Michael Carter calls on Wildcats fans : Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:32 am
There's some great quotes in this interview that offer us some insight into where we might be over the next couple of years. I have to say, looking back at pre season and all the fallout from Elstons ridiculous period as CEO, it's a huge credit to the staff, Chris Brereton and Michael Carter that we are where we are now.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats chairman Michael Carter has issued a rallying cry to the people of Wakefield – get behind your team, and we can spend the full salary cap in 2015.
The Wildcats secured their safety in Super League with seven games remaining, a feat many consider incredible following an off-season of turmoil. And Carter admits that their main target in 2015 is to get the crowds up again, saying if they can average just over 6,000 people they can – although won’t necessarily – spend all of the salary cap.
“The objective this season as I’ve said was financial stability and remaining in Super League. We’ve achieved both those things and we can now target new obstacles,” Carter told League Express.
“One of the big things I’m targeting is to try and excite the Wakefield public again. They’ve been let down too many times in the past, and we need to get them back on board.
“If you’re trying to sustain a Super League club on crowd averages of four or five thousand it can be done, but it’s quite difficult. If we can to around 6,300, it would give us the ability to spend the salary cap.
“That doesn’t mean we will spend it all, because I think we need to build the right culture as a priority. We’ve got that in abundance at the minute, and I can’t name one bad apple at the moment in our camp. They’re a tight-knit group and you see it every day.”
Carter paid tribute to the backroom setup – which he revealed he had to cut in half after taking the club on last year – as well as admitting he never thought the club would be secure in Super League so early in the season after such a hectic end to 2014.
“I have to say, going back to September of last year if somebody had said we’d be safe with seven games to go I’d have thought they were a little bit strange! We’re able to relax and enjoy the games of rugby again.
“We work really hard here off the field, because when I came into the club I had to get rid of people we just physically couldn’t afford. We went from a full-time staff of about 24 people down to 12. We cut the workforce in half and the people who’ve remained have been fantastic.”
Carter also admitted the club should know in the next couple of months whether they will head to a new ground at Newmarket, or stay at their current Belle Vue home. He said that if they do stay put though, major refurbishments will take place to ensure the ground is one of the best in the business.
“We need to decide where we’re going; hopefully in the next couple of months there will be a call regarding whether we’ll head to Newmarket or whether we’ll stay at Belle Vue. If we stay here then I’m hoping at least three sides of the ground will get a complete refurbishment,” Carter claimed.
“If we end up going to Newmarket then we’ll have a blank piece of paper where we can decide what we need to run a Super League club for the next 100 years. Both of those options are realistic, and before we make any decisions about Belle Vue we need to decide whether we’re staying at all.
“There’s an opportunity to buy the bowling alley and the gym behind the East Stand, and it would enable us to expand and get more car parking, for example. There are lots of plans we’ve put in place should we stay here.”
