Keighley owners explain shock u-turn after scrapping plans to sell club

Keighley Cougars co-owners Kaue Garcia and Ryan O’Neill have abandoned their plans to sell the club just nine days removed from initially confirming they would be leaving the Championship side.

Garcia and O’Neill insisted last week they were left with no choice but to walk away from Keighley, insisting it was time for someone else to become custodians of the club.

The pair cited the homophobic abuse they have been enduring on a near weekly basis as the main reason for them moving on.

But there were emotional and powerful scenes on Sunday in their home game against Swinton Lions – with many Keighley supporters uniting and calling for the pair to remain. And they have now accepted that plea from fans.

Keighley owners to stay

In a statement, the club admitted that they were blown away by the ‘extraordinary outpouring of support’ from not only fans, but local sponsors and the town’s long-serving MP, Robbie Moore – who himself penned a statement over the weekend in support of Garcia and O’Neill.

The club said: Kaue Garcia and Ryan O’Neill have today confirmed that they will remain as owners of Keighley Cougars following an extraordinary outpouring of support from the club’s supporters, sponsors, volunteers, the towns MP Robbie Moore and wider community ever since the announcement.

“After announcing their intention to step away from the club, the pair say they have been overwhelmed by the response from those determined to see them continue leading the Cougars into a new era.”

O’Neill said: “Over the last few weeks, we’ve felt the attacks harder than ever before. What we hadn’t realised was that we have an army of kindness within our club. People who share our values. People who didn’t just stand beside us—they stood up and fought for us.

“The days leading up to Sunday’s game were truly humbling. We saw the supporters of Keighley Cougars rally together in a way we never expected. The messages, the phone calls, the conversations on Sunday, reminded us exactly why this club is so special.

“In today’s world, negativity often shouts the loudest. It can sometimes make you believe that hate has won. What we’ve learned over the last week is that loyalty and decency are far stronger—they’re just sometimes quieter until they need to be heard.”

Keighley owners to ‘continue building vision’

Garcia said: “During an interview with ITV Calendar we were asked whether we had let hate win. That question really stayed with us because, perhaps without realising it, maybe we had.

“What the supporters of Keighley Cougars have shown us is that they simply weren’t prepared to let that happen. They reminded us what this club stands for. They reminded us why we started this journey in the first place.

“We’ve always believed Keighley Cougars should be about much more than rugby. It should be about bringing people together, creating opportunities and making our town proud. The incredible support has given us renewed energy and belief to continue building that vision.”

While O’Neill insisted: “This isn’t about Ryan and Kaue. It’s about what Keighley Cougars can become when everyone pulls in the same direction. We’ve always said we’re only custodians of this great club.

“The supporters have reminded us that we’re not carrying this responsibility alone. The last two weeks have changed us. They’ve made us appreciate this club, this town and its people more than ever before. We know there is still a huge amount of work ahead, and we know there will be challenges. But today we’re looking forward, not backwards.”

“We’re staying. We’re fighting. And together, we’re going to build something that Keighley can be proud of.”

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