Roughyeds settle debt

OLDHAM Rugby League Club (1997) Ltd has paid in full the undisclosed debt which was the subject of a winding-up order by HM Revenue and Customs as presented to the High Court on September 8.

Roughyeds were formally granted an adjournment on that date to rubber-stamp an out-of-court agreement between club and HMRC in which Oldham would meet their obligations in full when legalities had been completed.

“I am happy to announce that this debt is no more and that the petition brought by HMRC will be dismissed in court tomorrow,” said club chairman Christopher Hamilton. “We wish to record publicly our thanks to the Rugby Football League for their assistance in this matter.”

He revealed that in the next few weeks Roughyeds will be launching new initiatives in which supporters will be given the opportunity to help the board to secure the club’s future.

“To settle this debt has proved incredibly hard,” said the Roughyeds chief.

“It has been a battle for survival across the 13 years since the club’s inception, and given the current economic climate it will continue to be a battle.

“Moving forward, the one thing on our side is the Whitebank Stadium. It is vital that we do our absolute uppermost as a club to make sure that income equals outgoings despite the difficult times in which we live.

“As players are finding out, there is a tightening of belts across the game in all divisions and, as we have always said, supporters have a part to play in all this.

“We don’t have masses of home fixtures in which to generate income, and the fans can help by purchasing things like season tickets. This is of great importance to all clubs, not just ours.

“We are also asking fans to support club events and fund-raisers and to join the £1-a-week Club Cash lottery.”