Amidst recent financial worries, Championship side Halifax Panthers have outlined their plan to become a Super League team by 2027 in a bold statement.
The club have recently had to fend off both HMRC and relegation from the Championship but with both of those issues seemingly at bay now, the Yorkshire club have released a statement boldly talking about gaining access to Super League by 2027.
Of course, going forward the composition of Super League will be purely based on a club’s grading under the IMG criteria with all Grade A sides guaranteed a place in the elite competition.
At the announcement of the preliminary gradings in 2023, Halifax Panthers ranked 20th with the club scoring just 9.06 points, a whole three points shy of 12th-placed Leigh and almost six points shy of a Grade A licence.
Despite that fact, the Panthers have released a statement via their website and social media which they have captioned as: “A Call to Arms – 1000 Members, £100,000, Our Future”.
In that, they boldly claim that the plan they have set forward will help them “build towards a Super League ready Halifax Panthers by 2027”.
Can Halifax Panthers become “Super League-ready” in three years?
Credit: Ed Sykes/SWpix.com
Given the expected improvements that many of the clubs in and around the fringes of the top 12 on the IMG grading have made, it could be a case that teams will be requiring upwards of 13 points to ensure a spot in Super League.
Despite that, Halifax look to be planning on being ‘Super League-ready’ within three years meaning they’ll need drastic improvements and some of that has come through the investment they are asking fans for.
The club’s statement sees them offer a new membership scheme in which fans pay £100 per year to help them raise funds, with the fans receiving limited edition Polo Shirts and access to certain events.
Sharing the statement on X, formerly Twitter, Halifax Panthers posted: “A Call To Arms – 1000 Members, £100,000, Our Future
“It’s time for action. To secure our club’s future and build towards a Super League ready Halifax Panthers by 2027, we need your support – and we need it NOW”
A Call To Arms – 1000 Members, £100,000, Our Future 🔵⚪️🐾
It’s time for action. To secure our club’s future and build towards a Super League ready Halifax Panthers by 2027, we need your support – and we need it NOWhttps://t.co/39RJsfu2c1#PanthersFamily #2025ClubMembership
— Halifax Panthers 🐾 (@HalifaxPanthers) September 18, 2024
The attached link detailed the membership packages, explaining: “Get ready to gear up, Panthers fans! The Halifax Panthers are thrilled to launch the exclusive Halifax Panthers Membership Scheme, a first-of-its-kind initiative that brings our fans closer to the heartbeat of their beloved team. This isn’t just a membership; it’s a VIP pass to the Panther’s world!”
Perks included an “ultra-exclusive tonal polo shirt”, club shop discounts, priority access for Cup match tickets and VIP access to “exclusive events”.
It’s certainly something that plenty of fans will take them up on and it is clearly aimed at ensuring financial issues such as the ones that have scourged them of late subside, but how well it enables them to become ‘Super League-ready’ in just one full IMG cycle of three years is unclear.
