Tony Chambers R.I.P., Ex Widnes Chairman passes away Options

[Bomb Jack]

Ex-Widnes Chairman Tony Chambers has sadly passed away after a short illness. He was Widnes through and through. He saved the Club from extinction in 1996 / 1997, and saw us rise like a Phoenix in 2001 to win promotion to Super League.

I just thought with Tony's passing, that it would be apt for me to post his open letter to Martin Saddler again.

Link here

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/widne...00252-21450839/



Chambers hits back
Aug 2 2008 by John Lawless, Liverpool Echo

FORMER Widnes Vikings chairman Tony Chambers has written an open letter to Rugby League Express editor Martyn Sadler concerning the allocation of Super League licences.

Writing in last week’s edition, Sadler backed the RFL’s decision not to award a licence to the Vikings, primarily because the club went into administration in October.

Chambers was kind enough to let the Echo have a copy of his response:

I read your Talking Rugby League column in the 28th July edition and write to clarify some facts, and highlight the hypocrisy of the decisions taken on Super League franchises and the reasoning quoted by Richard Lewis and Nigel Wood.

As you know I was a director of Widnes for 13 years and chairman for seven of them. I resigned in 2006 after personally ‘investing’ almost £250,000 in helping to rebuild the club over those 13 years.

All of that investment was lost in the company’s default. However, contrary to your comments I would not be upset if the Widnes club had been given a franchise.

Quite the reverse, like I suspect most if not all of the many shareholders who subscribed over £700,000 over those 13 years to keep their club and dreams alive. I would have been delighted if that expenditure, time and money, had helped Steve O’Connor and his team secure the franchise that they and the club’s 135 year history surely merited.

To correct a few other facts you say ‘I can’t think of any sporting organisation in the world that would reward a club for defaulting on its debts’.

Is that not precisely what the RFL & Super League did for the then London Broncos when they were liquidated part way though a season? Not only was the new Harlequins company allowed to take a place in Super League without points deduction but Richard Lewis used a threat to ‘review his position’ to force the withdrawal of a vote proposing that if the new company was to jettison the debts of the Broncos it should not be allowed to carry forward the six points that the former club had amassed!

If I look back now and consider whether I and my co-directors made any serious mistakes over the 13 years we fought to rebuild the club and the stadium it was in adhering to stated policies of the RFL and Super League.

We adopted their ‘Framing the Future‘ directive to concentrate on clearing debts and improving facilities rather than spending all on the playing squad. That cost us a place in Super League at the outset and with it a major income stream.

Secondly, perhaps naively, we accepted from day one the RFL statements that any club that went into administration or liquidation would forfeit its membership of the RFL, only to see both Workington and Keighley do just that without any penalty. Hull KR and others followed although Oldham for some reason was singled out for temporary suspension.

In hindsight our biggest mistake was not to put the club into administration in 1997. Instead we battled on, rebuilt our stadium, paid off nearly £1.5m of debts, only to be rewarded by being forced to surrender our place in SL by the admission of Catalans Dragons.

I have great admiration for Steve O’Connor and all he has done for rugby league in Widnes. I also admire his dignified response to such a mystifying decision.

I sincerely hope that his faith in the policies and integrity of the governing bodies will be better rewarded than those experienced during the 13 years I was privileged to serve such a great and historic club.
Yours sincerely,

Tony Chambers

[bearman]

Very sad news indeed. Tony was a great supporter of Coventry Bears. Tony was born and brought up in Coventry and honoured us by agreeing to be our Club Patron. I have a great photo of our captain and Tony holding the National 3 trophy after our 2004 triumph. Our thoughts are with his wife Karen and his freinds and family.

[Northern Sol]

Not a good time to rehash old arguments.

RIP.

[chrisl1]

Sad news indeed. A real gentleman. He was Widnes through and through and worked tirelessly for the Club when he was Chairman.

[Martyn Sadler]

I am extremely sad to hear this news.

I admired Tony and thought he was an excellent servant of Widnes and Rugby League in general.

I really appreciated the fact that he wrote a letter to League Express on a subject that he clearly felt very deeply about.

He wasn't someone who I would have expected to depart at such a relatively early point in his life.

My sincere condolences to his family, and to the Widnes club.

RIP Tony.