All the hard planning work in recent weeks couldn’t have happened at a better time as it has now coincided with the application process for the Championship and a lot of the information can be transferred to support our chances. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity and I guess in this case some will say that we have been lucky we have put so much in to our 2021 development plan. What we have managed to produce in the last week or so has allowed us to reflect on the massive strides we have made as a club and also our future realistic growth plans and, whatever the decision, the process will prove rewarding and has helped our focus on taking the club to a better place.
The application is divided in to 6 sections and I genuinely believe that we are the strongest candidate. Other clubs will cite potential, but our area is a genuine rugby league area, steeped in tradition, that is capable of so much growth and is more than capable of creating a following to rival any Championship club. It does not take a genius to work out that an increase in crowds improves everything from direct cashflow to sponsorship deals, to broadcast deals to ensuring repeat visitors. Whilst our crowds are modest in terms of where we want to be, our tick in the box is a lot bolder than all other League One clubs.
Our involvement in the community all has the ultimate aim of improving crowds, introducing new customers to rugby league either through attendance or participation. We have linked up with many organisations and we have received many messages to support our application that we can submit to the RFL.
The Barrow Council, Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Police, BAE Systems, Barrow Ladies, the Barrow and District League, Barrow Masters, our senior players and coaching staff, Heads of schools and Cumbria Carers have all taken the time to write letters of support citing all the good work currently ongoing at the Raiders. It is heart-warming to realise the positive influence the club has on the local population.
We have future growth plans too and the RFL will find that we are a club that is determined not to rest on their laurels, but one that has a mantra of continuous improvement. Doing things the way we’ve always done them is not acceptable. Every single department from our playing strength to our events programme to our financial performance to the community offerings to our facilities must be on a journey of improvement.
In terms of our current playing strength there is a belief that our squad is currently strong enough to compete in the Championship. Some clubs like Leigh have been shopping like they are a Super League team, but we believe we are capable of having a season of consolidation and then have realistic plans to be a club challenging for the play-offs and Super League.
We acknowledge that our facilities aren’t the best, but we do have a distinct advantage of owning our own ground. It is perfectly adequate for Championship rugby in terms of capacity and broadcasting so we shouldn’t lose points for that category. Many fans actually love the traditional feel of the place.
Clearly our financial sustainability is also important. In these COVID times the last thing the RFL want is for a club to go bust mid-season but we have been able to provide evidence of recent history, paying every single bill on time, and future projections that provide assurance of a stable club.
The final section of the application concerns our Governance and the club ownership structure. I actually think it is to our benefit that we are a members’ club and no one person owns it. Having a money man might be good in the short-term but having a Board of Directors that needs to be transparent to the members provides accountability.
The application goes in Wednesday, let’s hope we are lucky!
Don’t forget that season tickets are on sale at our E-shop at www.shopbarrowrlfc.com