Huddersfield Giants Chairman Ken Davy has invested a significant six-figure sum in the region of £400,000 to help navigate the club through the coronavirus pandemic and provide a successful outcome to discussions about potential wage cuts.
League Express understands that Davy committed to investing more of his personal fortune to offset what would have been more serious pay cuts for the Giants’ playing group, enabling them to swiftly agree a resolution and returning to training ahead of the restart next month.
Several clubs are still yet to agree pay cuts with their players, but with Davy’s help Huddersfield were one of the first to come to a resolution with their staff and the Rugby League Players Association, following a strong start to the domestic season before the hiatus due to the spread of COVID-19.
Davy has invested millions into the Giants since becoming Chairman of the club in 1996, and in May he admitted he wasn’t sure whether Huddersfield would need to have access to the Government’s £16 million loan to survive.
“At our club, I think supporters of the Huddersfield Giants have every right to be worried about our future, as this is a really serious situation,” he said.
“I wouldn’t like to second-guess what the outcome will be for us; no one has a bottomless pit of money. It is, then, welcome to see the Government now support the sport with this £16m loan. But it is a loan and I’m not sure how far on it will move us (Giants); we don’t yet know the details of when it will have to be repaid and other aspects. We will await those details.”
This article features in this week’s League Express, which is available from all good newsagents, or is available for subscription, either for the printed version of the paper or the digital version. In order to learn more and to subscribe for the best and most comprehensive coverage of Rugby League, go to https://www.totalrl.com/league-express/
