WAKEFIELD TRINITY are set to vote against the IMG proposals put forward to the RL Council this Wednesday (19 April).
Last month, marketing giants and new stakeholders IMG put forward their plans to ‘re-imagine’ rugby league with a focus on five main areas: fandom, finance, performance, stadium and catchment.
In the revised proposals shown to clubs earlier in April, catchment was renamed ‘community’ with less emphasis on finance whilst the minimum standards were split into eight areas.
Whilst there has been a feeling that the plans will get passed by the 51% majority needed at the meeting of the RL Council on April 19, there has also been some very vocal opposition from the likes of Keighley Cougars and Featherstone Rovers.
Up until now, however, that opposition has been limited to the second and third tiers.
That being said, Wakefield Trinity chief executive Michael Carter – who will step down from his role at Belle Vue after a decade at the end of the 2023 season – has outlined why the West Yorkshire club will be voting AGAINST the proposals on Wednesday.
“We have the IMG grading issue upon us. We still have some reservations about the things that are in there,” Carter said in his program notes.
“We are broadly in favour of the direction of travel, but until these key issues are resolved, we will not be voting in favour.
“This is a key moment for our sport and we need to take full advantage of this last opportunity.
“In my opinion, IMG need to get to a point where they have the majority of the sport behind them and taking this forward with just a 51% majority is not a good look for the sport, nor a resounding mandate to take the sport forward.”
It remains to be seen if any other clubs will announce their intention to vote against, but it is widely thought that the proposals will be supported by the necessary majority.
