Troubled Featherstone denied RFL membership

Financially-troubled rugby league club Featherstone Rovers will not compete in the second-tier Championship in 2026 after the Rugby Football League (RFL) denied them membership.

The club went into administration in December and one takeover bid submitted did not meet the required criteria set by the RFL.

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The West Yorkshire club faced a winding-up petition over debts and previously said it had no choice but to enter administration as it would be "unable to trade its way out of the present situation due to the level of debt it currently has".

Rovers had been set to begin their 2026 campaign with a Championship fixture away at Batley Bulldogs on 18 January as well as kicking off their Challenge Cup campaign a week later.

Their fixtures will now be settled via a win percentage system as used during the Covid pandemic, the RFL said in a statement.

"The RFL will continue to work with the administrator and remains committed to supporting a sustainable return of professional rugby league in the town of Featherstone moving forward," the statement continued.

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"The RFL is acutely aware of the financial impact to member clubs of losing a home fixture. Accordingly, it will ensure that some level of compensation is made available to all clubs suffering the loss of a home fixture."

Despite uncertainty over their future, in December, Featherstone were included in the draw for the opening two rounds of the Challenge Cup.

Rovers, whose men's side have narrowly missed out on promotion to Super League on a number of occasions in recent years, were hit with a winding-up petition last year as their money problems mounted.

The club also leased its Millennium Stadium ground to non-league football side Wakefield AFC, although that arrangement ended for a second time when the football club moved to a new home in Pontefract late in 2025.

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Featherstone's plight comes in the midst of fellow Championship side Salford RLFC's financial troubles.

The Greater Manchester club dropped out of Super League last season and were liquidated in December.

However, former player Mason Caton-Brown led a consortium to take over the club and they are set to kick-off the 2026 Championship season against Oldham next Friday.