Sunday 3 March 2019 16:20, UK
Jason Shaw, a member of the consortium that completed a takeover of Widnes Vikings on Friday, thanked fans for keeping the Rugby League club alive.
Widnes were saved from liquidation after the Rugby Football League formally approved the sale of the club on Friday.
The Vikings have, however, been docked 12 points under RFL insolvency rules.
Shaw represents Vikings Quids In (VIQI), who have raised more than £100,000 and collected more than 112,000 new members inside a week.
"We've raised in excess of £100,000, somewhere in the region of £120,000, from the fans which is absolutely fantastic," he told Sky Sports News.
"That allows us to be sustainable for this year because obviously we have lost some income revenue streams from season tickets - we are still going to honour those season tickets.
"We've got sponsorship from key business members.
"Without the revenue streams we needed to do something, we've done that through the fans and the investors on the board."
Neil Fox, one of two fans representatives on Widnes' board, told Sky Sports News what the town has gone through during the uncertainty over their club's future this week.
"It was very close to (the club going out of business). If it were not for the town putting their money in, come Friday there would have been no club at all.
"We're glad to be here today but people have lost their jobs as well so it's not all happy as we all think it is. We're here and we'll build again.
"The tension has been unbearable, to the see the town and the kids in schools collecting, everyone joining in, it's been amazing really. I've been coming here for 42 years."
