Barrow Raiders’ board of directors would like to put out an appeal to help fund an overnight stay to give the team the best possible preparation for the 1895 Cup tie against London Broncos, and communicate financial concerns relating to the lack of home fixtures covering a two-month period.
Barrow Raiders were given the worst possible draw when they were pitched with London in the 1895 Cup preliminary round.
The test will likely be the toughest possible on the field, but we feel that it is a winnable game and could be the start of the journey to cup success.
It is normal practice for the team to give themselves the best preparation with an overnight stay before our fixtures in the capital, but financial concerns mean we must be prudent and travel in one day if a sponsorship backer cannot be found.
We are looking for a figure in the region of £5,000 to cover the costs of accommodation, meals and increased coach costs due to the overnight stay.
For this, we can offer the sponsor to join us travelling and staying with the team, and boardroom hospitality with the directors, hosted by our friends from the Broncos. We can also look to give maximum publicity and add some hospitality or matchday sponsorship packages to suit, to cover some of our home fixtures. If you can help, please contact our club secretary: karen.barrowrlfc@outlook.com
With only one home league fixture covering the whole of February and March, the club were already entering this period with some financial trepidation and were hoping for a home draw in the cup or a chance to rearrange our extra home fixture with Doncaster.
The fact that Halifax, who were our only home opponents, have now been liquidated, adds to our concerns, and we fear that we will not have the cash flow to survive this two-month period.
If Halifax are not resurrected, we would hope that there is some form of compensation from the RFL, using the distribution that would have gone to the Halifax club.
To allay some concerns, the club is fully up to date with players wages and pensions, HMRC and Inland Revenue, all invoices, debt repayment plans, and we have a cash buffer in the bank that would be adequate in normal circumstances.
No home fixture in a two-month period is not normal. We want to reiterate that if we had a balanced home and away fixture list, then we would not have cash flow concerns, but exceptional circumstances have put us in this concerning situation.
We feel for all the supporters of Halifax, but there is now a ripple effect, and our bank will not entertain an overdraft citing a policy of no credit to sporting clubs due to issues across a range of sports.
More generally, throughout this challenging period, our supporters can play their part by supporting some of our initiatives.
We are hosting Brad Singleton’s testimonial on Saturday 28 February, as a Barrow All Stars team face the Rugby League All Stars. Whilst all gate receipts will go to his fund, the food and beverage sales will help the club.
We have our monthly fundraising 50/50 raffle drawn on Friday, with a current prize pot in excess of £800, which will rise with every ticket purchased.
The Friends of Barrow Raiders are hosting a Family night from 5-8pm in the MKM Marquee on Saturday night, and again bar sales come the way of the club.
And on Friday 6 March, we are hosting the superb band Soul of the North, with tickets priced at £10.
Any help that our supporters can give will be greatly appreciated. We want to be transparent before we encounter issues, so that we can all rally round to provide support in what is certain to be a tough period.
We would also be grateful for anyone who could provide a loan to the club that can be repaid at a mutually agreeable time to suit the club and the lender.
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