KEIGHLEY Cougars believe the RFL and IMG are improving their work and relationships with clubs in rugby league’s new ‘spreadsheet era’, but feel fans are still being unfairly kept in the dark.

The Keighley News caught up with Cougars’ chief operating officer Steve Watkinson at the Treehouse Bar & Kitchen in Haworth, where he gave an insight into the processes clubs now have to go through with gradings attached to their name.

He also said Keighley have to be realistic with their aims, admitting that they see themselves as a potential mid-table Championship club soon, but that their Cougar Park stadium in particular is a burden to further progress.

Keighley have jumped up 11 places from October 2023’s provisional rankings to the actual gradings released last month, a bigger leap than any other club.

Watkinson reflected: “The grading process in 2023 was a bit of a case of the RFL giving us a sheet, wishing us luck and just telling us to have a crack.

“But they’ve learnt a lot from the data they got back, realising they needed to help clubs more.

“I feel we’ve had some good support from the RFL, especially on the finance side, as we were able to access a number of their qualified chartered accountants.

“The devil is in the detail now, because the handbook is there for clubs, it tells you exactly what to do.

“If you read it right, you can use what you’ve got at your disposal and pull everything together.

“It’s testament to (co-owners) Ryan O’Neill and Kaue Garcia’s investment in the club that we’ve had flexibility in the financial pillar to move things around.

Ryan O'Neill and Kaue Garcia have invested heavily in Cougars, which has benefitted the club in terms of progressing under IMG.Ryan O'Neill and Kaue Garcia have invested heavily in Cougars, which has benefitted the club in terms of progressing under IMG. (Image: JT Sports Media.)

“That’s allowed us to chase the maximum points we could realistically get.”

Discussing the need for good communication, given clubs and fans are no longer just looking at how their club performs on the field, Watkinson said: “There’s still a tonne of work for the RFL to do here and I don’t envy the challenge they’ve got.

“We have regular fortnightly catch ups with the RFL and IMG about where this system is going and what changes are going to be implemented.

“They are rewarding growth, but they are set to tighten some parameters around engagement, so we’re expecting our score to go down a bit from that, which I think will happen to everyone.

“I think the challenge the RFL and IMG have got is how they communicate those stricter rules to fans, because they’ll just see their team’s score going down.

“It’s all going on behind closed doors, so while it’s there in the handbook, the spectators need to be kept informed by the RFL and IMG of the changes they’re making.”

Before any IMG gradings were announced, O'Neill made no secret of his and Garcia's desire to get Keighley into Super League.

Watkinson strikes a more measured tone another year down the line, saying: “I think we have to be realistic, but as the IMG rankings prove, we’re a mid-table Championship team.

“I believe we can get to the edge of the Championship play-offs soon, but we have to achieve that first before we start looking any higher up.

“We have to accept the limitations with our stadium too, because there are various criteria we don’t score on, with Cougar Park effectively landlocked.

“There’s no way we could build a broadcaster car park or upgrade certain facilities within the confines of the land that is ours.

“Super League in the future is therefore probably a stretch, but never say never.

“Where we’re at as a club right now, mid-table in the Championship is what we have to be aiming for in the immediate future.”

Cougars made a bright start to the 2023 Betfred Championship season, beating London Broncos and Bradford Bulls at home, but they tailed off badly and were eventually relegated on the final day.Cougars made a bright start to the 2023 Betfred Championship season, beating London Broncos and Bradford Bulls at home, but they tailed off badly and were eventually relegated on the final day. (Image: JT Sports Media.)

Asked if there was any wiggle room around those stadium limitations, Watkinson said: “Perhaps, but it’s hard because of things like the petrol station outside.

“Notoriously, we’ve got a short pitch and it would need extending a few metres if we were to be promoted back to the Championship, but we can do that by narrowing the in-goal areas.

“We had special dispensation for 2023 but the RFL told us if we’d have been promoted back to the Championship for 2025, they’d have liked it to be the full 88 metres, rather than the 85 and a half we’re currently at.

“But for Super League it needs to be longer again, so we’re talking about encroaching on the petrol station and bowling club.

“There are lots of considerations but we’re not just going to buy both of those and have a longer field.”