any case. Too many pro clubs in one locality. Maurice Lindsay was right on that albeit his solution was unpalatable irrespective of it being logical.

From a Lancastrian POV, the last thing we want / need are a more Yorkshire clubs in SL. Shame, only Leigh look capable at this time.

A bold experiment IMO would be a Cumbrian SL club whilst retaining the existing clubs. SL Cumbria play at home the weeks all the Cumbrian Champ clubs play away from home.

Not sure either Leigh or Cumbria can average 10,000 or better though

From memory Workington managed a crowd of 8500+ in their first SL game at home to Leeds (1995) and the match was televised on Sky. Supporter numbers dropped as the season progressed. Currently Workington are lucky to pull in 500 and Whitehaven nearer 750.
The fans of both clubs are fickle, not prepared to spend money at each others grounds and a successful merge would be a near miracle talking to fans of both clubs at work.

[cpwigan]

I would not even consider merging the clubs PM. Instead I would let both clubs remain as dual contract/loan feeder clubs to a new separate Cumbrian SL entity. Town / Haven / Barrow would play away when Cumbria have home games and at home when Cumbria are away. Even then I am not sure Cumbria can attract sufficient crowds.

[DaveO]

Featherstone don't just draw their support from the village of Featherstone but also the town of neighbouring Pontefract and as for their ground, it is now a credit compared with some.

Like any club, their crowds would increase if they were to get into the top level.

You only have to look at Wigan Athletic since they got into the top level of the Premier League and Championship in football as a example.

The secret is to keep them!

So why don't you like Koukash putting money into Salford then?

This money into Fev could vanish just as easily as Koukash walking away from Salford.

As to Latics they draw from a conurbation (Wigan borough which of course includes Leigh) far larger with no alternative football teams of that standard. Fall out of Fev and you are in Cas if you didn't go via Wakey.

As CPW said, ML was right on the too many clubs aspect.

[Owd Codger]

Featherstone don't just draw their support from the village of Featherstone but also the town of neighbouring Pontefract and as for their ground, it is now a credit compared with some.

Like any club, their crowds would increase if they were to get into the top level.

You only have to look at Wigan Athletic since they got into the top level of the Premier League and Championship in football as a example.

The secret is to keep them!

So why don't you like Koukash putting money into Salford then?

This money into Fev could vanish just as easily as Koukash walking away from Salford.

As to Latics they draw from a conurbation (Wigan borough which of course includes Leigh) far larger with no alternative football teams of that standard. Fall out of Fev and you are in Cas if you didn't go via Wakey.

As CPW said, ML was right on the too many clubs aspect.

What are you on about with Koukash. I only said that Featherstone don't just draw their support from Featherstone, but next door Pontefract.

As for support, a few years ago while at a game at Featherstone, I met a group who told me that because Feathersone was paired up with Castleford, they just watched home games of both clubs and sometimes also Wakefield. All depending on who in the area was playing who and also went to the special games of all three clubs.

Time that some clubs bit the bullet and merge to form a stronger game both on and off the field.

No wonder away support is so poor if this is going on in areas where clubs are so near to each other.