“They will be paid as and when…” – Championship club confirm seven players are owed wages

Championship side Whitehaven have released a scathing statement calling out rumours that star centre Jake Maizen is set to leave and they’ve also provided an update on unpaid player wages.

The Cumbrian side are yet to begin their Championship campaign with the season set to start next week but it was reported that other clubs were set to swoop for their Italian international Maizen who has joined the club after previously starring for Halifax.

Those reports have now been rubbished as “speculation and rumours” by Whitehaven who have released a statement on the matter, as well as an overall update, via their social media.

Posting on X, Whitehaven stated: “Well where do we start. There has been a lot of speculation and Rumours from our fans today due to a post from Rugby league daily and everything else you can possibly think of from a well wisher who enlightened us on how to run a club. Can we first put the Jake Maizen rumour to bed as he isn’t going anywhere. Various clubs contact us on a weekly basis to see if players are available, Jake being but one.

“This will always happen with high calibre players and we are fortunate to have a lot this year. Our team are all under contract and will remain at whitehaven for the duration of their contracts.”

“The club are owed money” – Whitehaven explain pay problems

They also provided an update on their unpaid players with the club revealing that a “cash flow problem” was at fault for the issue.

Whitehaven continued their statement, explaining: “The club are owed money far in excess of the money we owe to Seven players for their February contract and we have spoken to them collectively about the reason for this cash flow problem. They will be paid as and when our creditors clear their invoices.

“All other monies ie fuel expenses, community pay, game money and January’s contracts have been paid in full. This has all been achieved with only £8k generated by rugby. The rest has been generated from running the club as a business on other revenue streams by dedicated volunteers and Directors.

“The club costs thousands to run even when we are not playing rugby and we have met all these financial obligations. On top of the above we have managed to get the Well documented PAYE arrears from 2021-2023 season down from £59k June23 to £8k this week. The bulk of this payment has been closed season from newly generated revenue streams including assistance from away days and the VP’s. We are grateful for their assistance. We have always promoted an open door policy and invited you to call for a chat anytime you feel the need.”

It’s a revealing insight into how clubs have to work and function with minimal margins and it also highlights how important every single fan attending games is.

The club also asked for compassion from fans and those speculating, assuring that they’re in a good position for the upcoming campaign.

“In return I would ask everyone who loves the club to think about the feelings of our sponsors and the hard working volunteers. Some have shown how vulnerable they are and shed tears over recent posts regarding their efforts. This club is in a good position to start the season and it’s only through creditors not paying that has us in this position. If you feel after reading this, that we are not being truthful then contact us direct.”