Players union back calls for central funding to save Toronto : Tue Sep 08, 2020 8:52 am
Well the ‘nuts finally out of the kernel’ Gareth Carvell has thrown the players union behind the beleaguered Wolfpack.Asking for central funding to save them, an organisation that haven’t paid their players since June and failed to yet refund tickets bought by UK supporters who wanted to travel to Canada to support their team.
In current times where the RFL has taken a £16 million pound loan to help safeguard the game and a new TV deal has yet to be agreed this seems to be a gamble with what is for Rugby League a large amount of money in excess of £2 million. ( 12.5% of the value of the government loan).
If we were a well funded and rich sport like soccer it would be a low risk investment, however in days when RL clubs including my own are struggling due to Covid and some have already drawn on the £16 million to survive through this period a sum that will have to be paid back this seems like a huge gamble to attract an owner for an ailing club currently losing its players and in reality any bond it offers is really worthless as proved with the current situation with Argyle.
Thus far the Toronto expansion has cost the RFL nothing however that will change if a deal like this is approved.
Without a NATV deal the clubs exposure will be limited to a local area as with Catalans who if we are ‘hand on heart honest’ even with a TV deal have failed to get the exposure in France and strengthen RL on National basis the whole point of inviting them into the league in the first place.
It seems inevitable that the ‘Pack will be back’ but this is an awfully big gamble by the RFL.
Maybe like the Hudds-Sheff and Hull -Gateshead mergers it’s a way to save face and bail out failing clubs.
But wouldn’t it be better for the RFL/Superleague to fund the players wages to the end of the season and then wash their hands of this mess ??