SEVEN players are still awaiting payment of their February wages from Championship club Whitehaven.
In a statement shared on their social media pages, the Cumbrian outfit said that the club themselves are owed money from creditors, creating cash-flow issues.
Haven set up a fundraiser midway through last year in a bid to ease the financial turmoil at the club with players and coaching staff at the centre.
Now the club has sought to clarify a number of issues through their social media channels.
The statement reads: “The club are owed money far in excess of the money we owe to seven players for their February contract and we have spoken to them collectively about the reason for this cash flow problem.
They will be paid as and when our creditors clear their invoices. All other monies ie fuel expense, community pay, game money and January’s contracts have been paid in full. This has all been achieved with only £8k generated by rugby.
“The rest has been generated from running the club as a business on other revenue streams by dedicated volunteers and Directors.
“The club costs thousands to run even when we are not playing rugby and we have met all these financial obligations. On top of the above we have managed to get the well-documented PAYE arrears from 2021-2023 season down from £59k June 2023 to £8k this week.
“The bulk of this payment has been closed season from newly generated revenue streams including assistance from away days and the VPs. We are grateful for their assistance.
“We have always promoted an open door policy and invited you to call for a chat anytime you feel the need. In return I would ask everyone who loves the club to think about the feelings of our sponsors and the hard working volunteers. Some have shown how vulnerable they are and shed tears over recent posts regarding their efforts.
“This club is in a good position to start the season and it’s only through creditors not paying that has us in this position. If you feel after reading this, that we are not being truthful then contact us direct.”
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