The English professional rugby league team Huddersfield Giants (UK) Owner Ken Davy says the club’s plans to build a purpose-built new stadium will galvanize rugby league in the birthplace of the sport and boost his hopes of turning the club into a top-four Super League force.
‘SERIOUS ABOUT RUGBY LEAGUE’ stated that Davy has revealed his ambitious plans to leave the John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield, England (UK) for a new home for the Giants.
The Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England (UK). Huddersfield plays their home games at the John Smith’s Stadium and competes in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league.
The 24,500-capacity Kirklees Stadium (known for sponsorship purpose as the John Smith’s Stadium) is a multiuse stadium in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England (UK). Since 1994, it has been the home ground of the Huddersfield Giants.
‘SERIOUS ABOUT RUGBY LEAGUE’ further stated that the above surprise announcement was made by Davy at the Giants’ end-of-season awards night that was held recently as he was leading the search for a new home for the Super League outfit – “Our objective is to move to a new purpose-built stadium and dedicated home of the Huddersfield Giants in the shortest possible timeframe. And we are determined to make sure that our ambitious vision for the future of the Giants becomes a reality. That’s because as much as the John Smith’s Stadium is a wonderful arena it is just not viable for the Huddersfield Giants. I say that because it has always been too big for the Giants and we are looking to develop a stadium with an initial capacity of 7,500 or 8,000. At the moment, the reality is that it’s a challenge to create a genuine atmosphere that reflects the enthusiasm for the Giants among our fiercely loyal fans.”
Added Davy, “We’ve been stagnating at the John Smith’s Stadium and a place the Huddersfield Giants and the Giants supporters can call home will really invigorate the club and the rugby league in Huddersfield as a whole. Our plans will pave the way for the ideal facility for the club and our fans and it would provide us with the springboard to grow as a club and to expand the stadium.”
New Stadium Look-and-Feel
While Davy is keeping his cards close to his chest in terms of finance and timescale, it would appear that he is keen to follow the example of the Super League rivals.
Remarked Davy, “There are a number of excellent Super League stadiums and for me, the 4,500-capacity St Helens Ground in Brynmill, Wales, would be a really good example to follow and the 12,000-capacity Salford Community Stadium in Eccles, England, isn’t bad either. Huddersfield has a special place in the rugby league history books because the town is the birthplace of the sport. We will ensure that the Giants have a home that its supporters and Huddersfield can be proud of. We’ve had a tough season and it’s a been a challenging time but we’re determined to make sure the Huddersfield Giants are a top-four Super League club that is consistently challenging for honors. That is our long-term goal and a new stadium for the Giants will be a crucial part of that strategy.”
The Giants currently share the John Smith’s Stadium with the EFL League One team (the third level of the English football league system) the Huddersfield Town Association Football Club since its opening in 1994.
It is currently owned by the Kirklees Council (40 percent), Town (40 percent) and the Giants (20 percent) through the Kirklees Stadium Development Limited (operates the John Smith’s Stadium).
The Town Owner Kevin Nagle is understood to be close to completing a deal to take control of the John Smith’s Stadium.
And the Kirklees Council wants out of stadium ownership and with Town Chairman Kevin Nagle and Davy left to agree a way forward.
Miss the Bus
Davy also revealed that he has been on the lookout for a new home for some time – “We first started to talk about a new home for the Giants two years ago and we’d identified what we thought would be an ideal site and were very hopeful. But unfortunately, we missed out on that location as it was snapped up for other purposes so we had to start our hunt again and we’ve now narrowed the list of potential locations to three sites. We’ve had positive discussions with our local authority, the Kirklees Council, and we’re actively progressing on those plans and we hope to be able to say more in due course. I can’t be any more exact than saying ‘due course’ because negotiations on matters that are as significant as building a new stadium are always going to be complex.”
It has also been announced that Davy has returned to the Giants Chairman’s office.
It follows a four-year hiatus during which he spent a couple of years as the Executive Chairman of the Super League with the outgoing club Chairman Keith Hellawell taking on the role of the club President.
Concluded Davy, “My enthusiasm and passion for the club are undimmed and I’m really looking forward to driving the club forward. I am confident our supporters, the people of Huddersfield as a whole, our commercial partner and sponsors will rally behind our plans which will galvanize our club and rugby league in the area.”
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