Wakefield Council has agreed to provide £500,000 to secure the future of professional rugby league Featherstone.

The financial boost comes after Featherstone Rovers went into administration in December and the club was denied membership of the Rugby Football League (RFL).

The council’s cabinet members voted in favour of a recommendation to release funds to support the RFL’s plan to purchase the town’s Post Office Road ground and lease it to a new operator.

It is hoped a successor club could then be created and return to competition from 2027.

Wakefield Council has agreed to spend £500,000 to help secure the future of professional league in Featherstone.

placeholder image — Wakefield Council has agreed to spend £500,000 to help secure the future of professional league in Featherstone.

Funding comes from the council’s Rugby League Resilience Fund, which was established in 2021 to develop grassroots and professional rugby league across the district.

The council expects the RFL to match the contribution, and discussions are also ongoing regarding further financial support from national funding bodies.

Lukasz Borcz, the council’s portfolio holder for leisure and sport, told a meeting on Tuesday: “This model protects the assets for future generations and reduces the risk of further loss.

“The benefits of taking this forward will include safeguarding of a major community and sporting asset, protecting opportunities for participation and youth development, which is a big one in my opinion.”

A report to cabinet members said talks had been ongoing about how a ‘phoenix club’ could be established at the stadium.

The document said: “Key to this is what happens to the future of the Featherstone Rovers assets, which are currently in the control of an appointed administrator.

“It is proposed that the RFL acquire the stadium and associated land through the RFL Facilities Trust.

“This would then be leased back to the new licence holders of the club.

“The benefit of the asset being held by the RFL Facilities Trust is that it ensures that, should the club get into difficulty in the future, the assets are secured for future generations to ensure professional rugby league can continue in Featherstone.”

The council said funding would only be released once the RFL had demonstrated that a sustainable operating entity has been identified and had met “all relevant requirements.”

The RFL previously said: “We are grateful to Wakefield Council for enabling the release of resilience funding to support the future of Rugby League in Featherstone.

“We have worked closely over the last nine months, and we are mindful that we will be in receipt of public money to support this.

“Therefore, more than ever, we must ensure we ourselves believe there is a viable sustainable future.

“We remain hopeful we can find a solution to bring Featherstone Rovers RLFC back to the town.”