Hunslet call time on 2020 campaign

The south Leeds club have decided against entering the Rugby Football League's autumn tournament for lower division sides.

They were top of Betfred League One, after two rounds, when the competition was suspended due to coronavirus in March.

Both League One and the Championship have now been abandoned for the rest of this year, but the RFL are offering clubs the chance to play in a one-off tournament in October and November.

The Parksiders' chairman Ken Sykes said: "After careful consideration, Hunslet will not be participating in the cup competition being introduced by the RFL later this year.

"The long term sustainability of the club is of paramount importance and the simple fact is that it would not be financially viable for us to participate due largely to the costs of testing, together with the impact of having to take our players out of furlough to allow them to return to training.

"Additionally, there are other hurdles to overcome in order to meet the demands of Public Health England around a safe return to training and playing games in front of socially distanced crowds.

"We are in early dialogue with Leeds City Council [which owns South Leeds Stadium] to assess how we can best work together to safely overcome those hurdles should the position not ease by the start of the 2021 season.

"I realise this will be disappointing and frustrating news to all involved with the club and I can assure you that this decision has not been taken lightly, but we firmly believe it’s the right one for the club."

Sykes added: "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the RFL for their continued hard work in securing the future of the game and their open and consultative approach on participation in the competition."

The chairman confirmed player retention and recruitment for 2021 will begin shortly.

Coach Gary Thornton hopes to start pre-season training in November.

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