Castleford Tigers, Wakefield Trinity and Featherstone Rovers receive funding boost worth £6m

The Rugby League Resilience Fund - which will be divided into £2m for each club - will provide all three clubs with a financial boost and help grow grassroots sports and community use of their facilities.

The funding will be provided as a grant, with the proposals getting the approval from Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Members on Monday.

All three clubs will be required to deliver a "Community Use Strategy" as part of the funding agreement.

This means that Wakefield, Castleford and Featherstone will actively support and encourage the growth of grassroots rugby league - while increasing the community use of their facilities.

Cllr Michael Graham, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “We are very pleased to have made this decision today which recognises that rugby league is at the heart our towns and city, with a very proud history.

"All three clubs have fantastic support from their fans and already make valuable contributions to communities in our district.

“With this new support to Wakefield Trinity, Castleford Tigers and Featherstone Rovers, we can help prolong the heritage of potential Super League rugby being played in the district.

“At the same time we can help the clubs widen their grass roots reach in the community and create more inclusive facilities that will meet the needs of even more people in our district.

“This can bring many benefits to our district’s health and wellbeing, as well as encouraging young people to aspire to achieve their dreams and goals in life.”

John Minards, Chairman of Wakefield Trinity RLFC, said: “Following several months of positive and productive discussions with Wakefield Council, and Wakefield Trinity, we are delighted with the establishment of the Rugby League Resilience Fund.

"For our club, the fund will make a significant contribution of our stadium redevelopment plans which will themselves bring enormous benefits not just to the club but also to the people and communities of Wakefield.”

Mark Grattan, Managing Director at Castleford Tigers, said: “All three professional rugby league clubs in the area are so involved at the heart of their communities.

"Therefore, we at Castleford Tigers are delighted to hear that the Rugby League Resilience Fund has been passed by cabinet, and the club looks forward to working with Wakefield Council in this regard.”

Mark Campbell, Chairman of Featherstone Rovers stated: “We are extremely grateful to Wakefield Council for this significant support, which is a real shot in the arm for the club after an extremely challenging period financially for the game of rugby league due to Covid.

“The Council know that we have an excellent track record of the continuous development of our club so that it is sustainable and for our extensive efforts in the community, and this support will enable us to make a huge step change in accelerating our progress in these areas.”