FEATHERSTONE ROVERS chairman Mark Campbell has issued a scathing attack on the RFL and IMG’s grading system in the midst of a transitional period for his club.
Rovers were awarded a B ranking of 10.65 points following IMG’s provisional grading last month which means that the West Yorkshire club sits in 15th – outside of the top 12 places needed for a Super League spot.
That means that, after another failed promotion charge which ended in a 36-26 defeat to the London Broncos in the Championship play-off semi-finals, Featherstone are unlikely to make the top flight.
For Campbell, that brings with it a whole degree of uncertainty: “If you were running your own business, you wouldn’t invest in something with so much uncertainty,” Campbell told Rugby League World Magazine.
“It is business suicide for you. Yet we do it in rugby league because the team is such a big part of the community. It means so much to so many people.
“You feel like you’ve got to keep investing and putting time in. You keep hoping for some leadership from the RFL, but I’ve never known such a poor board as there is in the RFL at the moment.
“Lack of leadership, lack of drive, lack of creativity. I think the game is at a really low point. They’re kidding themselves with the state of the game at the moment – it’s at a real crossroads.
“I think there is a danger it could go back to being a part-time sport, even at the highest level.”
The Featherstone chairman has also taken aim at IMG’s grading process, insisting that he has had no visit from the new rugby league stakeholders.
“I feel as though they’ve come up with this grading policy, yet who actually goes and assesses each club because we’ve had nobody come to Featherstone and assess our club.
“I get the principle of it, but if you’re going to do something, you’ve got to do it right. There should be an independent body that assesses these points and clubs.
“Some of these gradings they’ve given out to clubs and where they stand – I just don’t get any of it.
“I don’t get how London can be in 24th position, and Toulouse can be in 10th position. They tick the same boxes, they’re in a big city. But they also tick the box that they haven’t been around for lots and lots of years. Neither of them have got a fanbase.
“I’m really disillusioned with how the game is being run. I’m really disappointed with IMG and what they have brought to the table because I’ve not seen anything yet.
“I think they’re making that much of a mess of it, that I can’t see IMG being around that long. Certainly not the 12 years that they’ve signed up for.”
Find the full interview with Campbell in Rugby League World Magazine:
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