Roughyeds in new financial crisis

CHRIS HAMILTON

OLDHAM Rugby League Football Club (1997) Limited has been served with a new winding-up petition.

A notice appeared in the London Gazette in which details of the petition, brought about by HM Revenue and Customs, were revealed.

A hearing has been set to take place on September 8, 2010, at 10.30am in the Royal Courts of Justice, London.

Club chairman Chris Hamilton said that news of the action was not unexpected and is a result of historic debts accumulated in the 13-year period while the Oldham club was without its own ground.

The task now is to come to an arrangement with HM Revenue and Customs over the debt to avoid being wound up.

"It is something we have been aware of and we are working with the RFL to make sure it is dealt with," said Hamilton.

"As we have said previously, playing a few games at our new Whitebank Stadium has not suddenly wiped out our debts.

"Having our own home will, however, continue to make a difference in the future."

He was not willing to reveal the current figure being claimed by the HM Revenue and Customs.

Last year, two winding-up petitions for £55,000 and £47,000 were staved off, the first by former chairman Bill Quinn, and the second by club investors in conjunction with the RFL.

In comparison to the free-spending of recent years, the club have embarked on cost-cutting in terms of player wages in 2010.

And a successful season at the new permanent Whitebank home has followed, with promotion still on the cards.

Roughyeds travel to London Skolars on Friday night and are then at home in a Co-operative Championship One qualifying play-off against York City Knights on Sunday, September 12.

Win that, and the club will qualify for the play-off final for a fourth successive season.

Oldham have confirmed they had a visit from the RFL a few weeks ago regarding improvements that need to be made to the Whitebank Stadium in the event of promotion to the Championship.

No problems are anticipated, though officials are keen to get to the end of the current season before revealing the exact plans.