Threat of closure looms for rugby league club in ‘dire financial predicament’
RUGBY league club Sheffield Eagles has said it is in a “dire financial predicament” and could close.
In a statement on its website, the Kingstone Press Championship side said it will “very shortly be unable to fulfil its financial obligations”.
It said the situation was a result of several factors, including the loss of a significant investor, and that it has sought insolvency advice as there was a “very real prospect” the club could “cease to exist”.
A spokesman said the club was in “advanced discussions” with prospective investors and was talking with Sheffield City Council about the club moving in to the city’s Olympic Legacy Park.
The side has been playing its home fixtures “on the road” since the closure of Sheffield’s Don Valley Stadium in 2013.
Sheffield Eagles, a part-time side since 2000, went full-time this season in a bid to win promotion to the Super League but missed out on a place in the qualifiers.
A statement said: “Sadly, our club is in a rather dire financial predicament at this time – so much so that we are open to all options including facing the very real prospect that Sheffield Eagles RLFC could indeed cease to exist entirely.
“The club performed exceptionally well last season and was in contention for promotion to Super League, which had we achieved it, no doubt would have attracted new investment to take the club to a consistently higher level.”
The club said it was “totally committed” to achieving the goal of playing Super League football once again this year, but due to a complex set of reasons including the strong competition in the league it has seen its “best efforts fall short.”
“As a result of many factors – not least being the loss of a significant investor and the fact that we have been playing ‘on the road’ throughout the season – the club will very shortly be unable to fulfil its financial obligations,” the statement read.
“As it stands today, the club is working incredibly hard to ensure that it can honour all of its financial commitments in order to see the current season through and also to attract investment and funding from the business or sporting community.”
