Hunslet RLFC’s lesson for rugby league profitability? Pay HMRC
Something incredible happened in the world of English rugby league this week. No, not the World Club Challenge victory for Hull KR over Brisbane Broncos, but a club in Hunslet RLFC turning a profit.
Various reports state that, across the latest possible Companies House records, only Leigh Leopards turned a profit, over £500,000 better off than the next best team.
And while financial transparency in the second tier Championship is slightly more clouded, Hunslet surprised the rugby league diaspora with a modest £62,000 profit – which club chief executive Neil Hampshire tells me will be reinvested into the squad.
Hampshire spent four decades working for HMRC, the organisation that has been forced to wind up a number of rugby league clubs in the last 12 months over unsustainable finances, and tells Morning Wire about the key to being sustainable in a sport that’s so choppy.
“Through prudent budgeting and looking at things from a practical lens,” he says. “You can’t run the club as a fan, you’ve got to run a business.
“I know for a fact that there are some clubs out there that actually look and say, ‘how much do we need to be competitive?’ and they’ll say, ‘here’s a figure’ and they’ll actually spend that figure on the budget and then they’ll go after trying to make that money to pay for that budget throughout that year.
“And that, to me, is just a recipe for disaster. It’s like Icarus, searching for the sun but you’re never going to get there.”
The secret to rugby league profitability
The Championship has undergone some change ahead of the 2026 season with an expansion to 20 teams but a number of clubs have run into financial difficulty and it has had an impact on the second tier of English rugby league.
The top tier, too, has been wrestling with financial hurdles, such as introducing salary caps and expanding the calendar footprint by taking matches to overseas markets.
What’s Hampshire’s sound advice for those looking to replicate his club’s profitability?
“My message to them is you got to see it as a business first, rather than sport,” the Hunslet chief adds. “If you’re going to base your income and how you’re going to operate on the basis of just 12 to 14 home games, then that’s a recipe for disaster.
“What you’re going to have to do is look at how you can make money outside the box and outside of the normal day to day stuff. The other thing is to not spend more than you can afford.
“Never spend more than you can afford and pay your debts. Always make sure you pay HMRC. Make sure you pay your players wages.”