Championship CEO discusses prospect of club folding amidst financial difficulties and unpaid salaries

Championship club Whitehaven are in ‘dire straits’ financially, the club’s interim CEO has warned – as he outlines the prospect of them potentially having to fold as they owe over £10,000 in player salaries.

Les Messenger has insisted he will do everything in his power to ensure the worst-case scenario does not happen for Haven, who remain in grave danger of relegation back to League 1.

However, the situation is arguably even more bleak off the field for the Cumbrian side. Haven owe £14,000 in player salaries after Messenger admitted the squad were not paid for the month of July. They had just 331 supporters attend a recent home fixture against Toulouse, their only home game last month.

And Messenger admits the time has come to put out the call for help. They have approached the RFL to ask for an advance on their central distribution and Messenger has appealed to the sport and the local community to try and save the club.

“I need assistance,” Messenger said. “I need everybody now to dig deep and come and give me a hand. We’ve got volunteers working down on the pitch, and they’re doing a sterling job.

“On a financial footing, we’re behind the blackball. We are suffering from virtually five away games in July, which we had no income coming in. We had £1,000 to find for buses to take the players to away games. In the one home game against Toulouse, which had 331 fans through the gates. The footfall was horrendous and was virtually written off.

“It’s down to you good people out there. I need people to dig deep. If there’s any company out there that wants to sponsor the club, I’d be more than willing to negotiate terms with them.

“I’ve also been speaking to the RFL to see if they release our payments that they owe us so we can get these lads who go out there on a week-by-week basis and put their bodies out on the line paid.

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“They haven’t been paid their contract money for July. We’re talking about £14,000 here that’s owed between them players. They haven’t been paid their winning pay for Swinton and we’re in the process now of getting their two losing pays.”

Haven also owe HMRC around £8,000, but are in the process of arranging a repayment plan – but Messenger pleaded with the people of Whitehaven to support the Championship club.

“There’s around owe £8,000 to the taxman. They’ve accepted my proposal so they’ve given us a bit of leeway, but I need the good people of Whitehaven now to come to the aid of the club.

“We’re in dire straits, make no bones about it. We need their buy-in to get us over this next away game at Bradford on Sunday before a home game, when I hope the footfall justifies my thoughts that we will be able to turn everything around. Pay all the bills that’s required, pay all the players and what’s due to those good lads.. again, we’ll just wait and see.”

But Messenger offered a defiant message for the club’s future. He said: “I’m not going to let the club fold. I will be the last man standing. I’ve told the lads this, they will not be left in the lurch. I will be here until the end. But I want to be able to say to them I’ve tried my utmost to make people aware of the situation we’re in.

“We need help. We need some money.”

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