Potentially 300 players lost to the amateur game if this goes ahead, along with all the major health and social benefits the area and players obtain this is an absolute joke from the Wigan Council

Statement of Leigh East Amateur Rugby Club

The future of Leigh East is now in serious jeopardy, despite over five years of negotiation with Wigan Council to try to reach a satisfactory solution to enable the club to enter into a 25-year lease to secure its long-term position. The Council have informed the Club that it will take over its bar and function room at the Leigh Sports Village facility on the 8th July, which is likely to result in disastrous consequences Leigh East and its 14 teams.

Prior to the move to the Sports Village, Leigh East were approached and asked to surrender its facility at Grasmere Street on the promise of a clubhouse, an all-weather training are and grass pitches. No rent would be payable for these facilities. On this basis significant funding was obtained from Sport England and Leigh East offered its full support to the Sports Village project.

By the time the Club moved from its old ground at Grasmere Street in October 2007, there had already been a number of difficult discussions with the council and Leigh East was placed in a position whereby they had no option but to agree to move in to the new clubhouse on the basis that they would run the facility and would pay significant sums in rent and training costs. It soon became apparent that the expectations of the Council where considerably higher than those that could be met by an amateur volunteer run club. From day one, the Club found itself on the financial back –foot with the Council making it clear that in addition to rent and pitch hire, they required significant contributions towards the maintenance of the building, which the Club simply was never going to be in a position to afford. Within a few months of moving in to the club, the Council indicated that it was wished to take over control of the bar but we compromised by surrendering control of the bulk of the building, including the changing rooms. Leigh East were left with the function room and bar only.

From the outset, the Council have indicated that they wanted the club to hand over the function room and the bar to them and Leigh East has fought against this since they took occupation. There are many practical difficulties associated with their not having control of the function room and bar facility which anyone associated with amateur rugby will understand, but the financial implications are nothing short of disastrous.

Despite difficult trading years, the bar at Leigh East has held its own and has managed to meet all its training costs save for in one particularly difficult year when our training costs were excessive due to the transition to summer rugby and subscriptions from our members had to be increased to meet the additional pitch hire costs. The Council argue that the bar does not make significant profits, and have continually argued that bar prices should increase to match those charged at the Sports Village. They dismiss the argument that charging excessive prices for drinks is counter-productive and refuse to provide any evidence, supported by its own accounts from its own function room at LSV, to show how inflated prices could increase profitability.

The Council does not wish to share with Leigh East, how it feels it can generate greater returns for the benefit of the ratepayer, should Leigh East no longer occupy the clubhouse.

Leigh East currently pays rent to the Council for the use of its bar facility in the sum of £19,920 per year, but the Council argues that this rent should be on a commercial basis and the Club should be paying almost £60,000 annually. They seem not to accept that lottery funding was granted to assist in the building of the facility, to assist a community club, and not so that the Council could draw in a commercial rent.

The cost to the Club in hiring pitches, necessary to support 14 teams including open age, women’s and children’s teams, last year totalled almost £21,500. When you add in the rental payment, Leigh East contributed £41,000 last year to Wigan Council; a significant sum of money and probably considerably more than is paid out by any other amateur rugby club for use of facilities and pitch hire. Wigan Council have since the outset offered, by way of subsidy, free pitch hire to the value of £21,000 per year. The true cost of the training costs attributable Leigh East are therefore £42,000. The Council have agreed to support subsidised training costs for another three years, provided that the club ‘co-operates’ with them, but will not commit to their position beyond that time. The removal of that subsidy will bring about the end of the club, as without the opportunity to raise additional revenue from the bar, there is no prospect of £42,000 being raised from rugby income.

What the Council fail to take into account is that the loss of the bar revenue, whilst resulting in Leigh East not having to pay the rent, places impossible demands on the income which can be raised just from rugby. All costs of training will have to be met from subscriptions, gate receipts, sponsorship and fund raising. These costs will prove unsustainable in the very short term. There are a number of costs which have been identified purely as a result of the loss of the bar, which of themselves will place an impossible burden upon the Club. These matters have been put to the Council, but they are unreceptive, and seem to take the view that as the facilities are great, the members should pay for them, but subscription levels have already been increased and there is limit as to how much they can be raised in the future. The philosophy at Leigh East has always been to encourage and develop rugby league within our town at a cost that is realistic, bearing in mind the affordability for the residents. It has never been the Club’s vision that they have a wonderful facility that no one can afford to be a member of. There is no place for such financial elitism within rugby league.

The Council’s position is that they are spending too much on subsidising the Club in difficult times. They quote the free pitch hire, the commercial rents and the running costs associated with the building, which the Club has tried to address by offering to pay an additional £12,000 (which result in the sacrifice valuable training time and increasing subscriptions once more) towards these costs. They state that they are subsidising us because we hire our pitch at ‘partner rates’ – a lower cost than is available to the public, and now state that an additional service charge should be met for us to contribute to the Sports Village as a whole. The simple fact is that should the Council choose to view our obligations in this way, we are doomed. The basis upon which Leigh East is expected to occupy the clubhouse is untenable and was flawed from the outset.


Throughout the Club’s tenure at the Sports Village the club, through it’s committee and solicitor, Karen Baker (who has provided her services voluntarily) have repeatedly compromised and have made proposals to try to resolve this matter in a way that can ensure the survival of the club, whilst recognising the ratepayer subsidy to the facility. The Council now tells us that it not supporting other voluntary clubs to the same extent and that it has to withdraw funding from charities and front line services. Whilst the Club understands that position, it is not thought that the destruction of one of Leigh’s two amateur rugby league teams, with the consequential impact on the community, is a decision that should be taken lightly. The Council have informed the Club that a decision has already been taken by Wigan Council’s Cabinet to implement these changes, though the minutes of that decision cannot be located on the Council’s website. This decision was not made with any prior liaison with the Club affording it no opportunity to address the Council on the implications for Leigh East.

What has this got to do with Wigan warriors? Anything that happens to go wrong in Leigh and its always the fault of Wigan, whether its Wigan Warriors, Wigan Council or whatever. I suppose that Leigh East are squeaky clean and it was probably Wigan's fault as well that they got "double" relegation at the end of last season

So you dont want kids involved in Rugby League, ?

As with all clubs they offer an outlet, taking children off the streets, keeping crime down , helping keep children fit and reducing obesity need i go on ?

There is a bigger picture !

As for east being squeaky clean, financially yes they are, they dont owe a penny and pay all there bills and raise a lot of money for Wigan Council who are now trying to screw them

Relegation ? why you raise this,? it has nothing to do with the issue, seems to me you seem to want leigh east to cease to exist, if so just come out and say it, Wigan council can kop for the crime bill when the kids of leigh and SURRROUNDING AREAS have no club and your council tax goes up to keep the sports village funded

Instead of posting on this forum, why don't you remember this the next time you vote?

The current batch certainly didnt get my vote, shall we all just lie down and die when a decision is made by Wigan council

Until we get the Council's version we cant really make a judgement or informed opinion.

Yet Wigan Council don't mind spending loads of money on advertising for the Latics journey to Wembley...

I've recently been dealing with a councillor, who is on the planning committee, that claims a project to level and drain an overgrown bit of council land for use as pitches is 'a private venture' so he can wash his hands of it. About a year ago all clubs in the borough that use council fields (and that's nearly all of them) were written to requesting that they take over control of the fields including maintenance etc from the council as part of their cost cutting measures. My guess is all, or the vast majority, told them where to go and they're now looking at taking control of anything that makes a profit to offset these costs. Whether or not East's counter argument is accurate, bear in mind the type of councillors they're likely to be dealing with in getting a decision overturned and they're facing an uphill battle and worthy of every bit of support.

Yes, stop looking for support from the RL community, you just keep quiet until the next election! Sorry to be sarcastic but surely the best thing for him to do here is to build public pressure to stop the council killing off a local club. I'd hope he's been onto the media too. If the council see that their actions are under public scrutiny, maybe they won't be so quick to act against the club.

I blame Anthony gelling!

Hatty and XBrettKennyX, really? You don't a problem here that Leigh East are potentially going to disappear because of some decisions from Wigan Council and are quite happy to let the RL community shrink in size?

From memory as in the statement lottery money and agreements were made with Leigh East and it would appear that they are now being further reneged on. I have no doubt that LE wouldn't have moved if they knew they would be in this position today.

Given that we are all suffering early death in the North West shouldn't the council be supporting sport rather than trying to exploit a keystone of the community for further income? I wouldn't be surprised if the money spent on the Latics stuff would have funded LE for a couple of years!

Not knowing all the details but being well involved in the running of an amateur rugby club I am surprised a longer more secure lease for the pitches/clubhouse wasnt agreed. Also do sport england know that wigan council are changing the use of the facilities they funded/part funded? If they don't let them know as they will most likely chase wigan council for their money back (breach of contract) or at least despite the decision.


I have seen just such a thing happen over £500 of tackle pads! would imagine they get much shirtier over 10's of thousands of pounds!

This may all be b*****ks but its worth a shout.

Also do the RFL know? Surely they would be providing a little more support in this situation.

I'm assuming the club have documented evidence of these "promises" in the form of a contract?

A lot of things went on when the LSV was built, I believe a few people wished they had a tape recorder at the time but life's a learner
What tickles me is that the council think the people buying the beer and organising the functions would still do so once they took over- clueless!!
Costs would shoot up and sales fall, leaving everyone worse off- sounds like a council strategy.

i wouldn't be happy if it was a wigan local club and nobody should be happy that local borough club is being pressured out, but i would like to see if the council actually respond or send out a PR statement avoiding the allegations.

To be honest I couldn't care less if Leigh East sinks or swims just as the people of Leigh wouldn't care less if it happened to St Pats, Rosebridge, St Jude's or Hindley. As for offering an outlet for kids, yes they do but so do leigh miners & Leigh miners rangers, if Wigan council has done the dirty (and it wouldn't surprise me if they had) then it's between Leigh east, the people of Leigh and Wigan council.

Personally I find it terrible that a council reduces the availability of sporting facitlites full stop.

Overall, Wigan Council are probably the worst council I have seen. Yet people still vote them in.

It's very very frustrating when you compare them to better run councils. The people of Wigan deserve more, but they will vote for a monkey if it has a red rosette.

Why bother replying then?

As far as the council is concerned, the elected council people are thick as swine dung and the people they appoint in responsible positions don't give a frack because they, in the main, are not Wiganers.

Leigh is in Wigan and we should be looking out for them as much as any other part of Wigan.

What a sad and bitter post! Any decisions taken by the council are taken on behalf of all of us and I for one do not want to see a worthwhile venture such as Leigh East disappear.
I can't get involved in the argument without knowing the facts but just want to express my despair at the "I'm alright Jack" attitude of your post.

Quote ="Wigan28/Leeds18 Andy"I'm assuming the club have documented evidence of these "promises" in the form of a contract?'" Andy Leigh East signed a contract and it went back to the council who never signed it and filed it. see more facts here leigheast.forumup.co.uk/viewforu ... =leigheast

Quote ="Wigan28/Leeds18 Andy"I'm assuming the club have documented evidence of these "promises" in the form of a contract?'" Andy Leigh East signed a contract and it went back to the council who never signed it and filed it. see more facts here leigheast.forumup.co.uk/viewforu ... =leigheast

As you stated "you can't get involved until you know the facts" well you don't exactly know my reasons for my comments so I would do as you suggest and don't comment until you do know something. My "I'm alright Jack" attitude is (in my opinion) warranted and I have my reasons for this. Reasons that I will not discuss on this board.

Because its a forum and i'm entitled to reply whether it be a positive/negative comment.

Your posts on this matter show the petulance of a small child.

Quote ="cherry & white"Andy Leigh East signed a contract and it went back to the council who never signed it and filed it. see more facts here leigheast.forumup.co.uk/viewforu ... =leigheast'" i cant be bothered trawling thro the LE forum to find this, but if its true, surely the ones to blame are the Leigh East committee for not making sure it was signed before they moved?

Quote ="cherry & white"Andy Leigh East signed a contract and it went back to the council who never signed it and filed it. see more facts here leigheast.forumup.co.uk/viewforu ... =leigheast'" i cant be bothered trawling thro the LE forum to find this, but if its true, surely the ones to blame are the Leigh East committee for not making sure it was signed before they moved?