Wildcats appeal for investment

Correspondent

Wakefield have launched an appeal to raise £500,000 by the end of the month in a bid to ease their financial worries.

In a statement released on their website earlier tonight, the Wildcats called for 500 people to come forward and pay £1,000 each to generate funds for the club.

The club’s current board of directors have offered to stand down and allow a new board to be created, adding that they had been told repeatedly that financial support would be forthcoming if they were not involved.

The statement followed a shareholders meeting earlier this week, at which the club gave an update on its current position.

During that meeting it was revealed that the Wildcats had missed out on funding worth £350,000 after the planning application for their proposed new stadium was called in for public enquiry on December 16.

The club revealed that the loss of £350,000 and a lack of progress in talks with potential investors had created a “difficult environment in which to work”.

They described the decision to call in the planning application as a “set back” but added that “all parties are as committed as always” to the project. However, the club is unable to say when the development will happen at present.

The statement also provided an update on the Wildcats Super League licence application.

While the proposed stadium will still be included in their bid, the club confirmed it had a fallback plan to play matches outside of the district.

The club believe their application will score highly in most areas, but accept that they are unlikely to meet the required criteria for attendances.

The Rugby Football League confirmed that they were aware of the club’s problems and have been talking to them for several months.