Live games bonus amid tough times

CHRIS HAMILTON: Experiencing a difficult period.

Oldham make a ‘significant’ loss on Fev cup tie

ROUGHYEDS chief executive Chris Hamilton has admitted the club felt a financial sting from the poorly-attended Northern Rail Cup quarter-final tie against Featherstone.

The game, a 32-18 loss which came despite a performance which was for the most part positive from Oldham, was played ‘on the road’ as a home game at the new Leigh Sports Village two weeks ago.

While many of the supporters who took advantage of the free coach travel to and from the sparkling venue will be dreaming of Oldham one day boasting their own stadium of a similar calibre, the fact that only 853 fans came through the turnstiles on the night made it something of a financial nightmare for the club — who survived a winding-up order in the High Court last week — amid a barren period of fixtures.

“Any business that faces the biggest part of its income stream being taken away is going to find it tough,” said Mr Hamilton, whose side next plays on home soil against Keighley Cougars on Sunday, July 19, at Boundary Park.

“We have been pretty good over the years at getting through tough times and hopefully we will do again this time.

“The big disappointment this time is that the one game in the period that was classed as a home game was one we lost a significant amount of money on.

“The televised game against Featherstone, in terms of the attendance and everything, given that the fee we were charged to play at the Leigh Sports Village — not an allowable expense on a shared gate — wasn’t insignificant, meant we lost money on the game.

“And it was compounded by the fact that we had to split the gate.”

While the number-crunching disappointed, though, the fact that Oldham featured on live televised coverage — as they are set to twice more before mid-August — is a bonus.

“We hoped we were going to get more people there. You take a gamble — a calculated gamble — and first and foremost, we didn’t have a great choice of venues.

“We thought that going to Leigh, while not ideal, would have attracted some to go there because it is a brand new facility.

“It is true that there is a price with that situation that comes along with getting the televised exposure.

“I am quite sure that although we were disappointed to lose the game, it looked a decent contest on screen. We had a good go against a team that plays in a higher division.

“The profile and exposure you get from a televised game you can’t put a price on.

“It is all about getting the message out to as many people as we can. Ultimately, up to two years ago clubs at this level had no TV exposure at all.

“It is a step in the right direction and it is ironic that our next game is also being broadcast on Sky (York a week tomorrow), followed by another (at home to London Skolars at Boundary Park on Thursday, August 6).

“In all we have featured, as in previous years since Sky started covering matches below Super League, more times than any other club at our level.”

As for the York game, Oldham’s chief executive hopes his side stand up to what is expected to be a tough battle against a side third in the Championship One table.

“We have got ourselves in a situation where we are under pressure,” he added. “But you hope that the players and coaches will respond to that pressure.

“Certainly, there should be nothing lacking in terms of commitment and enthusiasm and desire.”