Can't help feeling a little uneasy about Probiz as a company. They don't produce anything, it is purely an idea, which is always extrmely dubious, especially when they start to grow and make investmetns like this. It is something akin to a pyramid investment scheme. I hope I'm wrong for the sake of Cas, but wouldn't be suprosed in a year or two's time to see this company disappear as quickly as it appeared.

Gone are the days when the UK was a mecca of manufacturing, these days financial services is where it's at. Which is what Probiz do, the comparison to a 'pyramid investment scheme' is very tenuous at best...

Still, I can see where SomersetS*int is coming from. It does look a bit dodgy.

The bloke who owns them recently sold a company for 20 million quid so it's not like it's a bunch of chumps out to rob folk is it?

Only RL fans could show such scepticism about what looks to be a fantastic deal for the sport nevermind one club.

Will someone please confirm to me whether Cas are now the Giants, Centurions or still the Tigers?

Who's to say the company he sold was worth 20 million quid? Lets face it, if he was an astute businessman, why on earth would he invest ANY money in ANY rugby league club in the UK, let alone Cas (no disrespect to them). Can we name one person who has made a fortune out of RL?

Yes we can - Dave Whelan, granted it was with Wigan FC as well but he made a shed load of money from Wigan RLFC as i understand it. As for your brutal comment about Cas, can I ask you one simple question ?

Aren't Leigh that club with a good stadium and no fans whatsoever to fill it ? Also, aren't they one of Lancashire's smallest clubs ? Ranked with Wigan St Judes etc ?

Poor trolling. What has Leigh got to do with it? And whence the comparison with Wigan St Judes?

If someone ploughed money into Leigh and claimed they could sell the Leigh brand to Siberia, Caracas or Timbuktu, I would have the same skepticism. Where is the evidence to support demand in the Middle East for RL never mind Castleford, or case study success for the promotion of any club in any sport through a network of small businesses up and down the land causing a noticeable and sustained increase in support on the terraces or in armchairs?

Come back to this thread in 3 years and we will see if Probiz (what a god awful name to start with, sounds like a laxative) have made a hill of beans difference to the club and RL.

Firepower anyone? www.abc.net.au/lateline/business ... 069637.htm

Firepower anyone? www.abc.net.au/lateline/business ... 069637.htm

[urlhttp://www.code13rugbyleague.com/2010/11/27/halifax-rlfc-have-teamed-up-alongside-probiz-group-of-companies/[/url

This gets more bizarre. 3 weeks ago, Probiz announced a deal with Halifax. Does he think this is a game of monopoly or something?

So now we have his offices marketing BOTH Halifax and Cas. What happens when they both play on the same day - perhaps they can play a doubleheader and make the long coach trips from Aberdeen, the Scilly Isles (and UAE) all the more worthwhile!

Mixed reactions here; www.accountingweb.co.uk/item/172239 Still not entirely sure what it is they do but people who have signed up seem happy. Hopefully Cas have got the investment up front.

Mixed reactions here; www.accountingweb.co.uk/item/172239 Still not entirely sure what it is they do but people who have signed up seem happy. Hopefully Cas have got the investment up front.

If the MD of Probiz bothers to have a browse of these forums he's gonna be over the moon with the amount of publicity his involvement with Cas has raised. Clearly quite a few people have taken the time to try and find out about the company by googling and then viewing their website.

Whilst much of the comment is less than positive there's no doubt an awful lot more people are now aware of his company than were a couple of weeks ago!

Indeed they are, which is the whole reason behind sponsorship.

The initial OTT statement has worked a treat. Had PROBIZ just come up with the standard sponsor's press release there wouldn't have been as much reaction to it.

As I said, hopefully Cas have got the investment up front.

Millions more people are aware of Bernie Madoff than there were a couple of years ago.

I don't think anyone is going to be rushing out to invest with him though.

Pretty much typical of RL supporters, for every silver lining, there must be a cloud

If irrc did'nt Dave Whelan make his money from the scrap business originally along with the then Man City chairman Freddy Pye?

But I can't understand why he is advertising/sponsoring, he appears to keep saying he is happy to wrok with his current band of Accountants and has no need for any more. If this is his route for selling products, why does he need to spend money on advertising and sponsorship. His Accountant members can sell his wares and are his distribution channel.

Of course thats true! However anyone with any business experience can smell a rat here (and I by the way am a Chartered Accountant and wouldn't touch that firm with a barge-pole). He is playing a good game right now and lots of impressive statements and self promotion, and getting clubs like Fax and Cas to make equally gushing statements although they don't really know him from Adam!

When you look at his website, its just one big sales pitch. Its an organization which has no substance. Its classic - split up the company into different arms to make yourself look bigger and sound impressive, hire a few "big names" to give you some credibility, sell franchises and laugh all the way to the bank.

Probiz have also linked up with West Bromwich Albion, and I think it was Fax who spoke of the massive investment they have made in football. Except I can't see to see any proof of them actually spending so much of a pound there - they have simply become advisers of the players/club and wealth creation advice (but haven't the players created enough wealth already?!)

Meh, I'm just taking it at face value at the moment, trying to accentuate the positive rather than the negative whereas others have the company hung, drawn and quartered before they even start.

With some on here its clear its more of a case they hope that something does go wrong, than they actually think it, i'm quite happy to see how this develops and am satisfied with the fact that we have gone from no ground sponsorship to a big wedge of it.

can't believe the negativity on this forum - the fans have a right to be sceptical but FFS,give the club a chance before putting the boot in !

Good luck Cas and anyone else lucky enough to find sponsorship nowadays

Yeah your right, maybe Fax and Cas should look for a local taxi firm or scaffolding firm to sponsor them as their money will be different to the money PROBIZ will be paying?

Au contraire, Castleford (and Halifax) should take the money whilst they can. What I am disputing is whether the Probiz grandiose plans for marketing the club UK wide and overseas has any credibility whatsoever.

As long as Probiz have no stake in the club or are propping up the club with a loan, it should be no concern of Cas as to what Probiz actually do.

As for hoping things go wrong before they start - hope has nothing to do with it. As many will know I am a flatcapper so nothing would give more pleasure than to see a flat-cap club like Cas succeed.

Anyway, lets just see how it all turns out eh?

Actually cas are an expansion club, formed 31 years after the formation of the northern union (and the most succesful expansion club i might add).