YORK Wasps' working party have been boosted by the number of players who have already signed up to see out the season with the club.

As part of the business plan that has now been sent to the Rugby Football League detailing the Wasps' bid to be readmitted to the league, the working party had to prove they had not only the finances in place but also enough players on board to get the club up and running.

It might seem obvious that without players the team could not play, but working party member Mike Miller explained the Wasps needed to give the RFL firm guarantees that the squad would be big enough to see out the season, especially given the expected exodus of many of the previous first team.

And Miller has reported that 20 players officially signed provisional forms at training sessions held this week, led by former captain Alan Pallister, winger Leigh Deakin and second-row Darren Crake.

More are expected to come on board in the following days.

Miller admitted that, because many of the players will have come out of amateur rugby, it could be hard to get results, especially against the best teams in the Northern Ford Premiership.

However, he said the squad could yet be additionally bolstered by loan signings from Super League clubs and, furthermore, the battle on the pitch was only secondary to the battle off the pitch.

The biggest and best result, perhaps in the history of York RL Club, would be to get a team on the field.

"The fans will have to appreciate that a number of players, as expected, have left since the old club folded and they won't come back unless released by their new clubs," said Miller.

"We are committed to bringing in local talent to see us through this season (a) because of the expenses involved and (b) because most professional players are now tied to other clubs.

"But we think the local players will know each other and be able to bond well. They will all play their hearts out and will be given incentives to do well."

He added: "You've got to remember that at the moment we have no club in the league and the players haven't got contracts but we've still got 19 or 20 going to training regularly."

IT has been confirmed that a finished business plan has now been sent to the Rugby Football League for officials to peruse before it goes before the full RFL Council meeting on Wednesday, May 1.

The business plan, in which various guarantees have to be made, is basically a detailed bid by the Wasps' working party for its proposed new company to take on the franchise and fixtures of the old club, starting from the resumption of the Northern Ford Premiership in June.

RFL chiefs will now get the chance to study the business plan and make recommendations to the council, which is made up of member clubs from the Super League and Northern Ford Premiership.

The council is expected to vote on the matter - in simple terms, whether or not to allow the Wasps back into the league - during its meeting on Wednesday.

The Wasps' working party are to hold another public meeting for fans a week tomorrow, Sunday, May 5, at Huntington Stadium (2pm).

The meeting - at which more popular match videos will be shown - will go ahead no matter whether or not the club get readmitted to the Rugby Football League this week.

If the club's bid to get back into the league succeeds, the working party are to present a run-down of the business plan they sent to the RFL and details of progress made and what is now needed to be done. A celebration will no doubt follow.

If the club's bid is not successful, the working party are expected to outline plans to get the club readmitted to the league for next season. Either way, the fight is likely to go on.

GRIFFINS Bridge, the band leading the way for WaspAid 2002, have got a new fan following their brief appearance on Sky Sport's Rugby League World show.

The programme featured an article on the Wasps' bid to be readmitted to the league, and included a bit about WaspAid, the multi-band gig being organised by Griffins Bridge guitarist Andy Hall to raise money for the cause.

And after the band were shown rehearsing for the gig, Sky's famous rugby league commentator, Mike "Stevo" Stephenson, said: "I wish them all the best. In fact, the band sounded all right, didn't they."

The programme also filmed the new-look Wasps squad in training at Heworth's Elm Park Way and featured caretaker coach Stewart Horton, winger Leigh Deakin and fans' leader Gary Hall.

Well done to all involved - they did the club proud.

Original test for ex-Wasp

FORMER York Wasps half-back Graham Steadman has been named as assistant coach for the Yorkshire team which will take on Lancashire in the forthcoming Origin series.

Steadman - now, of course, boss at Castleford - will be the number two to Bradford Bulls chief Brian Noble, who will go head-to-head with St Helens boss Aussie Ian Millward, who was controversially named as Lancashire coach for the series.

Yorkshire coach for the Origin clash last season was Lee Crooks, the then boss of York Wasps.

The White Rose team, again sponsored by Yorkshire Building Society, will hope to avenge last year's 36-24 defeat in this year's Roses battle, which has been extended to two matches.

The first game takes place at the JJB Stadium in Wigan on Friday, June 14 (kick off 8pm), with the second at Headingley, Leeds, on Tuesday, June 18 (8pm). If the series is drawn, there will be a sudden death "golden score" period of extra-time at the end of the second match.

IN-FORM half-back Mark Cain, who joined Hull Kingston Rovers from York Wasps after the Huntington Stadium club was wound up by the old board, has won the Buddies National League Cup performance of the week award.

Cain scored two tries and created two others in the Robins' 30-21 win at Featherstone.

Office work to start

The prospective York Wasps club have now agreed a deal which will enable them to use all the facilities at Huntington Stadium - giving the Wasps a base from which to work.

Furthermore, finances could already be in place to see a reopened office manned full-time by a secretary/administrator throughout the rest of the season.

As revealed by the Evening Press, the Wasps' working party last week agreed a deal with stadium lease-holders Cannons Leisure for using the ground on match-days at a new "workable" rate.

The latest arrangement will see the Wasps also rent the other facilities there, such as the offices and boardroom, from May until the end of October, with the option of extending the term.

Of course, all these agreements are dependent on the Wasps' working party being successful in their bid to be readmitted to the league later this week in time for the resumption of the Northern Ford Premiership campaign in June.

Working party member Mike Miller said: "We'd need the office as a base, for contact with the Rugby Football League and, of course, for match-days. We want to get it up and running as if it had never been closed."

He explained that the prospective supporters' trust would not carry out the day-to-day running of the club, because the actual York Wasps franchise would legally have to be held by the separate limited company, which would also be set up by the working party if given the go-ahead by the RFL.

Therefore, it would be the company, rather than the trust, that employs the players, the coaching staff, secretary, etc, and also pays the rent for the facilities.

However, the trust - an independent body made up of club members - would hold a number of shares in that company depending on the percentage of investment it makes, and therefore is likely to have a major say in the running of the club.

Miller added: "If the club gets the go-ahead from the league, we will be paying rent from May 2.

"We would have the same facilities as the previous company (club) had up to the time of that company moving out, at a new agreed rate, and we are hoping the office would be manned full-time by a person employed by the new company."

Updated: 10:57 Saturday, April 27, 2002