Batley Bulldogs chairman Kevin Nicholas, whose club should have been playing Featherstone Rovers this Sunday, has expressed his frustration with events at that club to League Express. Here is what he wrote:
THERE is no doubt that since the interim board at the RFL took over there have been positive shoots in our sport.
Despite the disappointment of the Ashes result, the Test series comprised three superb events and unearthed a new potential Rugby League venue in Everton, so well done to Rhodri I Jones and RL Commercial.
The World Club Challenge is a sell out and I thought that at whatever level Rugby League is played there was a more positive feel. I personally was really looking forward to this season. It will as always be a challenge but that’s what we need and hopefully thrive on.
Then, planning for our opening home game of the season against Featherstone, when we anticipated having eight community clubs as our guests celebrating their contribution to our communities, I started to be concerned about nothing coming out about the Featherstone position.
I knew there was only one party wanting to start again, so there was no beauty parade, and I knew it involved Mark Campbell, who had been involved previously in the failed company. But Mark has been involved in our sport for a long time.
I then started enquiring what was going on and I became increasingly concerned at the lack of progress when a new season was imminent.
My fears turned to reality when the RFL announced, with a week to go to the start of our season, that the bid of Featherstone has been rejected.
I accept this was not a straightforward decision but in my view, on the information I have, the handling of this situation by the RFL executives, in particular the CEO, has been utterly appalling, showing no sense of urgency whatsoever and having no understanding of the impact of this on the community of Featherstone and the Championship season about to be launched.
As of today this is a fiasco matching the fiasco of last season with Salford, in my view.
I have requested an emergency Championship meeting of clubs to advise on Plan A and Plan B, depending on whether or not Featherstone are in the Championship, in terms of fixtures, table and finances and been advised the RFL will consider the request on Tuesday.
That suggests another total lack of understanding of the urgency of the situation.
I suggested one last urgent attempt at getting an interested party to enable Featherstone to play a second round game be made and that to be published over the weekend, but so far nothing.
What is not happening to try to save this situation as best we can is depressing and in my view executives need to look at themselves in the mirror and consider their position.
What should have been a very exciting and positive season launch for the Championship now feels flat with all the negativity about.
Whatever the faults of the previous Featherstone set-up, which are probably many, the lack of urgency in dealing with these matters by the RFL is shameful and in my view shows a total lack of understanding and almost contempt for the Championship, which appears to have limited value from the RFL perspective.
Something needs to change and it needs to happen now as we have been let down badly by our governing body.
The Board need to do something about it.
Kevin Nicholas
Batley Bulldogs