The chairman of a rival Championship club has commented on Halifax Panthers’ liquidation whilst ensuring fans of his own club’s financial security.
On late Monday evening, Halifax Panthers announced that they had entered ‘compulsory liquidation’ with the club having been wound up by the High Court.
It makes them the latest in a string of Championship clubs to suffer financial woes with Salford RLFC entering liquidation before then emerging as a phoenix club, whilst Featherstone Rovers weren’t as lucky as they entered administration and were denied RFL membership for 2026.
With all of that happening across the past two months, it’s understandable that fans of clubs in the Championship would be concerned over their own club’s financial footing and that’s seen Batley Bulldogs chairman Kevin Nicholas provide an update.
In a video posted to the club’s social media, Nicholas addressed Halifax Panthers’ liquidation, Batley’s own finances and offered updates on the Batley Bash in the summer.
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Batley Bulldogs’ financial footing laid out after Halifax Panthers liquidation
He first addressed the Panthers and their liquidation, explaining that it wasn’t a ‘surprise’, stating: “Halifax, this week, have gone into liquidation. For a few people it wasn’t a surprise, if I’m being honest.”
The Panthers were one of three teams who had asterisks next to their 2025 IMG score alongside Salford and Featherstone, so Nicholas was perhaps right to state that it wasn’t a surprise.
Offering hope to fans of his own club, he said: “I just want to assure every Batley supporter that we, as we speak, don’t owe the taxman anything whatsoever.
“There will be no winding up petitions against Batley Bulldogs. Our problem is if we’ve got teams to play with the way things are going at the moment.
“That’s positive news from our perspective. Everything is difficult money-wise but we are not in debt. We’ve got no Covid loan and we don’t own the Inland Revenue anything, so that’s good news.”
He also confirmed that the club will launch their early bird tickets for the Batley Bash, an event that will take place on Saturday, 6th June with tickets available for just £5 up until Sunday, at which point they will become £10.
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Chairman Kevin Nicholas provides an update to supporters on the club’s current financial situation, the Batley Bash, and more!#COYD pic.twitter.com/ItX9IQStIb
— Batley Bulldogs RLFC (@BatleyRLFC) February 10, 2026
