FOLLOWING on from last month’s news that Goole Vikings have expressed interest in joining League One for the 2025 season, the club has now announced that its bid has been formally submitted to the RFL.
The current phase of the application will run until August, with the final subsequent stage concluding in September.
The club posted on their Facebook page: “This application presents Goole with a unique opportunity, by introducing a professional sports club to the town for the first time ever. We firmly believe that Goole possesses the right characteristics and demographics not only to support this proposed club, but to enable it to prosper.
“As noted in our previous statement, the application works in unison with the current amateur club, which will continue to run alongside the professional entity. This dynamic will ensure that local players are provided with a potential pathway to professional Rugby league, while acknowledging the importance of the previous hard work and dedication that brought rugby league back to Goole after a sustained absence.
“The application is spearheaded by avid Rugby League fan Mark Richardson, owner of Richardsons Food and Safety Consulting.
Mark will serve as the club’s Chairman, leading a highly experienced consortium who intends to work alongside the current committee in this venture, if the license is awarded to Goole.”
Richardson then had this to say on the official application submission: “I am delighted to confirm the formal submission of the application to League One of the Rugby Football league pyramid has been submitted as already commented upon.
“I would like firstly to thank the current committee of the Goole Vikings for buying into the vision I have brought to them regarding entering a professional team from the area into the competition. Tony Whiteley (Club President) and Andy Barras (Current Chairman of amateur open age rugby and Youth teams) have been a huge support in the planning stages of the bid and I thank them personally for accepting me into the Vikings fold as Chairman/ Owner of the new professional team, should we be successful.
“Our aim is to build something special in the Town that all its residents and the outlying villages can get behind to bring exciting rugby league viewing to Goole. Using this as a platform, we aim to invest in the people and the infrastructure of Goole and its residents and further develop youth rugby league providing a full stepped age range pathway into professional rugby league in not only the men’s competition, but also the PDRL, wheelchair and women’s game.
“Our success will be driven by the people of Goole but supported by a dedicated board and support network and we ask you to join us in this exciting journey by supporting Goole Vikings RLFC in any way you can.
“Back the bid and we hope to be able to bring you good news in the very near future.”
At present, the Vikings will compete in the Yorkshire Men’s League for 2024.
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