Featherstone Rovers are still waiting to find out whether they will be allowed to start the Championship season next weekend.
The West Yorkshire outfit entered administration last month and a new company is seeking approval to take Featherstone into the 2026 Championship. The decision is currently with the RFL and a statement released by the governing body on Monday confirmed that they are working towards reaching a conclusion one way or another this week.
The Flatcappers are currently due to make the short journey to Batley Bulldogs on January 18 in round one, but whether they will be able to fulfil that fixture remains to be seen.
The players at Featherstone haven’t been paid since the season ended and a large majority of last season’s squad have now managed to secure deals elsewhere with the likes of Caleb Aekins, Connor Wynne, Gadwin Springer, Connor Jones and Ben Reynolds moving on, while Jimmy Beckett was announced as a Castleford Tigers player earlier this week.
However, there are some players who find themselves in a state of limbo as they wait for news on whether Featherstone will be allowed to compete in the 2026 season. They haven’t found alternative arrangements and as a result they find themselves in an uncertain situation.
Last season’s captain Danny Addy is one of those players. The former Bradford Bulls, Hull KR and Salford Red Devils man has spent the last two years with Featherstone and he made 29 appearances in 2025 as Fev reached the play-offs and the final of the 1895 Cup.
Addy is the most experienced player on the Featherstone books, but Carlos Tuimavave isn’t far behind with the former Hull FC man, who turns 34 this week, playing a waiting game at present.
Derrell Olpherts joined Featherstone on a one-year deal last year but hasn’t found a new club just yet and former Wigan Warriors man Ryan Hampshire is in the same boat after scoring nine tries in 18 games for Featherstone Rovers last season.
Sitaleki Akauola’s one-year deal has expired and he was linked with a off-field role at Salford before the Red Devils were wound up and liquidated.
Brad Day, Josh Hardcastle, Bailey O’Connor, Calum Turner and hooker Will Jubb also appear to be in an uncertain situation.
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