The Rugby Football League looks set to purchase Featherstone Rovers’ stadium after Wakefield Council committed to providing £500,000 worth of emergency funding to the governing body in a bid to get the team back on the field in 2027.

Wakefield Council’s cabinet will be asked to approve the release of a significant six-figure sum of money that is part of the Rugby League Resilience Fund. That funding has already helped the likes of Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers redevelop their respective stadia with significant grants.

And now, it has emerged the Council will do the same again – with the goal to get a potential new Featherstone Rovers club on the field and in the Championship in 2027.

RFL to purchase Featherstone ground

The plans call for the RFL to be given the £500,000 funding, which would allow them to move forwards with a purchase of Post Office Road and its associated assets.

That would help facilitate a speedy return to the field for a new Featherstone ownership, who would likely go through RFL process before being given a new licence for 2027 and beyond.

The governing body have to match the £500,000 funding themselves, but it appears Featherstone’s future now looks set to be resolved in the coming weeks.

“Rugby league has played an important role in the sporting and community life of the town for generations,” Cllr Lukasz Borcz, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for culture and sport, said.

“These proposals are about protecting rugby league heritage in Featherstone and protecting facilities that are valued by local people. The use of funding from the Rugby League Resilience Fund will help to establish a sustainable professional future for the game in the town.”

RFL plans for Featherstone emerge

Should the plan succeed, the RFL will lease Post Office Road to the new ownership group. Potential consortia who are interested in taking on the club are now in advanced discussions with the governing body, with a decision expected as early as this month.

“We are grateful to Wakefield Council for enabling the release of Resilience Funding to support the future of Rugby League in Featherstone,” the RFL said.

“We have worked closely over the last nine months, and we are mindful that we will be in receipt of public money to support this.

“Therefore, more than ever, we must ensure we ourselves believe there is a viable sustainable future. We remain hopeful we can find a solution to bring Featherstone Rovers RLFC back to the town.”