Here is an idea towards the RFL to try to safeguard this happening to other clubs.

The RFL carry out regular Experian credit checks against each club.

Although nobody can really predict the future, what can be achieved is looking for trends to see if their ctedit rating is improving.

What can also be done via this is to recieve notifications on each company if something major happens such as a CCJ.

The RFL could then investigate that with the club concerned and carry out a full review of that clubs finances.

I think that this would see an end to just about all professional sport.

Can't really see how it would put an end to all sport to be fair.

If an alert gets sent over, if a CCJ has been logged, or a credit risk score has been reduced, the RFL could look into this, and try to work with the club, and work them through it. Also, this could work the other way too, if clubs credit check their sponsors and partners etc the same way.

Had this have happened, would Wakefield quite have been in the same position in 2012-13, had they been aware of Eric France's plight, as it would have shown the credit score dropping.

There is is saying that prevention is cheaper than the cure.

And how would an Experian check on Wakefield have revealed Eric France's plight? You would need to do credit checks on every club, every board member and possibly many employees and that still wouldn't detect any financial obfuscation being stored up for future disasters.

I use Experian all the time in the job I currently do, as a Credit Control team leader.

You can sign up to receive notifications to alert you if the credit score has dropped.

One of the tell tale signs of a company struggling, or starting to go pop, is when the credit risk score starts to drop. I would imagine that this happened to them prior to them going into administration.

Had they have known beforehand that they were on the way, maybe the club could have acted sooner.

That is what I meant, for the RFL to do say half yearly checks on each club, and then any extra checks should a risk alert come through, and maybe the same with clubs, with any major sponsor or partner.

You wouldn't necessarily need to do one for board members, and certainly not employees

It's not a bad idea Eastern and I'd be surprised if the RFL didn't have some contact through the credit agencies but the problem is as said above, you'd have to have access to all sponsors and investors too.
As an example, we were in trouble when Eric France had a problem. The day before they couldn't give us the sponsorship they promised we would have had a good credit reference, the day after we would not (assuming they can even track at that level). There would be no preparation through credit check to see that coming unless you were looking at Eric France and not Wakefield Trinity.

The club will probably be sold for a quid.
I think they should be known at the Bradford Pounders.
Look at getting pound land to sponsor them at a quid a game and charge the supporters a pound to get in.
Know that would be worthwhile calling them the peoples club.

That is really what I was thinking Pop Tart, for the RFL to do the in house checks on the club, and the clubs to do the in house checks on sponsors etc.

The conpany I work for carry out credit checks on all customers, regarding the cedit limit request is £1k, or £100k.

If you have a main sponsor, which is worth say £150-200k, it would be very wise running a credit report. If the account has a guarantor, then you can then also do land registry searches, to see if the guarantor owns a property.

We get emails on a daily basis, showing if any customers credit risk score has dropped, or whether any recent CCJ's has been logged, which we act upon. For example had Eric France had been monitored, we could have seen maybe the credit score dropping, and then maybe canvassed for a new sponsor as the 2012 season was coming to a close. When we get one of these alerts, we generate a new up to date credit report too.

It's all our fault that they've gone bust.... www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/38513278

It's all our fault that they've gone bust.... www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/38513278

I think the Iestyn Harris saga was the beginning of the end for the Bulls. Was it £750k?

The point I was making about professional sport is that most clubs are run very close to a loss and taking account of directors loans etc, Experian would give close to zero ratings on most clubs.
If you have access to their system and some time, you may find it interesting to check out the 12 SL clubs and let us know what it says.
Also, you mention Eric France as an example.
It would be difficult to cross check each clubs sponsors and their ability to pay up on the deals which are agreed between club and sponsor.
If you looked at Cas from a couple of seasons ago. How would Experian know whether Mr Fulton would hand over a shortfall of a couple of hundred grand, it's not possible .

As I said, nice idea but, in the real world, it's just not practical but, I would be interested to see each clubs credit score and if you could see what Bradfords rating was, say 6 months ago, that would also be of interest.

My credit check doesnt give breakdown of previous 'rating's but the event history is as follows (on Bradford Bulls Northern Ltd):

Status History
Date Description
05/12/2016 Appointment of Administrator
25/11/2016 App of Administrator (Gazette)
24/11/2016 Administration Order View Details
01/11/2016 Case was adjourned
14/10/2016 Petitions Winding-Up (Gazette)
05/09/2016 Case was adjourned
29/07/2016 Petitions Winding-Up (Gazette)
04/07/2016 Winding up Petition Dismissed
01/07/2016 Petitions Winding-Up (Unadvertised)
01/12/2015 Winding up Petition Dismissed
03/11/2015 Petitions Winding-Up (Gazette)

Event History
View Documents
Date Description
07/12/2016 Change in Reg.Office
07/12/2016 Change of Company Postcode
14/11/2016 Creditsafe Rating Refinement
14/11/2016 Creditsafe Limit Refinement Removed
14/11/2016 Creditsafe Rating Refinement Removed
24/06/2016 Payment Data Update Received
08/04/2016 Payment Data Update Received
06/10/2015 Annual Returns
06/10/2015 New Accounts Filed
05/10/2015 Change in Reg.Office
05/10/2015 Change of Company Postcode
19/08/2014 Annual Returns
31/03/2014 Change of Name
27/03/2014 New Board Member Mrs E.J. Green appointed
24/03/2014 New Accounts Filed
Rating History
Show graph
Date Rating Description
05/12/2016 Not Rated In Administration
24/11/2016 Not Rated Administration Order
14/11/2016 Not Rated Winding Up Petition(s)
14/11/2016 Not Rated Rating Suspended - Negative Press Event
15/08/2016 Not Rated Winding Up Petition(s)
Show more

Limit History

Show graph
Date Limit
05/12/2016 -
24/11/2016 -
14/11/2016 -
15/08/2016 -
04/07/2016 £0
Show more

Previous Company Names

Date Previous Name Companies House Documents
27/03/2014 PHONES 2 VIEW LIMITED View Document
02/02/2012 SMARTA ENVIRONMENT LIMITED View Document
18/10/2007 SMARTA ORGANISATION LIMITED View Document
Writ Details
No writs found
02/11/2015 Petitions Winding-Up (Gazette)

Michael Carter etc on radio Yorkshire now https://www.facebook.com/radioyorkshire/

Michael Carter etc on radio Yorkshire now https://www.facebook.com/radioyorkshire/

Missed it, hope it's on catch up later.

It's on for another hour