Northampton Rebels team withdraw from Championship One

The new team was set to be owned and run by League Two side Northampton Town and would have played at Sixfields.

Chairman David Cardoza said: "We didn't want to launch something that had no chance of success and was not going to be competitive.

"It was always of paramount importance to us that the rugby league side didn't impact on the football club."
He added: "We were concerned there was an increasing risk of that happening.

RFL chief executive Ralph Rimmer
"With regret we have agreed to withdraw. I am proud of the work we did to get the Rebels this far, and am truly sorry that we have had to end the adventure here."
Rugby Football League chief executive Ralph Rimmer says they have alternative teams ready to take the Rebels' place.

"It had become increasingly clear in recent weeks that Northampton were not where they needed or wanted to be," he said.

"Whilst it is clearly a very disappointing development, our decision provides verification that the rigorous checks we have in place are working and that there is a quality threshold being applied.
"It was never going to be an easy process for a new club to gear up to meet the challenges of a semi-professional competition and we have always had contingencies in place for an eventuality such as this.
"Although the journey proved to be too difficult for Northampton Rebels, we always had highly credible alternatives in reserve."

Hemel Stags and University of Gloucestershire All Golds will participate in a 10-team Championship One competition in 2013 with the other two teams set to be announced.