Sky Sports.com

Leigh: new stadium on the way

To find out how the Super League licensing works in detail click here

Also see

• R League on Sky
• Rugby League Scores
• Sky Sports experts

Leigh Centurions were the latest side to come under the Boots 'n' All licensing spotlight.

With clubs being asked to put their bids in for a permit to take part in the competition from 2009, every week Angela Powers will be out and about seeing how the candidates meet the necessary criteria.

The last time the Centurions reached Super League it was through the traditional route of promotion, but this time they need to meet the RFL's criteria if they want to mix with the elite of the sport again.

One thing in their favour is their state-of-the-art new stadium at Leigh Sporting Village which they'll move into over the summer. Their chances would be bleak in their current home, but the new facility should give them a real chance of making it into Super League.

The ground was originally intended to hold 10,000 people, but the plans for the stadium were changed to meet the RFL's requirement for a capacity of 12,000 people - so Leigh should pick up two points for their licensing application.

They currently operate at 40% capacity at their current home at Hilton Park so they earn another point there, but they cannot boast an average crowd of more than 10,000 people.

The club's financial problems have been well documented in recent years but they should earn a point for solvency, even if they don't have an annual turnover above £4million.

They also have no major salary cap breaches, but they lose out from a performance perspective. Their Super League relegation, their proximity to clubs like Salford and Wigan and their failure to bring through young players means they are unlikely to meet performance criteria.

Boots 'n' All reckons they can muster five points, which would earn them a B licence and give them a very good chance of getting in

Leigh Centurions Chief Executive Allan Rowlley said: "At the end of the day we are an established club.

"We've gone through bad times like a lot of other clubs have, but we've got through it. We've got a new chairman and we're moving on stronger.

"One thing we've got in our favour is that we've got an established crowd base - we're not in an area where you may have to look for a crowd - we've already got one that's growing on a weekly basis.

"We've worked hard on our Super League franchise application and I would love the opportunity to stand up and debate the merits of our application against other clubs that are doing the same."

To see how Leigh fared in more depth, click on the video icon at the top right of the screen...