Hull FC chief executive James Clark has welcomed the government’s £16 million loan to the RFL, but he has warned that it won’t by itself solve all the problems that the game is facing, particularly for clubs like his.
“Our club remains in a fight for survival,” he said in a statement on the club website.
“This is welcome and encouraging news which will offer clubs like ourselves some immediate and much-needed respite as we continue to analyse and prepare for the long-term implications of Covid-19.
“Our sport will be redefined over the coming months and years, and our club remains in a fight for survival, but this is a real boost which will hopefully allow us to maintain our core business operation and safeguard jobs.
“We remain upbeat, but we’re certainly not out of the woods yet.”
Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington echoed Clark when he said: “Like everyone else, we are faced with so much uncertainty and we definitely need financial support, so this is obviously good news for us and the whole game. But we still have plenty more to do.”
Toronto Chairman and chief executive Bob Hunter says he is pleased for rivals of the Canadian side.
“We appreciate how this support from the UK government will be a huge lifeline for many of the fantastic clubs we have met in our short history,” explained Hunter.
With Toronto and fellow non-English clubs Catalans and Toulouse excluded from the loan, Hunter added: “We do have a UK-based company, but because most of the players and staff are employed by a Canadian entity, we always thought it was a long shot.”
