Whitehaven admit money struggles as players paid late

Whitehaven have updated supporters with a candid review of the club’s current situation.

After reaching the Championship play-offs in 2021, the club had a difficult season on and off the pitch despite a memorable Challenge Cup clash against St Helens.

With central funding having been drastically reduced as a result of the broadcast deal, budgets have become even tighter.

The club also announced this week the departures of hooker Josh Eaves and popular winger Andrew Bulman.

A club statement said: “Ashley (Kilpatrick, director), Charlo (Gary Charlton, director of rugby) and Jonty (Gorley, head coach) have worked tirelessly pulling a team together on possibly the smallest budget in the league, to lose any of the team they have built was never our plan, but we have to do right by the player as-well as ourselves.

“During the off season you will have seen three events organised – we organised these to help us generate much needed cash flow – for all three events we didn’t get in to double figure sales resulting in them all having to be cancelled. This isn’t us having a go at you fans this is us trying to explain.

“Contracts run until October games end early September it’s obvious to all cash flow would be an issue. None of the other bills stop either ie Hmrc, PAYE, gas, electric we could go on.

“As a board the clubs future is paramount and we will admit we came close to closing those gates for good with a big cut in RFL and debt from the 2020/2021 financial year, but with directors putting personal money in and new sponsors we’ve managed to get by.

“Unfortunately during this time payments to players where made late but all payments to current squad members have been made for this we will hold our hands up and say it’s wrong but in the grand scheme of everything else we kept our promise that the money would be paid.

“We’re going in to a very very tough year you will have all seen what the other clubs are spending around us.

“All we can ask is that you support us and try get this great club back to where it deserves to be.”

Whitehaven will enter their fourth season back in the Championship, having won League 1 back in 2019.

They finished top of the second tier in 2004, losing in the Grand Final that year and also in 2005.

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