Halifax on the Brink

Next weekend is one that could turn out to be the biggest weekend in the history of Halifax RLFC.
On Sunday 3rd September, Halifax take on Whitehaven at the Shay and reports say that anything less than a 5,000 gate will fail to plug a £90,000 over spend on players wages and could lead to the club folding, taking 133 years of history with them.

It was all supposed to be so different. The dream was to have a top flight team, full of international stars playing amongst the game's elite infront of packed crowds and television audiences in a state of the art stadium. Instead, they are walking the tightrope between National League 1 and 2, playing infront of small crowds in a building site. This is certainly not what envisaged as the club stepped into Super League in 1996.

Cash problems at the Shay are nothing new. Fellow tennants Halifax Town FC are struggling with to keep the bailiffs at bay whilst the RL club, in their former guise as the Blue Sox, had to fend off the administrators at the turn of the millenium. That escapade was one of several examples that eventually led to the introduction of the Super League salary cap and it seems that the club still hasn't quite got the hang of controlling player salaries.

Since then, the clubs demise could be likened to that of Leeds's United's. In their pursuit of Super League glory, they spent money that they ultimatly didn't have and in an effort to stay afloat and players had to be shipped out.
A 16-6 defeat to Leeds Rhinos in the 1998 play-off series was their only forray into the Super League 'elite' and relegation followed five years later, as the club ended the year with just one victory - two points which were eventually wiped out due to salary cap breaches the year prior.
The year later, the club narrowly avoided a second sucessive relegation by virtue of a four point victory in the NL1 Qualifying play-off against York.

On the basis of results, the club's business plan over the last ten years is questionable to say the least. Even now, after the clubs past experiences, a £90,000 overspend suggests that they still seem insistant on chasing the dream of the holy grail that is Super League.
This makes an even more compelling argument for ending automatic promotion and relegation in 2009. In the present climate, clubs are facing a never ending struggle to compete with the elite in the division. The likes of Hull KR, Widnes and Leigh are lightyears ahead of the competition, yet the opposition still seem insistant on spending money that they simply don't have in an effort to keep up. Franchising will end that, encouraging clubs to formulate a sound business plan with will keep the club viable as a business and competitive on the field.

Relegation from Super League has effectively killed off Rugby League in Halifax. The fans and the investors left, many now likely to be found at Odsal or Headingley. The powers that were during the late 90's that chased an impossible dream have triggered a chain of events that have led to the current situation.
An emergency members meeting has been called for 11th September where the club's future will be decided. Fans of all clubs have been called upon to visit the Shay on 3rd September for the clash with Whitehaven although it may meerly be a case of delaying the inevitable. A bumper pay-day may provide temporary restbite, but as a long term solution for maintaining what little sporting profile their currently is in the West Yorkshire Town, it may be too little too late.