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Vikings: things looking good

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

Widnes 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.

Last year it looked like the Vikings were on their last legs due to money problems, but with fresh financial backing the Cheshire club have made a comeback and they now have a good chance of making it all the way back to Super League.

If points were awarded for past glories then Widnes wouldn't have any problems, but the licensing criteria is based on a club's future and with Steve O'Connor's millions in place, we feel they are likely to earn a B licence, which would probably see them granted a place in Super League.

The club are now solvent and the stadium meets the standards of a premier competition with a large enough capacity. However they do not have an annual turnover of more than £4million and the average attendance does not meet the 10,000 mark.

The club needs an average crowd of 5,500 to meet the RFL's requirement that clubs operate at 40 per cent capacity. Being outside Super League, they do not meet that mark so they do not pick up a point - but the last time they were in the top flight their gates averaged 6,700 and they feel they would make the grade if they returned to Super League.

Being outside the top flight means they do not pick up points for contributing to the competition, but they make the grade in terms of junior development and not breaching the salary cap.

Chairman O'Connor said: "The town is steeped in rugby league heritage. I think the people in Widnes are desperate to play local rivals in Warrington, St Helens, Wigan and perhaps Leeds and Bradford. They're desperate for top-quality rugby league.

"We need to work on the number of people we bring into the game. We're going to try to energise the number of people we bring to the stadium and bring to rugby league in the future.

"It's very exciting times."

To see more on Widnes' licence application, click the video in the top right of your screen.