Town's professional sports sides hold merger talks

Rochdale AFC Chairman Chris Dunphy held talks with Rochdale Hornets last week.

Officials from Rochdale football club have held talks with their Hornets counterparts over a possible merger of the two sides.

A meeting was held last week between the two clubs, exploring the possibility that the football club could take over the cash-strapped rugby league side.

Hornets were served with a winding up order by the Inland Revenue last month and sources close to the club say that they remain under severe financial pressure. Meanwhile football club chairman Chris Dunphy would like to keep Hornets alive and continue to play rugby in the town, despite perceived tensions between the two clubs in recent years.

Mr Dunphy said: "The board of directors of Rochdale Football Club are in discussions with the Rugby Football League in the hope that we can keep rugby alive in the town."

"From what we know there is a strong possibility that the name Rochdale Hornets will go out of existence if we do not take action."

The rugby club are once again without a chairman after Norman Halsall resigned last week after less than a month in the position.

Whether or not Hornets will still be able to compete in their opening Championship One fixture of the coming season, against Workington Town on 22 March, remains very much in the balance. Any takeover or link up with the football club would have to meet with the approval of the Rugby Football League before it is given the green light.

The hearing for the £55,000 winding up order will take place at the High Court on 14 January.