Cosmetic business boss set to take over struggling rugby club

THE York City Knights rugby club are being sold to the chief executive of a cosmetic surgery business.

Owner John Guildford announced earlier this week that Gary Dickenson, chief executive of York-based cosmetic teeth alignment business Cfast had acquired the club as a going concern.

Mr Guildford has owned the club since 2002, but said that the situation since the Knights had been evicted from the Huntington Stadium in 2014 was unsustainable.

He said the loss of the club’s income streams with “only partial covering” by the council, had put him personally under financial strain, as it relied on personal funding to sustain the club.

“Less than satisfactory” ground sharing arrangements at its temporary Bootham Crescent also took its toll on the League One club he said, as well as difficulties in scheduling Super 8 matches.

He announced last week that the Knights as a business would be closing, but since then received offers for the club.

Mr Guildford said: “Facing these issues I was not willing to continue the struggle against outside forces that would have had the effect of curtailing the promotion prospects of the club and its financial lifeline and my continuing financial support of the club therefore became irreconcilable to me.”

He said that Mr Dickinson had expressed interest in taking over the club, and that he had provided undisclosed funding to pass the club over debt free.

The deal is subject to Rugby Football League agreement.

Mr Guildford continued: “I hope the new York City Knights administration have success both on the field and achieve promotion and crucially enjoy greater success in dealing with the other third parties in these matters to resolve the other much publicised issues.”

This week another rugby club, the Featherstone Rovers announced troubles. Despite being hopefuls for the Super League, a winding up petition by HMRC may scupper their plans

In other sporting news, women’s netball group the Yorkshire Jets will also be wound up this week it was announced,  after their removal from the Netball Superleague.

 

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