Bradford Dudley Hill, who have been drawn at Halifax Irish on Saturday in the preliminary round, are to receive £500 from the Rugby Football League to help towards their travelling costs in the Carnegie Challenge Cup.

All community clubs playing away from home in the early stages will receive this ‘travel sweetener’.

In a new move by the RFL, in which they will invest £26,500, all community clubs drawn away in the preliminary, first or second rounds of the competition will be given £500 to help them get to games.

Sue Allan, the RFL’s director of finance, said: “Due to the geographic spread of the teams taking part in the competition and the current economic climate, assisting clubs with their away travel costs is the right thing to do.

“The early stages of the Carnegie Challenge Cup involve teams from Scotland, Wales and the south, as well as the traditional rugby league heartland.

“In the preliminary round alone, the RFL will be investing £10,000 to help with travel costs.”

In total, 102 clubs will take part in the 2009 Carnegie Challenge Cup, which will end at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, August 29.

The preliminary round, which involves 20 fixtures, will be played on January 3 and 4.

The first round will be played three weeks later and the second round on February 14 and 15.

Clubs from the Co-operative Championship and Championship One – including Toulouse, two additional French teams and one Russian qualifier – will then join the competition in the third round.

The fourth round sees the introduction of engage Super League clubs, including the Bulls and defending champions St Helens.