Featherstone Rovers apply for administration
Featherstone Rovers said it had "no choice" but to apply for the move amid unpaid debts
- Published
West Yorkshire rugby league club Featherstone Rovers has applied to go into administration amid serious financial difficulties.
The side was due to face a winding-up order at the High Court over unpaid debts on Wednesday, but in a statement shared on Tuesday evening the club said it hoped this would now be adjourned.
Rovers, whose men's side play in the second-tier Championship and women's side won promotion back to the Super League this year, said it "had no choice" but to apply for administration.
The team said it would be "unable to trade its way out of the present situation due to the level of debt it currently has".
Rovers' participation in the 2026 season has been in doubt in recent weeks, although last month the club was included in the draw for the opening rounds of the Challenge Cup.
Announcing its intention to enter administration, Rovers' statement said it would "continue to be in dialogue with the Rugby Football League regarding a new club participating in the league and cup structure" for the season ahead.
It added: "It is a regrettable course of action for all concerned, but ultimately, the only course of action available."
Rovers, whose men's side have narrowly missed out on promotion to the Super League on a number of occasions in recent years, was hit with a winding-up petition last year as its money problems mounted.
The club has also leased its Millennium Stadium ground to non-league football side Wakefield AFC in recent years, although that arrangement ended for a second time last month when the football club moved to a new home in Pontefract.
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