At the end of April, we refreshed our interest with the Rugby Football League (RFL) to join the professional game.

In 2024 we went through a process to join League 1 and missed out to the Goole Vikings. In the 18 months since that, a lot has changed.

The original plan for three tiers of 12 was scrapped in favour of a 14 team Super League.
The Championship and League 1 competitions were merged together to form one big competition. And in more recent months there has been increased talk about NRL interest and investment into the British game.

The latest news surrounding the Championship is the reintroduction of a salary cap, which was originally extended to match that of Super League and allow ambitious clubs to turn full time. However, the reduction in central funding soon meant that other clubs became far less sustainable. Clubs like Oxford, Coventry, Hemel, London Skolars and Cornwall don't exist anymore. And established names such as Salford, Halifax and Featherstone have all faced financial crisis.

What does the salary cap mean for the Tigers? In short, it makes the landscape far more palatable. There's no longer an infinite ceiling and budgets can be carefully planned against that backdrop.

In the time since our application, we have worked hard to improve every aspect of the club. Players now play under agreement to ensure a consistent on field performance. Former League 1 coach, Matt Lambert was brought in and together with Rob Ashton, has delivered a new standard for players to achieve and maintain.

Investment into our medical provision has seen the club go from virtually nothing to something that rivals many professional set ups that already exist.

Commercially the numbers are up. The profile generated by the application in 2024 attracted a number of supporters who are all keen to be a part of the journey and for the first time ever we charged a gate last season. A peak audience of 386 and an average of 149 were good yard sticks. Over 250 came to watch our Challenge Cup first round game in the January cold. And our social media numbers have blown up. With one video last year hitting over quarter of a million views!

We know these numbers won't sustain a professional club but the increased status and product has increased draw power for those audiences.

While the RFL are not actively looking to bring a new franchise into the professional game, they have acknowledged our submission of interest.