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LIONS TO HOST DOUBLE-HEADER

27 April 2021

It has been officially confirmed that on Sunday 9 May, Swinton Lions will host a mouth-watering Betfred Championship double-header at their Heywood Road base in Sale.

At 11.45am the Lions will play Bradford Bulls, and then later that same afternoon Toulouse Olympique will entertain Widnes Vikings with a 4.15pm start. Both games will be screened live exclusively on “Our League”. The situation has arisen owing to covid regulations, which have resulted in Toulouse being compelled to play their home game against the Vikings in England.

Swinton Lions CEO, Steve Wild explained, “When we were approached by Cedric Garcia at Toulouse, we were only too happy to try and accommodate them. All clubs have gone through some tough times recently and, so long as it’s feasible, I believe it’s our duty to help each other out for the overall good of the game. We enjoy a good relationship with Toulouse and it was nice to re-enforce that friendship. I’d also like to thank Sale FC for their assistance with the logistics, and also Stuart Duffy and Bradford Bulls for readily agreeing to bring our kick-off time forward in order to create the time-frame for the second match.

“The fact that the RFL have both encouraged and sanctioned the double-header at Swinton Lions is also a very welcome vote of confidence. We have worked tremendously hard alongside our colleagues at Sale FC to make Heywood Road fully aligned with Behind Closed Doors covid protocol, and it’s reassuring to know that we have the RFL’s trust in the fact that we are doing things the right way. Once we are allowed to let crowds back through the gates, we trust that this confidence in Swinton Lions will extend to the general public, and fans will feel safe and welcome at Heywood Road.”

On behalf of Toulouse Olympique, their CEO, Cedric Garcia, added, “When the RFL asked us to play this “home” game in England, I asked Steve Wild if Heywood Road was an option, he directly answered that he would work on it and he has made it happen. It is obviously very disappointing not to be able to play in Toulouse, but we are happy to be part of this double header.

“The solidarity shown by Steve and the Swinton Lions is fantastic, and in the name of Toulouse Olympique, I would like to thank them. It is greatly appreciated and it will strengthen even more the friendship between our two clubs.”

On behalf of the Rugby Football League, Samantha Allen, the Head of Professional Game Operations, added, “We’re grateful to Swinton Lions for agreeing to stage a double header of Betfred Championship fixtures on May 9, as part of the rearrangement of Toulouse matches required by ongoing Covid-19 and quarantine complications. Like the other Betfred Championship clubs, Swinton have done an excellent job of ensuring they can host fixtures in a Covid-secure manner, and I know that both Toulouse and Widnes are happy with the choice of Heywood Road to stage this rearranged fixture.”

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