Featherstone Rovers Excluded from 2026 Championship Following Financial Crisis

Historic Club Faces Uncertain Future

Featherstone Rovers, a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, will not participate in the Championship in 2026 due to financial difficulties. The decision marks a devastating blow for a club with a storied history, having won the League Championship once and Challenge Cup three times.

The Rugby Football League’s announcement comes just days before the Championship season was set to begin, plunging the second tier into chaos and leaving fans, players, and staff in limbo.

Timeline of Financial Collapse

The club’s troubles began in late 2025. In late September 2025, the club failed to pay players and staff on time, prompting growing fears that Featherstone Rovers were heading into administration. The club was also facing a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over an unpaid tax bill reportedly around £120,000.

The club went into administration on 15 December 2025 with the RFL setting a deadline of 19 December for interested parties to submit a bid to buy the club. Only one bid was submitted but failed to meet RFL needs, and on 9 January 2026 the RFL announced that the club would not be able to participate in the 2026 Championship.

Impact on the Championship Season

The submission received did not meet the requirements of governance, therefore the RFL denied Rovers membership. With the Championship season set to start in a week’s time, fixtures will be settled using a win percentage system as the loop fixture format meant some teams were not scheduled to play Rovers at all, whilst some played them up to twice.

The RFL has acknowledged the financial impact on other clubs. The governing body is acutely aware of the financial impact to member clubs of losing a home fixture and will ensure that some level of compensation is made available to all clubs suffering the loss of a home fixture.

Looking Ahead

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. However, the immediate future remains uncertain for a club that has been a cornerstone of rugby league since 1902.

For the passionate supporters and the town of Featherstone, this represents more than just a sporting setback—it’s the potential loss of a vital community institution with over a century of heritage.