TWO-time defending Newcastle Rugby League premiers Lakes United have been saved.
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An NRL board meeting on Tuesday night accepted the club's entry into the 2008 Tooheys Cup, conditional on the Seagulls sticking to a restructured proposal to trade out of a debt of more than $200,000 and providing quarterly financial progress reports to the league.
NRL general manager Jamie O'Connor said the board was impressed at the professionalism and detail in the rescue plan and, as an incentive, did not impose any penalty for the club's inability to pay all their players last season.
"We withheld any penalty because we didn't want to deter them from taking on what is already a massive task. They've got a big job in front of them and we wanted to encourage them, not discourage them," O'Connor said.
"We're confident their new committee will lead them out of their debt provided they stick to the structure they have presented to us.
"They've already got sponsorship in place to cover all their match payments for 2008 even if they have an undefeated season, so that's very encouraging.
"Their presentation was very professional, very comprehensive and they've left no stone unturned.
"Their aim is to clear their debt by the end of 2009. Players will get paid what they were promised and they expect all [2007] players to be paid over the next two years."
After overspending in recent years, Lakes have slashed match payments for 2008 and have established an additional sponsorship scheme with Belmont Sporties Club, in which seven cents from every dollar spent by Lakes supporters at the club will go to the football club.
"It's a relief to be given a chance to clear the debt by working our way out of it and paying it off," Lakes secretary and stalwart Tom Sheppard said.
"It would have been tragic for the whole area if we weren't allowed to continue because it's a big nursery out here. All the good juniors from Belmont North, Swansea, Valentine-Eleebana, where would they have all gone if Lakes weren't here?
"We'd have never got back into the comp and we'd have never got out of debt, so this keeps Lakes on the field.
"We'll have a different side a young side but we're in there and that's the main thing. At least everyone knows where we're going now and everything's positive, so we want to clear this debt as quickly as possible and go forward."
Sheppard thanked Nova Distributors, the Sporties Club, Belmont and Gunyah hotels, Belmont CitiCentre and other sponsors "because we couldn't have done this without them".
He said extra income from raffles, canteen and beer sales on game days, other fundraisers and additional sponsorship would be deposited into a player fund so the club could make payments to 2007 players in June and November.
Veteran Lakes hooker Ian Bourke praised the efforts of the new committee, headed by president David Hosking, vice-president Chris Barrett, Sheppard and former NRL and Knights director Kevin Parker.
"It's the club's 61st year and it would have been a tragedy getting kicked out in the game's centenary year. This was the only way to go or we would have had to fold and there wouldn't have been a Lakes United," Bourke said.
"As one of the more experienced players, I always had faith in the new committee and they deserve a massive rap. It's a thankless job, cleaning up someone else's mess. They could have easily just walked away and not worried about it."
Sheppard said Lakes still hope to sell a long-term naming-rights ground sponsorship at Cahill Oval. Any company interested can contact him on 0429 485 786.
Lakes will kick off their title defence against Wyong at Cahill Oval on Sunday, March 30. They will continue their on-field build-up with trials in four grades against The Entrance at Windale on Saturday.
