Could SL clubs have been given some sort of ultimatum? I refer you to a letter written by our late former chairman, the great Tony Chambers after we were denied a license in 2008 stating as much after the London Broncos debacle (don't ask which one)!!


Chambers hits back
Aug 2 2008 by John Lawless, Liverpool Echo

FORMER Widnes Vikings chairman Tony Chambers has written an open letter to Rugby League Express editor Martyn Sadler concerning the allocation of Super League licences.

Writing in last week’s edition, Sadler backed the RFL’s decision not to award a licence to the Vikings, primarily because the club went into administration in October.

Chambers was kind enough to let the Echo have a copy of his responseTo correct a few other facts you say ‘I can’t think of any sporting organisation in the world that would reward a club for defaulting on its debts’.

Is that not precisely what the RFL & Super League did for the then London Broncos when they were liquidated part way though a season? Not only was the new Harlequins company allowed to take a place in Super League without points deduction but Richard Lewis used a threat to ‘review his position’ to force the withdrawal of a vote proposing that if the new company was to jettison the debts of the Broncos it should not be allowed to carry forward the six points that the former club had amassed!
If I look back now and consider whether I and my co-directors made any serious mistakes over the 13 years we fought to rebuild the club and the stadium it was in adhering to stated policies of the RFL and Super League.

We adopted their ‘Framing the Future‘ directive to concentrate on clearing debts and improving facilities rather than spending all on the playing squad. That cost us a place in Super League at the outset and with it a major income stream.

Secondly, perhaps naively, we accepted from day one the RFL statements that any club that went into administration or liquidation would forfeit its membership of the RFL, only to see both Workington and Keighley do just that without any penalty. Hull KR and others followed although Oldham for some reason was singled out for temporary suspension.

In hindsight our biggest mistake was not to put the club into administration in 1997. Instead we battled on, rebuilt our stadium, paid off nearly £1.5m of debts, only to be rewarded by being forced to surrender our place in SL by the admission of Catalans Dragons.

I have great admiration for Steve O’Connor and all he has done for rugby league in Widnes. I also admire his dignified response to such a mystifying decision.

I sincerely hope that his faith in the policies and integrity of the governing bodies will be better rewarded than those experienced during the 13 years I was privileged to serve such a great and historic club.
Yours sincerely,

Tony Chambers

Totally agree mate, I won't attend any game (other than the Challenge Cup Final through having an unbroken 30 year run now) to do with SL, I only attend Fax games now but will go to the World Cup game at the Shay to show the RFL that Halifax does support the game of RL but not SLE.

Me too. In addition to everything that has been said what the RFL are doing now is setting a very dangerous precedent.
In effect they are now saying that because of the Bulls standing in rugby league they should not be allowed to go under even though clearly they have been managed in such a way as to warrant this.

This means that all the top clubs who have prestiges images will also not be allowed to go under, in effect saying yes there are rules and criteria to be met but if you don't well no need to worry because we will bail you out.

That is first of all encouraging certain teams to be less responsible and not be affraid of the consquences and secondly if it is only to be applied to this prestiges group is blatant sporting discrimination.

We will save teams A,B,C,D,E, but not teams G,H,I,J,K etc.

Likewise and correct me if I am wrong the idea that Championship clubs have to disband their own acadamies to take on SL clubs youngsters is effectively saying that all the tens of thousands of pounds you have spent was for nothing and they are saying to hundreds of young prospective rugby league players sorry you are not wanted in our sport your all sacked.
What mesage will that send out to any young lads that have a choice of which sport to take up.
One that says if it was me or my sons don't go anywhere near rugby league.

I will never go to another rugby league game outside of the championship or amatuer level as long as these people currently in charge of our game stay in their positions.

Well, let's hope Fax don't replace Bradford in $uper£eague, then.

I'm absolutely disgusted by this. This is a real kick in the teeth for clubs such as mine (Cas) who cut their cloth accordingly to have to pay for a club who knowingly spent up to salary cap when their club was in difficulty. If I was a Bradford fan I would be embarrassed and ashamed. But they're not.

That's the problem the RFL face. Other clubs who've done exactly as you described get put to one side whilst all the stops are pulled out to save a club who did none of that prudence stuff. It is THE most elitist competition in the world right now - a real clique of "top clubs" who stop at nothing to look after their own. The RFL are powerless to stop it.

If I weren't a RL fan and just an outsider looking in, then I'd be wetting myself with laughter at the shenanigans and apparent favouritism shown by the governing body of this great game. It must be apparent to everyone outside of the sport that the RFL seems to be going around in circles chasing its own tail, moving the posts to suit its most favoured pets, and seemingly having its strings pulled by certain clubs to their own advantage. And, then there's certain TV pundits finally admitting that their favourite child, (licencing), is failing to the shock-horror of the puppet-master that is the real governing body of RL - Sky. Let's face it, the product on the field may be good, but the administration is in tatters. One rule for us, one rule for them.

Remember all the fuss that licencing created when P&R was scrapped? How much of that still exists? OK, we still grumble about the closed shop that is SL, and we would all like to get back there at some point. But, how many now say that the Championship is better than SL, and SL can go do one? Remember when Wayne Bennett was over to give the RFL advice? Don't you think it's possible he might have said "stick with the licencing and let them p**s and moan about it for a while, it'll become the norm before long and they'll be glad to be where they are. Let them become feeder clubs to your flagship league, and let them run the academies and pay for them so your SL teams can have all the money for their first team, and then cream off the best youngsters for their squads even if they don't use them". I think we'll end up with a structure similar to the NRL, but nowhere near as good because in their infinite wisdom the SL clubs will spend even more money on NRL players to play up here instead of investing in their own countrymen. As for playing foreigners in our national team... I'm not going there.

Not surprised at this.Nigel Wood for me is as corrupt as they come. And his Mate Rimmer is Not much better. SL is the RFL. Fax are better out of Sleaze League. We are Not wanted. And the was we alongside Fev,leigh etc are treated is a disgrace. But i am Not going to her angry or give up on the Sport because of sleaze League ans the RFL.

I do not get some of you lot. Some of you that are saying you don’t want Halifax in Super league are the same people that were complaining that we did not get into super league not so long ago.

Are we good enough probably not, but we have the nucleus of a team that could be good enough a coach that can do the job and the foundation stones to build, thanks to lots of people who have given both time and money. Should we take the opportunity if it is offered? absolutely who knows when we may get another chance. As for Featherstone, they as yet do not deserve the chance, as yet. They still have work to do maybe not as much on field work as Halifax but they still have the off field stuff to do.

Halifax have to move onto the next step. In life you are very seldom completely ready for the opportunities handed to you, but you have to make the most of them.
I fully believe that we now have the right people with the right passion and business sense to keep Halifax growing as a club in Super league.

I have always said I am Not bothered about US being in SL. I follow Fax which ever League they Play in. SL is a Joke and one i am Not top bothered we See Not in. Viva la Championship

Surely all Fax fans want to see the club participating at the highest level of the sport. The problem is that when that league is administered by idiots that has turned the competition into a mockery, it is hard to want to be a part of it.

Exactly and that's the point.

Of course we want to be playing at the top level or a FAIR oppourtunity to do so and for ALL clubs to have the same oppourtunity on a level playing field.

To achieve that any club would have many people at every level investing / donating massive amounts amounts of time and hard earned money often out of their own pockets.

This equates to a self sacrificing spirit for the love of and good of their clubs and the benefit of the game in general.

However the credibilty and competence of the people who control our game is clearly in doubt.

They blatantly pay little notice or show any acknowlegement of what is involved for the clubs or supporters at Championship level and below.

In this context it is becoming harder and harder to want to have anything to do with these people.

Who would want to entrust anything that they value to people like these who at a whim without consultation change the rules to suite themselves and then force them onto others as they wish.

They have been and still are tarnishing our game and as a result a lot of people want no part of THAT side of it.

It is ok go and spend 3 million to buy your success, then go bust.Then the RFL will save your club. Scottish league never saved Rangers.

I agree that it is run by clowns, if we are in the league then you have a bigger say, then you can push for change. I feel that things are about to change in the way it is run. I would hate for us to miss out because we didn't take our opportunity when / if it was handed to us. I do feel that we have the right team of people involved at Halifax to grow the club and they are held back by the restrictions of the championship that control the growth of every club in this league. The only other option is for all the championship clubs to unite and say they want to develop the championship, sell their rights to the best TV offer, sell the naming rights to the best offer and have the opportunity to make the championship the best rugby league, league in the UK.