At Swinton Lions we are eagerly looking forward to Sunday’s double-header, with the Lions taking on Dewsbury Rams at 2pm, and our Lionesses taking on Bradford Bulls at 4.30pm.

We hope that all Swinton fans will do their best to support the occasion, and give their backing to both of our teams.

As we embark on this next critical stage of the 2025 season, the Board would like to re-iterate some important messages, as we are mindful of some schools of thought which exist amongst our fan base that unfortunately are not based on facts.

From a sporting perspective the Swinton Lions men’s team is at the forefront of our ambition and resources and shall always remain so. The Swinton Lions men’s team drives the overwhelming majority of our commercial activity, in terms of match day admission, season tickets, director input, and the various forms of sponsorship. We continue to look for ways to drive commercial revenue, to enable us to field the strongest possible team, and to secure our future. The Lions are of course central to our heritage and identity, and our outlook and ambition in this respect has never changed.

It is true that we have suffered a relegation, and this has absolutely necessitated a review of our squad spend, and yes inevitably we have had to reduce costs in some areas. We are undergoing something of a re-set, we have a new Head Coach and we are supporting Paul Wood’s philosophy, which is to recruit a squad of young, hungry players with outstanding prospects, and players we can build our squad around for hopefully a number of years to come. Alongside the less experienced Lions are of course key older players who have valuable experience, and are central to the development of some our younger players.

We have recently released two players by mutual consent in Anthony Walker and Jordan Case, but neither were the subject of cost-cutting exercises. Both of our press releases at the time of their departures were 100% factual. In both cases once the players left us and became free agents, we had no say or interest in what they chose to do next. In both cases evidently they have signed for North Wales Crusaders and we wish them well.

Other comments recently seen on social media channels have suggested that our Lionesses are diverting financial resources from the men’s team. This is something the Club feels strongly about challenging, because it is simply not true. In fact the truth is the exact opposite! The emergence of our women’s team has given our club a profile with a far greater digital and commercial reach, which is fundamental to attracting investors and sponsors to both the Club and our Foundation.

But most importantly our Lionesses are entirely self-funding. They have their own sponsors, and the smaller costs of running the women’s team are 100% manageable within the scope of the grant funding and sponsorship that they receive within their own right. Not one penny has been diverted from the Lions to the Lionesses.

Indeed because of our genuine approach to the “One Club, One Vision” strapline, the Lionesses have actually brought fresh commercial interest and income to the whole Club that we would not otherwise have had. The emergence of our Lionesses is strengthening our Club as a whole, as it is attractive to sponsors and it is attractive to local authorities and grant issuing organisations. All of this also feeds into our internal player development programmes and community programmes.

The Lionesses are incredibly proud to represent our club, and they deserve all of our support.

It is perfectly possible to drive the ambition of both the Lions and the Lionesses, without one being at the expense of the other.

Stronger together, and One Club, One Vision.

BOARD OF SWINTON LIONS RLFC