Two Warrington pals have taken a significant shareholding in Workington Town.
Carl Porter is a finance industry expert with a long connection to rugby League including being a level 4 qualified scholarship coach at Warrington in the past.
Businessman Kevin Whittaker, a partner at Walton Turf Services, a Warrington-based natural turf supplier, is the other.
They issued a joint statement saying: “We are privileged and excited to acquire a considerable shareholding at Workington Town RLFC.
“We have been associated with the club since around 2020 and we love the place and the people involved, and most of all the passion of the supporters.
“More recently we have seen the commitment to try and take Workington Town RLFC back to the Championship and to also cement itself at the heart of its community.
“As long-time fans of Rugby League we feel it’s a good time to get involved with Workington Town RLFC and the positivity that surrounds everything and everyone involved and their recent IMG improvement shows the club are doing many aspects of the measuring pillars well.
“During our detailed talks with CEO Gary Murdock and interim chairman Graeme Peers it was evident that the whole board is working well together and has made huge strides off the pitch and should be commended for their work, the trust we have in the board to deliver what they have worked hard for is strong.
“We have qualities we feel can assist the club, and a lot of belief in the people who run the club to ensure our support, via investment is a good decision and we look forward to supporting Workington Town RLFC as we continue to strengthen its operational structure.”
Town’s Interim chairman Peers said: “As mentioned at the ‘big reveal’ event we have been in dialogue for an extended period of time with Carl and Kevin and we are delighted that they have come on board as we aim to deliver on our 2027 pledge.
“The strategic path that has been taken, with CEO Gary Murdock at the fore of that process, has included a sustained drive to create a solid and structured business that harbours both paid staffing and the incredible work of our superb volunteers.
“The club has become very investable with 20 teams now playing under the Workington Town sporting brand and a thriving community trust arm of the club.
“The decision from Carl and Kevin is a great outcome from a series of talks about the progress made and the vision that the club has and we thank them for taking the time to listen to our plans, look at our business plan and get behind us.
“We know where we want to get to on the pitch but that can only be sustained by strong structures off it and the club is really in a position to move forward.
“Our plans with the investment is to further strengthen the core business, this will give us the best opportunity to maximise the opportunities that the Workington Town brand is being presented with, there are many, many enquiries and areas to explore.
“One of the first priorities is to add more off field staffing resources, this will help us improve the men’s rugby league team and make it a team that people want to come and watch, in addition to that adding development pathways so that both the men and the ladies’ teams are underpinned and also formulating a strong development plan for the Workington Town Community Trust are high on the agenda.
“If you look at the pathway also in place for Workington Town Women FC via their partnership with Workington Town Girls FC then it’s an exciting time for all involved and we thank Carl and Kevin for their investment and support, adding this investment to a strong core of business partners already in place has put the club is in a great position to move forward.”
