EMBARRASSED BUT WE’LL BE BACK Toronto chief’s vow to clubs
TORONTO WOLFPACK boss Bob Hunter admits the club “embarrassed” Super League this year – but says they will propose a new owner in a matter of days.
The Canadian expansion club pulled out of the league in July due to serious financial shortfalls, visa problems and logistical issues.
Owner David Argyle has admitted he cannot sustain the club. Its players – including superstar signing Sonny Bill Williams – have not been paid for three months.
Chairman Hunter, above, has been in talks with three prospective bidders and says the club will propose one – a North American businessman who was an original investor in the Wolfpack – to Super League and the RFL within a week or so.
The interested party has confirmed he will meet all salary liabilities on takeover and Hunter is cautiously positive that the club can finally find a way forward again.
He said: “If we can get this new owner over the finish line then I’m optimistic, for sure.
“I know he has the resources for long-term sustainability.
“Like we’re seeing with all sports in North America, it’s tough with no fans in the stands. You have to have the staying power to be able to live through those cycles of financial wins and losses, and I believe he has those resources. “They were one of the original investors way back when, but they’ve not been an active participant over the past three years. “They’ve been through the numbers and we’ve given them all the information they require.
“They’re certainly coming in with their eyes wide open.We ran amok this year and embarrassingly we had to step down.
“Too many things built up against us, but we embarrassed the league and the other 11 owners.We’d like the opportunity to prove that we deserve to be a full member.”
Securing a full membership of the RFL and access to central funding from the sport’s TV deal is seen as crucial to the Wolfpack’s long-term future by Hunter, an experienced sports administrator based in Toronto who is trying without pay to save the club. He added: “There are a lot of i’s to dot and t’s to cross before we get to the finish line, but in general I’m quite happy with where we sit today.
“I’m talking to both leagues about the schedule and just trying to focus on that new owner and save a whole bunch of jobs and a team.”