Barrow Raiders would like to provide a further update on the club’s current situation.

We have been blown away with the response of the rugby league community. When we put out our initial statement, we were seeking a sponsor to help contribute to the additional costs incurred for our upcoming trip to face London Broncos in the 1895 Cup, and took the opportunity to communicate our concerns over the fixture list and the effects on cash flow.

The fact that supporters throughout the game understood where we were, and without prompting, have fundraised beyond our expectations comes with our immense gratitude. 

The Rugby League Fan Club set up a GoFundMe page, and this has now exceeded the £5,000 that we initially asked for a sponsor to contribute towards the trip to London.

We also encouraged people to join our regular 50/50 monthly raffle, which will be drawn on Friday around 6pm. At the time of writing, the prize fund now stands at £3,000.

In addition, we are communicating with a sponsor who may be able to help.

We can now confirm that our 1895 Cup tie with London Broncos will take place in the capital which means that, should we come away empty-handed, then our situation worsens with only one home league game throughout the whole of February, March and April.

It seems that owning our own ground, and having the flexibility to accommodate any dates, has worked against us and, whilst the summer months should see a glut of fixtures, in business, cash flow is king. 

As previously communicated, Barrow Raiders were supportive of the introduction of the Championship salary cap. Our turnover will ensure that we will be a top-spending club, but the playing budget will need to be significantly reduced.

This will apply to all clubs so the need to “keep up” will be alleviated. Lessons will be learnt from this experience, and our aim will be to have a bigger contingency buffer to deal with exceptional circumstances such as these.

In the meantime, we thank everyone for their continued support.

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