Fans fund rugby club's away cup tie after plea

3 hours ago

Yunus Mulla,in Barrow-in-Furnessand

Mike Zeller,BBC Radio Cumbria

News image — Barrow Raiders will have only had one home match throughout February and March to help raise funds

Ben Challis Sports Photography Barrow Raiders rugby fans watching their team in the stands of a stadium. They can be seen from behind and are wearing warm clothes, hats and scarves. — Barrow Raiders will have only had one home match throughout February and March to help raise funds

A second-tier rugby league club has thanked its supporters after they helped raise £5,000 to fund an away cup tie.

Championship side Barrow Raiders will have only had one home match throughout February and March, leading to a plea for funds to get them through the period.

The club then drew London Broncos away for its 1895 Cup game, piling on further pressure.

Chairman Steve Neale said it was the "worst possible draw" as the club would lose out on matchday revenue and incur costs of travel, hotel stays and meals.

"In normal circumstances we budget for [the cup draw] but it's just come at the wrong time," Neale said.

The rugby pitch and seating area. — Barrow Raiders said "exceptional circumstances have put us in this concerning situation"

In a statement last week, the board of Barrow Raiders said the team would have been forced to travel on the same day of the match if a backer could not be found, which would be bad for preparation for the match against the top-side in the Championship.

The statement added: "No home fixture in a two-month period is not normal.

"We want to reiterate that if we had a balanced home and away fixture list, then we would not have cash flow concerns, but exceptional circumstances have put us in this concerning situation."

Barrow should have played Halifax Panthers, based in West Yorkshire, at home on Sunday but the club was liquidated about two weeks ago.

Neale said: "We wanted to be transparent with our support base to say that we have some problems, we just put out an appeal for a sponsor to help us fund this trip and the response has just been remarkable from the rugby league community."

Yunus Mulla/BBC Pete Murphy looking into the camera with his mouth slightly open. He is mostly bald with brown and grey short hair on the side of his head. He is wearing rectangular glasses and has stubble over his chin. He is standing in front of a rugby pitch which is out of focus. — Pete Murphy helped to set up Friends of Barrow Raiders in response to money concerns surrounding the club

Fundraising efforts mean the club has reached its target.

Pete Murphy helped set up the Friends of Barrow Raiders group in September in response to money concerns surrounding the club.

"I don't think any of us have any millions or any great vast wealth or anything, we're just ordinary folk," Murphy said.

"But what we do have in abundance is a passion for the club first of all and an ability through our friends and colleagues and family members and stuff to put time and energy and effort into raising money."

But that money does not go towards the players to create a decent team, not towards coaches and away days or electricity costs.

Murphy said: "Every club outside Super League I think struggles for cash, there's no one that's doing particularly well, no-one's making millions of pounds."

Neale said the club was "working hard off the field" by putting on functions in the hospitality suite.

Looking forward to the summer, the club plans to host a fan zone ahead of the football World Cup.

"At our level, it's a struggle to get by," Neale said.

"The money doesn't come down in the volume that we would really like.

"But I guess it's our job to run a sustainable business and make sure we live within our means."

Additional reporting by Evie Lake.

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