Halifax Panthers’ road to survival as players become free agents

The future of Halifax Panthers is in grave danger after the club was liquidated by the courts on Monday afternoon.

Halifax, Challenge Cup winners on five occasions and league champions on four, were wound up over a HMRC debt, a matter that came as a huge shock to the club and the wider rugby league community.

Now the question on everyone’s lips is simple: what next?

Ultimately, the key to anything is creating a new company, which sounds simple but is practically much more complex.

It begins by finding someone willing to take ownership and financial control of the club, and that is where the club’s future ultimately hinges right now. Fax have been open to investment for years but it has never been forthcoming. Whether these circumstances change things remains to be seen.

If a consortium comes forward, they must then go through the logistics of setting up a new company, getting approval from the RFL and then navigating the financial picture that comes with setting up a new company mid-season.

There are questions then surrounding supporters who have season tickets, corporate partners who have already paid for hospitality, kit suppliers, and array of other matters that will all need to be resolved.

That’s before even thinking about a playing squad. With the club in liquidation, all of Halifax’s players and coaching staff are free agents and free to sign for other clubs should they wish to do so. That adds even more urgency to the matter.

What’s clear for now is that Sunday’s fixture with Sheffield Eagles will almost certainly be off. Going through that process between now and the weekend appears impossible. They then, quite fortunately, have a bye week after that, which does buy them some time to hopefully find a resolution for when they play Barrow Raiders on March 1st.

From an RFL perspective, they are now in the process of working through the consequences of Halifax’s potential withdrawal from the competition, as well as the 1895 Cup, while also working with interested parties in taking the club forward.

The situation is currently a frantic one, but it’s clear that time is of the essence too.