Winter update from Mike and Bill

Chairman Bill Quinn and managing director Mike Ford have issued a positive winter update to fans exclusively to Roughyeds TV.

The Oldham hierarchy reveal the key points from the recent RFL Council meeting with clubs in which IMG confirmed "tweaks" to their grading criteria as well as voting not to reintroduce conventional promotion and relegation.

Ford and Quinn also give an update on impressive season ticket sales, exciting news on the new playing kit and training gear, and the growth of the Foundation following the appointment as CEO of Chris Chamberlain.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Boundary Line on Roughyeds TV - available free to all our YouTube subscribers - Ford urged fans to be part of an exciting 2025 that starts straight away in January, with a full month of fixtures already shaping up.

"We have January friendlies - the Law Cup, Wigan (to be announced soon) and we have been drawn against Rochdale Mayfield or Telford all in January. Then our first two league games are both at home so the fans are going to have a ball here at Boundary Park in the first part of the season. We hope to play some good rugby, get on a roll and get fans coming down regularly to hopefully have a fantastic season again."

Player sponsorship has already been completely sold out for the 2025 season, with season tickets also selling fast, as Quinn issued the following update:

"The season before we came in we sold about 47 season tickets. Last year was two hundred and thirty something. At this moment in time we are around about 700, which is fantastic, brilliant.

But we need the bums on the seats in the season for the IMG and everything at the club. You can't do what we are doing and get to where we want to get without the support of the town, without the support of people coming down here. We are very grateful for the support but we do need more bums on seats - we want to be a force in the stands as well as on the pitch. It's going to be a great season ahead so there is no reason why the people of Oldham can't get down here now because the quality is going to be fantastic and it's a great day out."

With many fans contacting the club over the availability of new kit and playing kit to purchase before Christmas, Ford confirmed all stock would be available in time, from the stadium club shop that will now stock Roughyeds gear.

"Some news is that we are going to share the shop here at Boundary Park which is great and we thank Oldham Athletic for that. The playing kit is guaranteed to be in the week after next so anyone who wants the playing kit it will be in then and we will have an open day on Saturday 21st December at the club shop where the players will show you the kit to buy."

On IMG, both Ford and Quinn backed the current structure, but revealed that it remains a work in progress for all stakeholders.

"We are finding out the flaws in it, and there are a few no doubt about it," Ford added.

We have been penalised for playing here (Boundary Park) which is not right. But the one thing that me and Bill are adamant on - and there is a big swell with other council members - is relegation and promotion. At the moment it is all to do with how many points you collect and although we support IMG and what it is doing with facilities, finance, communities and media, the one thing that is very flawed is the weighting towards performance points. The points you get towards IMG for playing on the field is not weighted enough. Last year for winning League 1 we got 0.1 of a point and there are 20 points to go for. We believe that on the field should be a lot more.

Traditionally no matter what people say about American Football and NRL where there's no relegation, in England promotion and relegation is in our DNA. To take that away from a club like Bradford, Widnes, Halifax or ourselves - we have stakeholders in the stands, sponsors, a guy in Bill putting all his money in - we don't want him walking away because we can't get promoted on the field. I think that is a fair marker and the common man in the stands will understand that - you win on the field you get rewarded. We put a few options to the council on Wednesday on how we feel it can work."

"It is still on the table so we will keep striving with others to create a formula that works for everybody," Quinn added.

You have to have that jeopardy - it puts bums on seats, gets that interest. It is the heart and soul - getting to that playoff position and having something at the end of it. Nothing will deter us from the journey, we won't step back off the peddle, we will keep going and see where it takes us."