Keighley aiming for Super League

Keighley have started the New Year by asking for a return of “Cougarmania” to help them tick an important box for a potential Super League application for 2015.

The Cougars were one of the forerunners of the modern match day experience, and their exclusion from the inaugural Super League was seen as controversial in some quarters, and a blow that the club has perhaps struggled to bounce back from.

But having beaten Workington in the Grand Final last season to secure promotion to the Championship in Jason Demetriou‘s first season in charge, the club is on the up once again.

In 1995, the club averaged 5,539 at Cougar Park, and they are looking to bring back those days as they look to become the strongest club in the Championship ahead of the next round of Super League applications.

A post on the club’s official website read: “This size of attendance propelled the club to the verge of great things. My message today is for 2012 is that everyone commits to asking just ‘one’ extra person each to attend our home games? 

“This should push our attendance levels to well above 2,000 per game and allow us to meet a key criteria for entry into Super League in 2015. A bigger crowd means a stronger club, and a bigger budget for players for the 2013 season and so on.

“I look to the start of providing the platform to make this club the strongest in the Championship over the next three years.”

Demetriou has recruited strongly for the 2012 campaign, signing Super League experience in the shape of Sam Obst, Michael Korkidas and Semi Tadulala.

The club has also revealed it will bring kick-off times forward to 2pm for next season, starting with the friendly against Batley on January 15th.