YORK Wasps fans are confident of forming an acceptable business plan quickly enough to resurrect the club - despite being given only two weeks by the Rugby Football League.

The Wasps supporters' trust working party are to sit down this weekend to draw up a firm financial framework that meets RFL requirements, in their bid to get the club readmitted to the Northern Ford Premiership by the time the league campaign resumes in June.

The working party knew they were likely to have until early May to put forward a business plan and the RFL have now confirmed that Wednesday, May 1 is effectively the deadline.

Fans leaders Gary Hall (pictured above) said: "We have to submit the business plan by May 1, when the RFL are due to meet.

"The RFL have told us the criteria we need to satisfy and we are going to work on that over the weekend. We are confident we will draw up a workable plan."

Hall said any blueprint was more likely to be accepted by the RFL if a "white knight" was to come in with backing, but added: "Once we get the business plan put together, we would have more chance to show potential buyers things are in place and that there is a future."

The supporters got to work to form a new club to take on the Wasps' franchise just days after the old club folded and resigned from the RFL last month.

The RFL intimated then that, should the Wasps return with a feasible business plan, they would allow the new club to resume NFP action following the completion of the mid-season National League Cup. And the fans targeted the glamour tie at Huddersfield Giants on June 2 as their first game back.

Hall added: "On the business plan we need to show we've got an income stream, and it's got to be long-term. There's no point just looking at fulfilling this season's fixtures, we've got to fulfil fixtures for ever and a day."

Events to help rescue the club are being arranged, with the big upcoming event being the major music festival WaspAid 2002, which will take place in the Barbican Centre on June 1 - just one day before the prospective clash with Huddersfield and two days before the inaugural York Golden Jubilee Rugby League Festival.

In the meantime, the working party still need pledges to be sent in to show they have the required finances. All cheques sent in will not be cashed until the club knows it has a future.

If the club is not readmitted to the RFL this season, they are likely to reapply for next season, so any cash raised will not go to waste.

Sky Sports are to send a crew to Heworth ARLC tonight to film the Wasps players in training and are also set to record band Griffins Bridge in rehearsals for WaspAid. Sky Sports' Super League Show is to highlight the plight of the Wasps.

Updated: 12:05 Thursday, April 18, 2002