Setback for Oldham
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Your support makes all the difference.Oldham have been forced to postpone their opening match of the Northern Ford Premiership season tomorrow, because their new home ground has been refused a safely certificate.
The beaten Grand Finalists in last year's competition were due to play Swinton at Ashton United's football ground, but Tameside Council has ruled that it is unsafe. The decision came too late for the game to be switched to Swinton's ground at Gigg Lane.
"This is another major setback for us," said the Oldham chairman, Chris Hamilton, who has already had to contend with being kicked out of their previous home, Oldham Athletic's Boundary Park. "The council has put safety issues first and no one can argue with that."
Hamilton's target now is to have Ashton United's ground at Hurst Cross ready for Oldham's next home match, against Rochdale on 23 December.
The Challenge Cup, which begins this weekend with 60 amateur clubs contesting the first round, has a new sponsor. Kellogg's is paying more than £1m to attach the name of its Nutri-Grain bars to the world's oldest rugby league competition for one season.
Kellogg's, which also sponsored the World Club Championship fixture between St Helens and Melbourne last year, hopes to discuss a longer contract after this year's Cup.
Kellogg's marketing director, Guy Longworth, said: "We wouldn't want to get involved in something that wasn't moving forward and we believe passionately that rugby league will go from strength to strength."
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