Talking Sport Now & Then: The future looks bright for Doncaster Athletic Club

“The new LED lights are much brighter and switch on immediately and they also cost 40 per cent less to run which is important when you are using the track four times a week on dark nights,” said long-standing chairman and former race director Kev Lincoln. “They don’t need annual maintenance and are guaranteed for ten years.”

The lights are the latest improvements to the facility, the envy of a lot of other athletic clubs, paid for and carried out by the club following extensive work on the track in 2022.

“Many clubs have experienced a lack of investment on sites rented from the council, which is understandable given the overall financial situation,” said Lincoln. “I suspect our site would now not be fit for purpose without our private investment.

“Whilst taking on a leasehold is a risk, careful financial management within a five-year plan has worked for us to recognise long term site challenges before they happen.”

The club have spent over £100,000 on the complex over the last two years as well as continuing to serve up top coaching and top competition for their 400 or so members despite losing income due to the loss of several well-established road races. Something Lincoln, who hopes his successor can do something about going forward, feels strongly about.

Lincoln sympathises with those sporting organisations forced to find alternative venues until the New Year due to a commercial exhibition at the Doncaster Dome and is equally as critical of changes introduced by Doncaster Council which have had an impact on his club’s finances during the last 18 months.

He accuses the council of imposing ‘unrealistic conditions’ which have made it more difficult to organise events which have successfully taken place over many years such as the Doncaster Town Centre 5k meeting and the Cusworth 10k and Brodsworth 5 which brought in around £7,000 annually for the club.

He told the Free Press: “Prior to the pandemic in 2020 all race arrangements met the local authority health and safety conditions. Thereafter, following a change in personnel, the arrangements which had served us well for many years were no longer adequate.

“The main issue was the start of the races, which were carefully designed to take place in a quiet location, traffic free and pose minimal risk.

“The additions they were demanding would have needed the hire or purchase of more signs, additional protective clothing, not to mention further training for volunteers.

“This appeared most irrelevant when required for the Brodsworth 5, where barely one vehicle every 20 minutes passed the start area. In fact, putting out and removing signage presented extra safety concerns rather than reducing them.

“We also saw the road closure fees rise from £250 to £1440 and the hire of Cusworth Hall grounds to £750.

“Most races started with a fun run for young children and family members with the main races attracting high quality athletes, some of Olympic standard, and that has now been lost.”

*Doncaster RLFC look to have given themselves a more than realistic chance of bucking the trend of promoted clubs finding themselves back in League One either the following season or soon after.

The club have acknowledged the step up in class that the Championship represents and have been one of the most active in terms of recruitment, making a series of notable signings including players who played Super League rugby last season such as centre Reece Lyne

Some supporters may have been concerned that several of the newcomers are in their 30s which normally means that their best years are behind them.

There is also the concern that injuries can start to catch up with players once they pass the 30 mark and that fitness levels take a dip.

Some fans may have had such reservations when the Dons signed former Super League star Brett Ferres 13 months ago. But not only did the former England forward play in every league game, he was regularly one of the better performers and he also bought into the culture at the club as well as having a positive impact on his team-mates off the field.

Now 37, few would have criticised Ferres once he decided to play on in 2024 had he looked for another League One club. But he decided to take on the challenge of another Championship campaign with the Dons which does him great credit.

Another veteran who has taken on the challenge of the Championship again is former Samoan international Misi Taulapapa who finished last season in fine form.

I’m sure that the utility-back will be relishing the two derby games against Sheffield Eagles, for whom he played over 160 games, as will hooker Greg Burns, another of last year’s squad to sign a new deal, despite celebrating his 42nd birthday before the league campaign kicks-off.

Although the new format being introduced in 2025 – which could turn out to be one of the RFL’s biggest-ever mistakes in my view - means that there will be no automatic promotion to the Super League from the Championship next season, Dons fans are more excited than they have been for years ahead of the publication of the 2024 fixture list early next month.