Just an honourary title, I think. I imagine he'll relinquish it once the deal is complete.

As much as would love our own dedicated stadium, I agree. It would have to be a self financing Sports Village similar to Leigh and where will the club ever get the money to get that off the ground? If investors came in, they would be the majority share holders, not the club.

Yep, There’s not one SL club at the last accounts making a profit, if they own their own ground or not. Gate receipts just don’t pay enough. It would literally take decades and decades to pay it off.

If there was some magical way we had enough money and were desperate not to pay rent then it would be easier to just buy the stadium.

Wigan lost £1.7m in their last accounts having lost £1.5m the year before. Luckily for them their owner is seriously minted

Contrary to popular belief the SMC is very good to us. It actually subsidies our costs against match day operations and the nominal payments we make are significantly below what it would cost us to fund a match day operation.

Our (Hull FC) contribution to pitch renovation (1, 200, 000 (also including new verti drain machines, top dressers, sacrifices etc) was part funded by the SMC and EFL funding via football.
Nothing from us.

It's not that bad deal we perceive.


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So was it an animal or human sacrifice and did it take place on the centre spot or behind a goal line

It's often rumour or minor details that feel like they are out of the club's control because of the SMC that irritate fans. As an example, on Saturday it was noted that there were no red 20m lines on the pitch. Apparently the SMC have forbade the use of red dye on the pitch. I didn't even notice but there was quite a conversation about it. Whilst this may be the case, it might also be a load of tosh and just a forgetful grounds keeper.

Correct, nobody complained about the stadium when we had a competitive side and played in front of 15k most weeks. Many things have stopped us being competitive recently but the stadium isn’t it. People were mad that we miss out on the 0.10 or whatever IMG points it is for primary tenancy but it’s really not important. It’s not a perfect situation but the costs would far outweigh any benefits.


If a die hard Hull fan like me wins a couple of hundred million on the lottery I’ll build this magical 15-18K stadium and I’ll give it to the club, until something like that happens it simply won’t happen. They often make noise about it but for all the millions and millions in TV money and a few different owners Hull City haven’t ever put the money up to buy the stadium. Suggests to me that we both must get a decent deal out of playing in a ground that the council built for us and ‘not owning’ the ground isn’t the handicap people (rovers fans) make out.

Spot on for me, let's not labour on a new stadium because it will never happen. Adam discussed the possibility in the warm autumnal glow post 2017 but the cold winter of Covid put an end to any such fantasy's and let's face is that's all that they were. The Stadium we play in is the best in British Rugby League we know because we've been to them all. It still attracts some of the best gates in the game despite playing host to what is now perhaps the most dysfunctional team in the British game. The deal we have with the SMC was always eched where we and (in theory) the Football Club were tenants through a lease agreement for 50 years each to be reviewed and possibly renegotiated after 25 years (a clause that was originally included to aid the two clubs should either or both fall on hard times and need a better deal). The upkeep of the stadium and the pitch is the responsibility of the SMC.

Its a deal that is weak and can be manipulated if you don't separate the interests of the football Club and the management company as was seen by the actions of the Allam's but I'm told the current regime is very fair now about all of that and relationships are good. However, it's costing the owner of the football club more than he likes and the new tenancy deal to be negotiated in the next couple of years is critical to both parties and will be tough for Hull FC. Something I'm sure any new owner/investor will be looking very closely at. But a new Stadium.... dream on!

I remember a SL referee saying the field is unusually short for RL. It was definitively shortened years ago but not sure if that was at the edict of the SMC.

There's nothing wrong with us renting the Stadium. It doesn't cause us to miss out on revenue streams people think it does, and in some ways works to our advantage now the smc is being run by people who consider our needs. Issue I've got with the Stadium is we don't use it effectively on match days. We should close north and south stand and try and full the east and west stands to create an amosphere while were at low figures. Think we should invite buskers/live music acts onto the concourse before kick off and at half time. Try and create a mini festival atmosphere into the match day experience

Funnily enough the talk of missing out on millions and millions every year in match day revenues, burger vans and concerts only started when Rovers took out the mortgage on Craven Park and then all of a sudden according to them the only way of being successful was owning a ground while completely ignoring the likes of Wigans success over the years, can’t believe our fans fall for it.

Don’t get me wrong it’s great for them no denying that but they’re a completely different animal, they have multiple rich backers and simply had the opportunity to buy Craven Park at a cost a rugby league club could make viable.

In the 20 odd years we’ve played at the Stadium I’d say for the vast majority of those we’d have managed to run a wage bill to compete with the top clubs. We’ve won 3 cups and made the GF but mostly underachieved by poor recruitment/retention decisions. It’s not that ground that’s held us back. I’m not sure what the implications of not owning a stadium in Covid was if that made of us more exposed than anyone else, but without a big financial backer and no income we were doomed anyway. Agree entirely about the atmosphere in the ground, again I’m not sure that’s down to not owning the stadium I’m sure if there was a will to improve the atmosphere and decent performing side on the pitch it could be bouncing again.