RUGBY LEAGUE has endured a difficult number of few weeks with both London Skolars and Newcastle Thunder stepping down from League One following financial hardships.
It’s a massive blow for expansionists who have already seen the likes of Northampton, Gloucester, Celtic Crusaders and West Wales Raiders fall by the wayside.
But why has this happened?
London Skolars assistant coach Ollie Bloom explained on X the financial cost of an away game at the likes of Cornwall and Cumbria – Workington, Whitehaven and Barrow – “An away game for us at Cornwall/any Cumbrian team is around £7k.
“Two or three of those in a season and your central funding money is gone and then some. Let alone the rest of the season and operating costs.
“Financially it makes no sense.”
And therein lies the problem. How can League One teams – whose central funding has been cut to almost nothing – expect to fund such an expensive away day?
So this is part of the issue. An away game for us at Cornwall/any Cumbrian team is around £7k.
Two or three of those in a season and your central funding money is gone and then some. Let alone the rest of the season and operating costs.
Financially it makes no sense.
— Ollie Bloom (@OllieBloom23) October 13, 2023
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