THERE are enough fans of rugby league in the city of York to make the new club a success. That is the view of chief executive in waiting, Steve Ferres, and, given his stature in the British game, few could argue against his assertion.

However, the citizens of York do not have a long time to prove him right. In fact, you have less than a fortnight.

Now is the time to get behind the new club and support the Evening Press campaign to kick-start York RL.

There is little point beating around the bush. If this bid to get York back into the league fails then it is unlikely that any future bid will succeed.

For a start, any future club is unlikely to have at its helm someone with as good a standing in the game as Ferres.

Any future club is unlikely to be involved in talks about a new ground, an opportunity now open while York City FC try to secure a new stadium.

Any future club is unlikely to get as much council backing as Ferres has procured, backing which will see the city have its own development officer for the first time.

Any future club is unlikely to have Super League giants Leeds Rhinos offering resources to help set up a top-class development programme.

And any future club is unlikely to have the advantage of applying to join the league at a time when it was restructuring and was thankful for new clubs.

In other words, if this new club can not raise the necessary funds to get into the league now, then the great game of professional rugby league - a lifeblood for most Yorkshire communities - is likely to be lost from the very heart of Yorkshire for ever.

Granted, York RL have never been a Wigan, a St Helens or a Leeds Rhinos. However, they are currently in the same position as Bradford were some years ago - and look where Bradford Bulls are now.

Okay, Bradford might be a bigger city than York, but St Helens and Wigan aren't. And neither are Castleford, Warrington, Halifax, Widnes etc, etc - all which have full-time Super League clubs.

And neither are Huddersfield, Leigh, Rochdale, Featherstone and Doncaster, all of which occupy the top five placings in the Premiership.

In fact, the Rugby Football League recognise that few places in England have as good a basis for rugby league as York, and there can be little doubt that they want York to prosper. Apart from anything else, it will be good for the game.

All the club needs is a strong community base, a sound structure and good development prospects. Certainly that is something York Wasps lacked in recent years and is maybe something York has needed for quite some time. But it is something Ferres excels in and can deliver.

Of course, the one thing he cannot put right is the past, and unfortunately that seems to be the biggest ballast.

Professional RL in York has been run into the ground over the last few years as the old club limped from disaster to disaster.

Unfortunately, the Wasps took so long to actually die that many fans deserted the ship long before it finally sank, fed up of the false promises and failures.

They will take a bit of persuasion to come back. However, it is those fans who are needed most now.

With the support of the community, York can have a successful club. Without it, great occasions - like a full house at Clarence Street, the Challenge Cup run of 1984, the promotions, the relegations, more than 5,000 crammed into Huntington Stadium - will never be enjoyed by future generations.

Updated: 08:45 Tuesday, August 20, 2002