Quote ="shelfsox"Link and rest of Batley site not working - what's the gist?'"
Quote ="From Batley website"On the same day that Batley Bulldogs announced a trading profit of almost £33,000 and confirmed that over the last year they have significantly reduced their debts with the help of this profit, the RFL advised the Club that their players would not be registered unless indebtedness to HMRC was reduced to nil.
Clubs were advised at a meeting in October that the RFL wanted all Clubs to be free of debt especially to the Inland Revenue and that RFL may refuse to register players if appropriate. Prior to the announcement of last seasons profit Batley had given the RFL advance information regarding their trading figures and budgets so that they were aware that their debts had significantly reduced in 2010. However, the Club were unaware that with not much more than a month notice they were required to clear all Inland Revenue debt.
Batley Chief Executive, Paul Harrison reported “ We received this email on Friday that our players could not be registered which did create a cloud over our shareholders meeting where up to then all the news was to be very positive and celebratory. I know the directors of the club are to some extent angry with the RFL attitude but also worried about the situation. However, I think that the powers that be will soon realise that we are made of stern stuff at Batley. I do not know what they expect of us exactly but I do know that as we speak not all Clubs are free of debt to the Inland Revenue and so if other Clubs are treated the same as us we may not have a competition in 2011!”
Batley Chairman, Kevin Nicholas added “In the same week as we are told our players cannot be registered we see Crusaders going into administration owing the Inland Revenue I don’t know how much but certainly sufficient that they cannot pay it and then we see that they announce the signing of new players and so I wonder if they will be registered by the RFL. However, we will be advising the RFL this week, by hook or by crook the debt to the Inland Revenue will be settled as per their demand in the next couple of weeks and then we will see if other Clubs are being treated the same as us. We fully understand that all Clubs need to pay what is owed to the Inland Revenue and that is exactly what we have been doing in the last year. We would be interested to know how many other Clubs have made a trading profit this year and paid as much of their debts off as us. Apart from Widnes who made £1 million profit because the owner put £2 million into the Club I doubt there will be many if any who have declared a profit and the Widnes situation is hardly an achievement. We regrettably do not have a person who can put £2 million into the Club but we do know that we can compete with Clubs in our League both on and off the field.”
He continued to say, “Anyway forget other Clubs, we need to raise the money urgently to resolve this matter and already we have a plan to raise most of the money quickly and we can raise the balance if we can persuade others to buy the remaining 31 shares in the Club at £250 each. We have previously sold 169 shares when we released a 10% shareholding in the Club and if we can complete the sale of the remaining shares quickly the job will be done. Can I therefore ask supporters to rally and if at all possible buy the remaining shares, as the monies raised will thereby solve our problem. The Board would then raise the balance of the £23,000 owed and the Club would be in the best financial position it has ever been in. We can then show the RFL what we are made of and look forward to a great season in 2011. We are disappointed with the RFL but Batley has been at Mount Pleasant for 130 years and we will be here long after personnel at Red Hall have been and gone and long after other Clubs who seem to be treated more favourably than us.”
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