RUGBY LEAGUE fans have been voting on whether the RFL was right to deny Featherstone Rovers a place in the Championship for 2026.
It’s the first time since 1920 that Featherstone will not be taking part in the rugby league pyramid after the club entered administration last month due to financial issues.
A group led by long-serving former chairman Mark Campbell had been working to get a new operation set up after being the only party to express interest in taking over Rovers.
But the RFL said this bid, which also involved Colm Corran and Chris Hamilton, previously a director and chief executive respectively of the club, did not meet the required governance criteria.
As such, Rovers were denied entry to the second tier for 2026, though there are hopes that they can return for 2027.
And, in the latest League Express poll, readers have been voting on whether this was the right decision or not, with a large proportion disagreeing with the RFL’s conclusion.
“Did the RFL make the right decision in refusing an application for membership of the current Featherstone Rovers club?”
Yes, the club couldn’t persuade the RFL that it was dealing adequately with its problems – 29.87%
No, the RFL should have admitted the club to keep faith with Featherstone supporters – 42.69%
I don’t have sufficient information to give a definitive answer – 27.44%