The RFL taskforce brought in to help Celtic has been offering support for all clubs in the top three divisions.

One of the men on the taskforce is Steve Ferres, a former Chief Executive of Wakefield, and he revealed the taskforce is a much needed function of the RFL, particularly in these difficult times for rugby league clubs and businesses on the whole.

He told Last Tackle: "We cover any aspect of the business, from commercial and marketing to the playing side of things. The taskforce is unique to rugby in terms of the support it offers clubs, and it is very much needed in the economic climate.

"We're just starting to get involved with Celtic to identify any difficulties in the business and look at income generating streams."

"We work across the board with all the clubs, like Doncaster and Rochdale. We look at their business and try to help it moving along and pass on the good practice that we have picked up."

Ferres certainly knows his rugby league. A former player with Bradford, Dewsbury, Carlisle and York, he got in to coaching as assistant manager to Gary Hetherington at Sheffield Eagles before moving on to coach at Hunslet and Huddersfield.

He then moved on to the admin side of the game, where he joined the board at Huntington Stadium to help York following the demise of the Wasps in 2002, and he was appointed Chief Executive in 2003.

Now part of a team working on behalf of the RFL to support its professional clubs, Ferres is hoping to pass on the vast knowledge he has gained over the years.

He added: "The taskforce is very important for the game. We've got to help people to make things work in what is a hard time for any business. Even if we can help just a little bit, every club needs support."

Administration

A number of clubs have entered administration in recent years, including Doncaster (twice), Rochdale and Widnes and it's an issue that is affecting all sports, not just rugby league.

Ferres added: "It's a problem that keeps occuring. We need to get people to work closer with the clubs to eliminate these problems. We need to encourage the clubs to run the business like a business and not like it's just a rugby club.

"You get some owners who indulge in the playing side of things but then forget about the business side."

"The taskforce is an ongoing project. We now move on to the Celtic project and see what we can do down there."

The team

Ferres is joined by RFL director of development Gary Tasker and former Hull chief executive David Plummer.

Tasker was one of the driving forces behind the successful rebranding of Bradford Bulls in 1995, while the team also played a significant part in the establishment of Catalans Dragons in Super League in 2006.

About the Celtic Crusaders project, Tasker said earlier this week: "It was always going to be tough for Celtic in their first year as an engage Super League club and the RFL is lending its expertise to provide the support they need.

"When their Super League licence was first approved, the world was a very different place to what it is now and no-one at Celtic Crusaders could have anticipated many of the difficulties they have faced. However, they are in it for the long haul and we are determined to do what we can to help them find additional investors."

They certainly like to keep busy - Ferres was on the way to Rochdale via Dewsbury when we caught up with him.

He concluded: "There's always something we can do to try and help the clubs."