Location of Rugby League Museum out of Batley Bulldogs’ chairman's hands as Huddersfield's George Hotel set to become a Radisson Red

Huddersfield’s George Hotel - the birthplace of the sport in 1895 - was chosen as a permanent venue to host the museum in January 2020.

However, Kirklees Council announced at the start of this year that it “would not be financially viable,” to keep the museum at the George, resulting in Mr Nicholas proposing the Bulldogs’ Mount Pleasant ground as an alternative location.

And with the hotel by Huddersfield’s railway station now set to be turned into a Radisson Red, Batley’s chairman believes the museum will not be staying in Kirklees.

He said: “Putting the George Hotel back into use as a hotel is good for the town of Huddersfield. But it’s disappointing that the museum is not there.

“Hopefully there will be something put there to commemorate the fact that it was there for rugby league. You would hope that the Radisson would think of doing that really, even if it was a small area of the hotel.

“As far as the museum is concerned (coming to Batley), we didn’t get positive feedback, certainly from Kirklees, who want it in another area of Huddersfield basically, which I don’t see the relevance of in terms of rugby league history.

“I can’t see the museum being in Kirklees now which is disappointing. We have said what we would be prepared to do and there is nothing more we can do. It is out of our hands. I can only concentrate on things which are in our control.”

Mr Nicholas says he did not receive a “proper response” to his proposals - which he said at the time “would be a significant boost to the people of the town of Batley” - from Kirklees Council following their U-turn in January 2022, and he has now pointed to other local authorities who, in his opinion, have an “appetite” for investing in their rugby league clubs.

He said: “I don’t think there is an appetite for it in Kirklees, which is a shame, especially when you look at what other councils are trying to do, like Wakefield and what Bradford Council is doing for the Bulls.

“I understand that they have got other priorities but it would be nice if there was some kind of support, even if it was just the same as what other local authorities are doing for their clubs - nothing more, nothing less.

“If they had another alternative and something was happening then I can live with that. The fact that nothing is happening and we have put something forward, is the most disappointing thing.

Mr Nicholas, who received support from Kim Leadbeater, MP for Batley and Spen, following his proposals, has insisted he is focussing on other things now following the Bulldogs’ successful on-field achievements this season.

He said: “We are concentrating on other things and bigger projects, especially now the season is over.

“Whether we can progress with this, I don’t know. I know that Kim has tried to help us the best she can but I don’t get a massive positive vibe from Kirklees to be honest.

“We will play it by ear and hope things change.”