Today could be the day Wakefield Trinity announce they are leaving the city in 2018.
As first revealed exclusively in Monday’s League Express, the Super League club – who could still make the top four this weekend in the final round of the season – will enter crunch talks with Wakefield Council and the owner of their Belle Vue ground this morning to hopefully resolve a pathway for them to remain in the city.
However, Trinity sources continue to insist to TotalRL that there is by no means a guarantee Wakefield will stay in the city next season. Should they fail to reach an agreement, then Wakefield will play their home games at Dewsbury’s Tetley’s Stadium in 2018.
It is understood that Trinity are seeking medium to long-term assurances about the prospects of the much-mooted community stadium in nearby Newmarket, in which Wakefield would aspire to be anchor tenants.
League Express revealed several weeks ago that Wakefield had self-imposed a deadline of 20th September – today – to declare where they were playing next year: that has not changed.
Trinity are already behind other clubs – including local rivals – when it comes to putting season tickets on sale, and they are keen to establish where their home games will be played next year before announcing the packages. That will be done on Wednesday afternoon.
Wakefield Council did put forward a proposal at an initial meeting on Monday afternoon, but the parties will return to the table this morning to try and secure the club’s future in the district and the city.
“There was a proposal thrown our way which was a lot to take in,” Carter said. “We’re due to meet again at 10.30am with a view to us going on sale with our season tickets at about 2pm, at which point we’ll be making a decision on where we’re actually playing next year.”
