NEW YORK have confirmed that they will compete in the first round of the 2021 Coral Challenge Cup meaning a clash with Keighley Cougars, who enter the tournament at the third round stage, could be on the cards at some point.

The newly founded club will put together a full-time team next year and are drawing up a fixture list of between 20 and 25 games to prepare them for their entry to League One in 2022.

The consortium have been knocked back in their bid to join Ottawa in the third tier of the English game in 2021 but organiser Ricky Wilby says his investors remain committed for the next five years.

"Once we knew we weren't going to be in for next year, we started looking at alternatives because we've got sponsors we need to service and a stadium that we need to play games in," Wilby said at the launch at Liverpool's British Music Experience.

"Companies have built budgets and included us in them.

"It was disappointing to miss out. There were logistical things that were out of our control that probably counted against us.

"But we think we've got a really exciting fixture list that we can put together for next year that will excite players who would want to take a leap of faith into the brand."

New York are set to play their first competitive matches in the Challenge Cup next January, and have pulled off a coup by persuading the Rugby Football League to hold the draw for this year's sixth round in the Big Apple on Monday.

Wilby says the club plan to use a university stadium for the opening rounds of the cup and want to make the Red Bull Stadium their permanent home.

"The idea is that we put a minimum of two games a month on," he said. "They will be in the States but we might go into California because we want to work with the local teams and grow their fan-bases as well.

"It gives us an opportunity to prove we should be in in 2021."