Whitehaven to enter administration

[josie andrews]

Relegated Championship club Whitehaven are to enter administration on Friday morning.

At their annual AGM of shareholders, it was confirmed that the club owed HM Revenue & Customs around £60,000, and that HMRC would issue a winding up order if the club didn't settle its debts.

Club sources say that it will enter in to a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) on Friday and an administrator will be appointed shortly.

However, it was also revealed that current chairman Dick Raaz wants to form a consortium with two other existing directors in a bid to regain control over the club at the earliest opportunity, believed to be within the next 10 days, although Raaz did invite other bids to come forward.

Angry shareholders left the meeting stating they were unhappy at the timescales given as they felt it was impossible to put a rival bid together within such a short time period.

It is believed a fan group are interested in tabling a supporters trust driven bid and a steering group are keen to hold a public meeting shortly.

More information is expected to be revealed early next week over the future of the club, who last week sacked head coach Ged Stokes after a poor season that saw them finish in the Championship relegation zone.

http://www.lasttackle.com/news_4205-whi ... ation.html

[eccywarrior]

its a joke how old clubs going into administration when you get likes of crusaders and quins who get bailed out by rfl.

[markill]

its a joke how old clubs going into administration when you get likes of crusaders and quins who get bailed out by rfl.

It's the rfl agenda. They know the game isn't going to die in cumbria so don't try so hard there. They pick their projects and I feel they look for positive national publicity than helping the heart beat of the game.

Championship and championship one clubs are handed a raw deal. Super league gets all the focus in the 'professional' game. It's not just about helping expand the game because northern lower level clubs that aren't quite on the m62 corridor don't get the same support and attention that the London and Wales projects get.

Gateshead and blackpool are essentially development areas in my eyes as the sport has plenty of potential to grow in these areas. The rfl support isn't sufficient to encourage this. Even doncaster and Sheffield haven't had the guidance I think they've needed and they are yorkshire clubs! And thats before we get to cumbria!

I dont think the rfl do enough to guide, assist and support the development of these clubs and their local infrastructures to sustain the development of the sport.

[TonyH]

Devastating news, as a Whitehaven lad it really winds me up that the RFL won't help out a team from a Rugby League hotbed but instead will help out a team from Wales who lets face it are never going to be as popular as any of the Welsh Rugby Union teams.

[jaws1]

This brings home the need for a SL club in Cumbria the supporters are there only need to come together.Will this ever happen?????would the clubs amalgamate and use the clubs as feeder clubs to a CUMBRIA SL club just like Catalans did.
Can see a lot of problems within Workington.Whitehaven and Barrow doing this but the time is ripe now for the clubs involved to do this. Don't think there would be a problem with the team name CUMBRIA but where to locate the club.

[cumbria_warrior]

cant see them ever joining, too many old time followers stuck in the past and not willing to move forward.

[pedro]

would we join with Saints or Leigh?

[medlocke]

This brings home the need for a SL club in Cumbria the supporters are there only need to come together.Will this ever happen?????would the clubs amalgamate and use the clubs as feeder clubs to a CUMBRIA SL club just like Catalans did.
Can see a lot of problems within Workington.Whitehaven and Barrow doing this but the time is ripe now for the clubs involved to do this. Don't think there would be a problem with the team name CUMBRIA but where to locate the club.

Build it in Millom, down Salthouse road would be ideal, Millom is perfectly situated between Barrow and Whitehaven/Workington, so fans from both areas would have around the same amount of distance to travel, give or take 5/10 mile, and most importantly it would be easy for me to get to

[exile in Tiger country]

and then you get things like this from the BBC website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 952050.stm

[onedego]

I knew about Lenagan (bow), having a controlling stake in the Quinns before, and thought then that it must be a conflict of interest... surely he must be able to sell his stake at some point...