Roughyeds’ big chance

Chris Hamilton: a lot of work to do

OLDHAM Roughyeds are gunning for one of four promotion spots next year.

The winners of next year’s Co-operative Championship One, both play-off finalists and the other highest-placed club will go up to a 14-team Championship starting in 2013.

For Oldham to form a part of that quartet, moves will also have to be made towards meeting minimum RFL standards — “We know we have a lot of work to do,” said Roughyeds chairman Chris Hamilton (pictured, left) — which includes a doubling of the Whitebank’s maximum capacity from its current 1,502 to 3,000, plus an increase in the number of seats from around the 200 mark up to at least 500. Floodlights will also need to be upgraded.

Promotion has eluded the Roughyeds for the past five seasons. But the need to make it to the Championship for 2013 is more pressing than ever, as a result of the governing body’s plans to bring in four new professional clubs the following season.

Hemel, Medway, Bristol, Coventry, Northampton, Chester and Oxford have been announced as the seven front-runners for open spots in a 10-club Championship One as the game below Super League gets a radical shake-up.

“If we can put credible dots on the map, we can change the rugby league landscape,” said RFL chief operating officer Ralph Rimmer, announcing the plans.

While backing the RFL’s ideas, Oldham’s chairman is keen to avoid the prospect of competing in what effectively will become a development competition of diluted quality in two years’ time.

“We are all in favour of expansion,” Hamilton added. “As it stands, there is an awful lot of travelling involved in Championship One and this will mean even more.

“As long as the new clubs achieve the same minimum standards as the rest, then the more professional sides there are, the better.

“But we are no different to the other established clubs in that if we put hand on heart, we won’t really want to be left behind.”

There will be no relegation from the Championship next season, but thereafter that the usual system of two-up and two-down between the two divisions is planned to continue.

It was also confirmed that Oldham will play a regular 18 league matches next season, as opposed to the 20 in 2011 which included an ‘extra’ two games.

Meanwhile, up to 32 league games and Northern Rail Cup ties will be broadcast in each of the next two seasons as a result of a television link-up with subscription channel Premier Sports.

Matches will continue to be shown on Thursday evenings and a number of innovations are being looked into, including touchline interviews with coaches during matches.