Our club owner reflects on the 2025 season and beyond.

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors, members and supporters for their outstanding support this season.

The club has made significant strides in its continued growth this season and that is only possible with your fantastic commitment of support that gives the club the financial platform to compete at the highest level and hugely motivates me to invest vast amounts of time and energy and significantly less money than I used to.

It has always been my goal to be able to grow the club to a self-sufficient, sustainable Super League club and that is not far from happening. A continuation in growth of our memberships and commercial income could see this achieved next year.

We now have an established academy and scholarship to underpin our reserves and first team, and I would like to personally thank our Gold Plus members and our Past Players Association and fundraising team. Without the combined efforts and additional subscription from Gold Plus members this would not have been able to happen.

We have broken many records this season and achieved many things:

• Club cements IMG Grade A status achieved last year with a significantly improved score

• Highest league position for 43 years

• Third best league finish in the club’s history

• Highest average home attendances for 70 years

• Third best performing Super League club over the past three seasons

• First home and away wins in the same season over Wigan and Warrington since 1982 and 1987 respectively, and against St Helens since 1951

• Over the past three seasons we have beaten each Super League club both home and away

• Semifinal appearances in both the Challenge Cup and League playoffs for first time in club history in the same season

• Top five finishes in each of the last three seasons for the first time in club history

• Lachlan Lam voted Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters’ Association Player of the Year for a second time

• Umyla Hanley selected for the Super League Dream Team

• Adrian Lam nominated for Super League Coach of the Year

• Women’s team’s Charlotte Melvin selected for Origin, the first Leopards woman player to achieve this feat

• Storm Cobain chosen to captain Ireland RL Women’s Team against Netherlands

We have managed to retain players that were targeted by other clubs as well as adding additional strength to the team, some of whom have not yet been announced.

Our Women’s team retained their Super League status after being promoted, a difficult task to complete and continues to grow.

We have increased the atmosphere and entertainment and have truly created a special event at the Leopards Den for fans to attend.

We should all be very proud of what we have achieved together this year and that is because of the collective efforts of all the staff and volunteers, on and off field, all our players in all teams at the club, our past players, sponsors, commercial partners and you our dedicated and loyal fans.

I have received numerous nice messages thanking me for the great times that people have had this year. Unfortunately, I have had many letters and messages, some from significant kit sponsors, containing footage of the despicable treatment bestowed upon thousands of our fans in our semifinal where people were queuing in poor weather conditions whilst they were physically searched, something that wasn’t consistent in other areas at the ground and wasn’t in operation at Old Trafford the following day.

Clearly the values of the Progress with Unity of our Borough were lost in what was an extremely tough week for everyone connected to the club leaving me wondering how the video message I had taken part in would now be valued.

I want to assure everyone that all the letters, messages and videos that I and the club receive will be forming part of our official complaint and will also be provided as part of the full review that will be conducted by the RFL.

I will keep our supporters informed as this proceeds and will vigorously seek the correct outcomes on behalf of our fans as hard as I fought all week.

If anyone has any information regarding their treatment that they would like the club to include then please email [email protected] with any supporting information or evidence.

We will soon be releasing details of our 2026 memberships which we have already communicated will auto renew for most. The Red memberships make an excellent gift for Christmas, and we have been working on a couple of additions that will be communicated with the release.

We also have releases around our playing kit and training range and lots of things to look forward to and be excited about over the coming weeks.

Many people think now is a time of rest at the club which it absolutely is and well deserved for the players and playing staff.

For everyone else it’s our busiest time but it culminates in my favourite part of owning the club, handing out the membership boxes to our fans and getting to meet as many as possible.

This year the auto renewal process should see that process be much smoother, and we won’t have the same issues with the arrival of replicas or black and platinum polos so we will be able to make the collection process over a longer period.

I am looking forward to seeing how many additional members we can attract to our Famileigh and that is something everyone can help with by gifting a Red card membership, entitling someone to two visits of their choice to watch the Greatest Show in Super League.

So, thank you to everyone for your support of the team and the club. Without you it wouldn’t exist.