Wildcats face winding-up order

Correspondent

Wakefield have been issued with a winding-up petition for unpaid tax by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

The Wildcats must attend a hearing at the High Court on February 2, just 10 days before they are due to face local rivals Castleford at Millennium Magic.

It is the third winding-up order faced by the troubled Super League club in the past 12 months.

A statement on the club’s website read: “The club owes national insurance and VAT from recent months and these figures have been included in a petition which will be heard at the High Court on 2nd February.

“We have been in dialogue with HMRC for a number of weeks and are disappointed that this petition has been served as we were hopeful of reaching a payment plan with them.”

Earlier this month the club launched an appeal to raise £500,000 by the end of January in a bid to ease their worsening financial situation.

The club revealed that the decision of the Government to refer their plans for a new stadium to a public inquiry meant that the club missed out on funding worth £350,000 from the developers.

The Wildcats could now be forced into administration, a move that would almost certainly result in a points deduction and throw further doubt on their Super League future.