Keighley chairman makes budget claim

Keighley chairman Gary Fawcett believes the Cougars are spending just half of what some of their Championship rivals are spending, despite signing several big names in the close season.

Player-coach Jason Demetriou has brought in former team-mates Michael Korkidas, Sam Obst, Semi Tadulala and Paul March, who all boast strong Super League pedigree, while the likes of Richie Barnett and Danny Jones have also moved to Cougar Park, following the club’s promotion from Championship 1.

But in an interview with the local press, Fawcett insisted that the Cougars’ spend was much less than the likes of Featherstone, Halifax and Leigh, who are all expected to be competing at the top end of the division this season.

In the interview, he says: “In fact, I would estimate that we are spending approximately half of what the big clubs in the Championship – Leigh, Halifax and Featherstone – are spending.”

The Championship salary cap was reduced a couple of seasons ago to try and prevent clubs having financial difficulty from overspending on player wages.

Several clubs, including Keighley, have entered administration in recent years.