Keighley face wind-up threat

Yet another Championship club appears to have hit financial trouble, after Keighley announced a winding up order has began against the club.

The Cougars are the latest in a long line of clubs to be hit by money problems, and comes just weeks after Gateshead were displaced in the Championship after their parent company was wound up.

Rochdale, Doncaster (twice) and Widnes have all been in administration in recent seasons, while Oldham have also been having difficulties since chairman Bill Quinn withdrew his funding to the club.

It raises doubt over the future of the game outside of Super League, and has also led to the delay in fixtures being announced for the 2010 season.

The fixtures were originally delayed owing to Leigh’s call up to replace Gateshead in the Championship, and they were promised this week, however they haven’t been forthcoming.

Keighley were promoted to the Championship having defeated Oldham in the Championship 1 play-off final last season, but they face a fight to take the field in 2010.

A club statement said: “Having spent the 2009 season structuring the club commercially to generate sufficient revenues to fund a successful 2010 campaign in the Co-operative Championship and pay off a long-term legacy tax debt, the tax authorities have, unfortunately, refused a payment plan we proposed to them last week and have started winding up proceedings at the club.

“However don’t be alarmed about this, things are in motion to solve the situation to make the club ever stronger and we are actively working with the RFL to bring the situation to a successful and quick conclusion.”