Wolfpack pull plug on rest of season

Possibility exists that franchise may cease operations entirely

The future of the Toronto Wolfpack was thrown in doubt Monday with news the transatlantic rugby league team will sit out the rest of the Super League season.

Simply put, the club — which missed its last payroll — could not afford to continue this year. “The COVID pandemic has presented unexpected and overwhelming financial challenges to the Wolfpack organization,” the team said in a statement. “Greatly reduced ticket, sponsorship, merchandise and game-day revenue streams have resulted from the loss of all 11 of the team’s home Super League games in Toronto.

“The Wolfpack would be left covering significant additional costs simply to complete a season of games in the U.K. including COVID testing, stadium rentals, medical costs and player pay increases to align with the rest of the league.”

Majority owner David Argyle, for whom the Wolfpack have been a labour of love, says the ownership group has invested $30 million into the franchise since its inception in 2016. Most of that came from Argyle, a Toronto-based Australian mining and natural resources entrepreneur, with help from “shareholders, friends and family.”

With no home games this season, due to the pandemic and its accompanying travel and other restrictions, the balance sheet was only going to become more lopsided.

The Wolfpack “fully intend to field a team in the 2021 season,” saying the club will be working with Super League and the Rugby Football League “to understand this process moving into the next season.”

Rugby league authorities, with Super League now down to 10 English clubs and France’s Catalan Dragons and needing to redo a revamped schedule announced last Thursday, seemed less certain about the future.

In a joint statement, the Super League and RFL said they were “very disappointed to learn that Toronto Wolfpack will not be able to fulfil their obligations to Super League 2020,” adding “firm assurances had been received as recently as last Thursday, July 16. The club’s decision is especially disappointing given the imminent restart of the season. Our immediate focus is on getting the season back underway on Aug. 2 and meeting the needs of our host broadcaster, Sky Sports. A discussion around the longer-term consequences and the future of the Wolfpack in Super League will commence shortly.”

Toronto was to have resumed play Aug. 2 against Hull Kingston Rovers at Leeds Rhinos’ Emerald Headingley Stadium.

The franchise and its players, including New Zealand star Sonny Bill Williams, now await word on what’s next from rugby league authorities. Should Toronto return in 2021, the question would be: which league?

They finished 0-6-0, but the RFL announced Monday there will be no relegation of clubs this season. The league review, however, could change that.

“Ideally we would love to stay in Super League,” said Wolfpack president and CEO Bob Hunter.

“But if demotion is an outcome, then we will accept that and prepare to play back in (the second-tier) Championship.”

There is also the possibility there will be no next season.

“If it isn’t one of those outcomes, yeah, unfortunately the experiment might actually be over — as disappointing as it might be,” Hunter said.