Leigh

[noahrob]

Leigh owner Derek Beaumont has told the BBC the Centurions’ future as a professional club is at risk.

Two contracted players, believed to be Rhys Evans and Kevin Larroyer, are yet to agree a settlement to their contracts after the owner pulled his financial support for the club after they missed out on The Qualifiers, resulting in a significant dip in central funding.

Currently, the club has no other players, no coach – after Kieron Purtill went to Widnes – and is under special measures from the RFL, meaning the club is unable to sign players.

Beaumont told BBC Radio Manchester: “There’s no way it can survive if it’s got to pay two players full time.

“When 40% of your playing budget would be taken up by those two players, that you’re trying to arrange to move on, it leaves very small amount of money to recruit 20 players.

“If I gave a coach that money they’d be in League One the following year.”

Under Beaumont, Leigh earned promotion to Super League but relegated after just one season following defeat to Catalans in the Million Pound Game.

The club then received a £500,000 parachute payment from Super League, but let go of the majority of their squad, some of which then attempted to take legal action against the club.

Beaumont retained the club’s full-time status in 2018, recruiting an expensively assembled squad of former Super League and NRL players, but a slow start to the season meant they missed out on a place in the top four.

A number of players left the club ahead of the transfer deadline in July, and Beaumont put the club up for sale.

He says he has had no offers for the club, but says he would write off his loans to the club should an ambitious potential owner come in wanting to make Leigh a Super League club again.

The release of the Championship fixture schedule for 2019 is due before November 18.

[CUMBRIAN BOY]

Think Leighs problems have all come from miss management from Mr Beaumont, 

[meesterC]

Think Leighs problems have all come from miss management from Mr Beaumont,

Pathetic to use players sticking to contracts which he agreed and signed off as an excuse for his failure.

[bustling billy]

No doubt the rfl. Will bale them out and bend over backwards to help them.....
Remember being at Leigh a few years ago with haven when they were in financial difficulties and came around  with a bucket collection.

[cbandg01]

I'm afraid that miss management from Mr Beaumont is only a minor part of the problem. Too many clubs are (like Leigh) getting into financial difficulties, and this has been going on for quite a few years.

So who is to blame ? Well yes the clubs themselves to some extent, but more importantly it's about how the game is run to a large extent. The RFL have more focus on dodgy 'RL expansionism' than on ensuring the game is structured and run in a way which encourages clubs NOT to overspend, ...…...rather than what is happening in the present set up, which encourages many clubs to chase the unachievable or unlikely, and in doing so spend well beyond their means.


The RFL should start, (I believe), by cutting expansionism, dropping say 4 of the least able clubs into the national league and going back to 2 divisions, operating with promotion and relegation. They should also share out the funding money more fairly across the two divisions, support the Challenge Cup more and spend time finding more ways of generating more and more diverse money generating systems, whereby the second tier teams below super league can benefit from being involved in them.


It's sound RL wide ideas and collective inclusive will power the RFL need, not spur of the moment and single / minority club focused actions. 


Finally, why is it that clubs get into financial hardship AND THEN the RFL find out about it. All this capping of salaries, special measures, and dishing out of RL funds MUST in future be encompassed by an auditing system which checks and ensures all clubs are working to strong and sound systems, systems which are demonstrably ensuring future financial collapses are avoided.     

[davo5]

I'm afraid that miss management from Mr Beaumont is only a minor part of the problem. Too many clubs are (like Leigh) getting into financial difficulties, and this has been going on for quite a few years.

So who is to blame ? Well yes the clubs themselves to some extent, but more importantly it's about how the game is run to a large extent. The RFL have more focus on dodgy 'RL expansionism' than on ensuring the game is structured and run in a way which encourages clubs NOT to overspend, ...…...rather than what is happening in the present set up, which encourages many clubs to chase the unachievable or unlikely, and in doing so spend well beyond their means.


The RFL should start, (I believe), by cutting expansionism, dropping say 4 of the least able clubs into the national league and going back to 2 divisions, operating with promotion and relegation. They should also share out the funding money more fairly across the two divisions, support the Challenge Cup more and spend time finding more ways of generating more and more diverse money generating systems, whereby the second tier teams below super league can benefit from being involved in them.


It's sound RL wide ideas and collective inclusive will power the RFL need, not spur of the moment and single / minority club focused actions. 


Finally, why is it that clubs get into financial hardship AND THEN the RFL find out about it. All this capping of salaries, special measures, and dishing out of RL funds MUST in future be encompassed by an auditing system which checks and ensures all clubs are working to strong and sound systems, systems which are demonstrably ensuring future financial collapses are avoided.   

What has expansion clubs got to do with the likes of Bradford,Leigh,Haven etc going tits up,if you don't spend more than you earn you don't get into trouble.

[cbandg01]

Very simple explanation for Davo5...…..as the post infers, if the RFL concentrated more of its time and effort on ensuring the present clubs were on a level playing field WRT the money they divide out between clubs each season .....

AND

in parallel with that make sure their RFL salary caps, special measures and financial audits kept a closer check on the individual clubs financial position and dealings .....

AND

stopped spending time and wasting money on a provenly catastrophic expansion policy which has sent more new clubs to the wall than it's proven successful with ....

THEN

they would be doing RL in general more of a service than they do presently.

[davo5]

Very simple explanation for Davo5...…..as the post infers, if the RFL concentrated more of its time and effort on ensuring the present clubs were on a level playing field WRT the money they divide out between clubs each season .....

AND

in parallel with that make sure their RFL salary caps, special measures and financial audits kept a closer check on the individual clubs financial position and dealings .....

AND

stopped spending time and wasting money on a provenly catastrophic expansion policy which has sent more new clubs to the wall than it's proven successful with ....

THEN

they would be doing RL in general more of a service than they do presently.

Absolute rubbish,expansion clubs have nothing to do with the numerous heartland clubs financial ineptitude. It wasn't an expansion club that threatened court action against the RFL if they didn't raise the championship salary cap.It isn't expansion clubs who brought in the new funding arrangements,it was greedy heartland championship clubs who needed the money to offset their mismanagement .
As for the RFL being prevented from keeping a check on clubs finances,by expansion clubs,how many high cost accountants do you think they'd need to get to the bottom of every pro clubs financial dealings with all the fiddles that obviously go on ?
Yes the game in this country is struggling and has many problems,but putting all that at a few expansion clubs feet is rediculous.

[cbandg01]

OK Davo5, I give in and withdraw everything I've said on this particular subject...….your superior in depth knowledge of all things RL make me realise my opinions are so far off the mark that I need to reassess my negative views of the wonderful RFL.

[touchjudge57]

Our friends in the north getting all giddy😂

[rockerlad]

really 90% of posts saying it would be a bad idea if Leigh went down and town went up 

[CUMBRIAN BOY]

Don't think Town would be very happy either, they will have focused on playing in this league next season with that budget, they will have also looked at the players they will require for this league for next season,

[whitey12]

I'm afraid that miss management from Mr Beaumont is only a minor part of the problem. Too many clubs are (like Leigh) getting into financial difficulties, and this has been going on for quite a few years.

So who is to blame ? Well yes the clubs themselves to some extent, but more importantly it's about how the game is run to a large extent. The RFL have more focus on dodgy 'RL expansionism' than on ensuring the game is structured and run in a way which encourages clubs NOT to overspend, ...…...rather than what is happening in the present set up, which encourages many clubs to chase the unachievable or unlikely, and in doing so spend well beyond their means.


The RFL should start, (I believe), by cutting expansionism, dropping say 4 of the least able clubs into the national league and going back to 2 divisions, operating with promotion and relegation. They should also share out the funding money more fairly across the two divisions, support the Challenge Cup more and spend time finding more ways of generating more and more diverse money generating systems, whereby the second tier teams below super league can benefit from being involved in them.


It's sound RL wide ideas and collective inclusive will power the RFL need, not spur of the moment and single / minority club focused actions. 


Finally, why is it that clubs get into financial hardship AND THEN the RFL find out about it. All this capping of salaries, special measures, and dishing out of RL funds MUST in future be encompassed by an auditing system which checks and ensures all clubs are working to strong and sound systems, systems which are demonstrably ensuring future financial collapses are avoided.   

What has expansion clubs got to do with the likes of Bradford,Leigh,Haven etc going tits up,if you don't spend more than you earn you don't get into trouble.

Expansion clubs have a big impact in our league our gates are 280 down on average against them and has been 100% winning pay against them because they are poor - ba ther Coventry game.  If you know who to sell these games to floating supports, then share that knowledge...

[touchjudge57]

John Duffy confirmed as coach with Martyn Ridyard his first signing.
What I can’t understand is how Leigh are currently allowed to sign players with the financial position of the club.
We were in special measures and didn’t have anywhere near the problems they have.

[rockerlad]

John Duffy confirmed as coach with Martyn Ridyard his first signing.
What I can’t understand is how Leigh are currently allowed to sign players with the financial position of the club.
We were in special measures and didn’t have anywhere near the problems they have.

because we all know west Cumbria sides are treated differently by the rfl