What’s going on at Workington Town has been the major topic this week, with concerns over the financial situation at Derwent Park.
There had been whispers for a week or two that financial difficulties had been affecting Workington’s ability to fight clear of their desperate position at the foot of the Championship.
Now Town have a history over many years of not saying anything publicly that can be construed as bad news until the dogs are barking at it.
It seems to be in their DNA and now they are like many more sports clubs (in truth the vast majority), who retreat into the cocoons that are their own social media outlets so that the fans don’t get to hear the real nitty gritty that concerns them until it’s on top of them.
They have now produced two official statements which admit they are in a ‘fragile state’ but are putting steps into place which will ensure the long-term survival of the club.
Now whatever their shortcomings on news updates, Town need the support of the local community to overcome this current crisis which a cashflow issue has magnified.
I feel sure they will get that backing in the weeks ahead, and although relegation back to League One is a certainty, the club will survive.
The bigger concern, however, is about the direction the sport itself is going in once the RFL’s new partners IMG have considered their radical plans to overhaul the game from top to bottom.
Rumours abound, as they always do, and the majority won’t have any substance.
The one that worryingly persists is that come 2024 there will be two top competitions of 10 teams each – Super League One and Super League Two – with the next ten contesting the Championship.
As for the rest they will revert to amateur status – which would mean axing seven clubs – who would be condemned to a no-man’s land existing between the pro game and the National Conference!
The Championship has improved dramatically and steadily over the last few years and is proving a hit with subscribers to Premier Sport.
A third tier of ten clubs, below the two Super Leagues, should prove a worthy back-up competition to the elite.
There are undoubtedly going to be casualties in the great IMG shake-up and clubs at the lower end of League One after the 2023 season will be especially vulnerable.
Let’s hope Town can be pulled round and be competitive again for a good go at the top end of League One next year.
