North Wales Crusaders secure Championship place after RFL deal

Nation.Cymru staff

North Wales Crusaders will compete in the Championship in 2027 after the Rugby Football League approved a revised business plan, reversing the club’s withdrawal following a £150,000 payment dispute.

The Colwyn Bay-based club had announced earlier this month that it would focus on returning in 2028 after failing to agree terms with the governing body.

However, owner Jamie Elkaleh has since submitted a revised proposal that satisfied the RFL’s financial queries, allowing it to grant membership for next season.

Under the agreement, Crusaders must play all their home games at Colwyn Bay, operate under a sustainability cap and submit monthly financial reports to the RFL.

RFL chief executive Ian Nolan said: “I’d like to thank Jamie for all his hard work and diligence in getting to this endgame that we all wanted – North Wales Crusaders participating in the Championship and helping our sport flourish.

“Although we had some queries about the financial aspect of their plan, they have gone away and returned with a far more robust proposal which, allied to the escrow we decided to put in place, has left everyone with the belief the club can press on with confidence.

“That is great news for North Wales Crusaders and us, as a sport, as we look forward to the new season.”

The earlier dispute centred on arrangements for holding £150,000 in escrow, where money is held by a third party until agreed conditions are met.

Crusaders had insisted that the arrangement must be fully independent and free of what they described as unreasonable rules or restrictions. The RFL said the club had been unwilling to agree to its proposals or deposit the funds.

The governing body’s latest announcement confirms that an escrow arrangement forms part of the agreement, but does not explain how its terms differ from those previously disputed.

When withdrawing, Crusaders said they believed it was too late to prepare for 2027, although they remained “prepared to step back in immediately” if the RFL reconsidered its position.

New owners led by Elkaleh took over in May following a previous insolvency. They received interim membership covering the remainder of the 2026 Championship campaign, with future participation dependent on approval of a comprehensive business plan.