FEATHERSTONE ROVERS head coach Paul Cooke has admitted that he is unsure whether he will still be in charge of the Championship club moving forward.
Rovers applied to go into administration on Tuesday, the day before an HMRC winding-up petition in the High Court was adjourned for a second time.
That was over a reported £120,000 tax bill, but it is thought the club’s total debt far exceeds that figure and the club said that they were left with “no choice” but to apply for administration.
That has left the club’s staff and players in the dark over their futures and while many of last season’s squad have found deals elsewhere, head coach Cooke is still under contract with Featherstone.
Facing a question on X asking if he would still be head coach of Rovers, Cooke responded: “I’m not sure if I am or not. Have a contract with Featherstone for 2026 season, legally covered too.
“But with no information from them I’m not sure where I stand on a job or not!”
Cooke was only appointed as head coach of the West Yorkshire club in February after initially joining Rovers as an assistant coach and led them to the 1895 Cup and Championship play-offs.
Administration occurs when a business can no longer meet debt obligations. A licensed insolvency practitioner is appointed to either restructure the business and come to an arrangement with creditors or to sell off assets, pay off creditors and liquidate the business.
Chris Hamilton, the former Oldham owner and chairman who was part of a consortium who relaunched that club after the original version folded in 1997, was brought in by Featherstone as chief executive at the start of November.
That was after former long-serving chairman Mark Campbell returned to the helm of the club – who have played at senior level since 1921 – after Paddy Handley stepped down as chairman in September, having replaced Campbell in August 2024.
Campbell and Hamilton were listed as the two members of a company called Rovers 2026 Ltd incorporated on November 17. That could potentially provide a way forward.