OLDHAM are currently locked out of their Boundary Park home due to a dispute with the town’s football club.
The Championship outfit moved to the 13,000-capacity stadium – owned by Oldham Athletic chairman Frank Rothwell – for a third time in 2024, signing a ten-year deal.
But the oval-ball club are yet to play there this season, with Sunday’s Challenge Cup second-round tie with Orrell St James relocated to Bower Fold in Stalybridge.
Oldham say there is a financial dispute with Athletic over use of Boundary Park, with both clubs claiming to be owed money from the other.
“Oldham RLFC has requested that the matter goes to mediation, as per the dispute resolution terms and conditions of the contract in place,” said the Rugby League club.
“However, to date, the football club have refused to go to mediation. In addition to refusing to allow this matter to go to mediation, sadly the football club then stated that Boundary Park will remain unavailable until the financial dispute is resolved.”
The Roughyeds, who have sought legal advice over the issue, also claim to have been offered a return to the ground in recent days, but that the conditions demanded were “unacceptable”.
Furthermore, club owner and chairman Bill Quinn has been banned from Boundary Park for twelve months over unspecified allegations by Athletic, allegations that Quinn “vehemently denies”.
Oldham have also denied reports of unpaid medical bills and pension payments.
Under the stewardship of Quinn and managing director Mike Ford, the club were League One winners in 2024 and finished fourth in the Championship last season.
Although they missed out on a place in an expanded Super League this year, Oldham are still targeting a return to the top division, which they were last part of in 1997 under the previous guise of Oldham Bears.
The town’s sole major sporting venue is key to those ambitions, with Quinn stating two years ago: “To grow the club and to reach our goals without Boundary Park would almost be impossible.”
Oldham were nomadic after selling their own Watersheddings ground for housing in 1997, twice calling Bower Fold home and also spending time at non-league football club Ashton United’s Hurst Cross and the multi-use Vestacare (Whitebank) Stadium in Oldham.
Their first Championship home fixture of the season is on Friday, February 20 against Widnes Vikings, although they will host another Challenge Cup tie in a fortnight – against Dewsbury Rams or West Hull – should they overcome Orrell.