went into administration today 18th December 2009.

The administrator sold the assets of the business to Keighley Cougars (2010) Ltd with that company having only 1 director.

The fact that he was a director of the previous company, so I believe, is supplied for information.

How this affects any relationship this new business has with the RFL is open to debate.

Will the business be allowed to operate in the RFL? or as last time be an associate member only with no rights and no income from central sources for a year?

A deduction of points?

Be allowed to take the place of the previous club in the Championship?

To be fair most of the answers are known but this whole scenario is leaving a nasty taste.

What it has done is cut my physical ties with any professional Keighley club from now on. I have lived through too many of these scenarios and this final one is the straw that broke the camels back.

Sad but there it is.

If your not going to be supporting keighly anymore are you turning your back on the sport?

Do you support the team or the owner?

Personally I support the team, so whoever is the owner doesnt bother me in a situation like this, if it's the only thing that keeps the team going to the best of its ability then so be it.

Personally i would be worried if the new company only had one director. On the up side, Keighley don't own their ground and so it can't be sold off for housing.

well i suppose it could but the owners would be very foolish to do that.

oh of course, questions need answering, but to give up on the team, who probably feel a bit peeved as well is not the answer.

The question to be asked here and with all the clubs that have had financial difficulties this year and in recent years is

What is going to change ?

What is/has happened in the sport that will stop this from happening again ?

What is/has happened at the clubs that will stop this from happening again ?

What is/has happened at other clubs that are on the same path as these clubs to stop the same fate befalling them next year or the year after ?

This applies to both SL and non SL clubs , but as the OP was about Keighley lets stick to non SL on this one

That means my hard earned is not going to club!

I will follow the team through the media and still watch the local amateurs but my days of being on the terraces at Lawkholme Lane are now gone.

Over the years I have a put a great deal of money into the various guises of the club not only for matches but hiring the facilities etc.

The line has been crossed.

Sad but I know there are at least 8 others who have done the same.

The game as a whole should worry because thats Oldham, Donny, Gateshead, Crusaders, Widnes, Quins and now Cougars who have gone to the wall in some form or other just in the last several years and it is probably true that there are several clubs who are trading illegally.

The game, the actual game, is still a first class product and IMO by far and away the best on the planet but the structure and control of it is ....................................

What ?

And how ?

Its the same across all sports mate.


You haver to remember that Pro RL clubs are generaly private companies, some are run well, some aren't.

What difference does it make?

Irrespective of who the holding company is, the good news is we still have a Keighley Cougars, and one whose holding company is hopefully in better shape than the old one.

People bag administrative receivership as being the end of the world. It sounds like most have kept their jobs, and the price the new owner has had to pay for the club has to go goes towards paying off the old company's debts, so where is the problem? Surely it's better than the company going bust completely, with people losing their jobs, debts unpaid, and one less club in the professional ranks, isn't it?

I wouldn't worry. One entrepreneurial director who can make quick decisions (and can presumably call upon a team of people for advice who are not directly associated with the club, therefore saving the business money) is better than a bunch of old fashioned committeemen any day.

Well that's a stupid attitude.

Where do you think the money to survive comes from? Thin air? If you support the club, then you should be prepared to get your ar5e down to the ground and pay your money. Every bit of which helps to stave off the threat of administration again - and if that happens, the chances are you'll lose your club altogether.

Clubs go bust because of lethargic supporters not being d to turn up.

The tax bill was £183,000 built up over a number of years. It just seems obvious and common sense that when you let a debt get that big it becomes unmanageable. I would be interested in the old boards explanation, but won't hold my breath.

The interesting point for me is that the local newspaper (Keighley news) says that Keighley Cougars (2010) Ltd is a "not for profit" organisation. It will be very interesting to see what form this takes.

I'm a Cougar fan and am glad someone has taken the club on; I just hope lessons have been learned (yet again).

I think League fans stance is extreme but can empathise with his views. I would not be happy if Mr Spencer (old director) was part of the new set up.

So the question is , where does the club find another 20 grand per season to avoid the same happening again ?

The RFL own Cougar Park don't they?

Well said, we will be fine but if people start desserting the club, then there is less money and the pattern continues. I admit questions do need answering but to stop going to watch the team and barry's efforts after the hard work they did last season baffles me. The problems were made at a level above them, they dont deserve to play in front of an empty cougar park.

The co-op own cougar park

The RFL were granted the new lease by the Co-op

Presumably with better money management and fewer directors salaries would be a start.

"fewer directors salaries"

Why would I be on drugs? Is it not reasonable to assume that the directors of a company would want paying?

You havent a clue

Enlighten me then, instead of being a smug to55er.

I seriously doubt if any directors at Keighley were taking a salary, it'd seem ludicrous. I know for a fact that none do at the Bulls. I'd be surprised if many did at other clubs.

At the level that Keighley are they will have at most 1 or 2 full time admin staff , one of these might be a club director , but quite often they are not , it only tends to happen when a director takes up a CEO/general manager role

Even at SL level the directors are not paid , in fact the opposite is the norm , they put money in to keep the club alive , very much as your club chairman does , sorry if I appear ' smug ' that was not my intention , It just seemed a daft thing to say

Sports businesses are deep pits into which money is poured , not the other way round , a ' Labour of love '