CHAMPIONSHIP club Whitehaven has called for a change to the IMG grading criteria after their ‘disappointing’ C grade in the provisional results handed to all 36 professional clubs earlier in the week.
The Cumbrian side has particularly taken umbrage with the lack of a visit to the club from either the RFL or IMG in the lead-up to the grading award – something which Haven says has skewed the grade given to them.
The club statement reads: “As officially revealed yesterday the club received their IMG Grading which seen the club graded as a C.
“The club were disappointed with some aspects of their grading around the aspects of community work and interest.
“Our community programme involved players in schools, Care homes visiting players from the sixties. We’ve had input on matchdays from all the emergency services including RNLI, blood bikes and St John’s ambulance.
“We have a weekly gentleman’s mental health get together plus a weekly autism charity arts and crafts evening. The club is used regularly for family parties, weddings, funeral teas and christenings along with daytime corporate use. All these events have taken off in the last six months since we started the mini rugby summer camps to involve parents and children.
“We as a club are unsure on how certain areas of the grading can be judged when the club haven’t been visited to gain a perspective on the number of pillars that we offer.”
That being said, Haven still sent out a positive message to improve the club’s standing.
The statement continued: “The club will be moving forward working as hard as we can both on the field in challenging as high up the Championship table in the 2024 season as well as striving to improve behind the scenes to improve our grade ahead of definitive grading over the next 12 months.”
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