GOOLE VIKINGS are currently making waves ahead of their inaugural season in League One in 2025.
The East Yorkshire club were only granted their franchise for the third tier last month, but already the Vikings have lofty ambitions.
What was most evident from their launch earlier this week, however, was the fact that the officials – owner Mark Richardson and special advisor James Clark – and head coach Scott Taylor know just how difficult League One is.
Goole are not going to throw hundreds of thousands of pounds at players in order to build a star-studded side to try and get out of the third tier as quick as possible.
The likes of Toronto Wolfpack and Newcastle Thunder in the past have shown that isn’t sustainable.
But, with a town on the up after being the target of the government’s Levelling Up scheme, Goole has more than enough of a solid foundation to become a fighting force in the future.
With Clark onboard too, the Vikings have a man with a decade of experience from Hull FC helping to pull the strings so it’s no surprise that the ex-Black and White official has plenty of contacts in the game.
And it’s one of those contacts – Leeds Rhinos’ chief executive Gary Hetherington – that could well bring a historic pre-season friendly to fruition.
Clark confirmed at Goole’s launch event this week that he has held talks with Hetherington about a potential fixture between the Vikings and the Rhinos – something that would undoubtedly fill the coffers and the terraces.
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