Castleford Tigers have confirmed the departure of their long-serving Managing Director, Mark Grattan, who was pivotal in the club’s IMG success.
Mark Grattan will step down from his role at Castleford with immediate effect after serving the club for 15 years, steering them through tough times all the way to helping the Tigers achieve Grade A status on last year’s IMG ranks.
The Tigers are going through a period of change with owner Martin Jepson having first invested in late 2023, only to buy the majority stake in late 2024.
Jepson worked alongside Grattan to ensure the club earned Grade A status, something which assured their Super League status.
Castleford broke the news via their social media and website with the club thanking Grattan for his tireless work over the last 15 years.
His exit is the second high-profile departure in the last 24 hours with veteran forward Liam Watts released from the club late last night.
Castleford Tigers confirm departure of senior figure pivotal to Grade A status
The Tigers shared the news of Grattan’s exit via a brief club statement with comments attached from both Martin Jepson and Mark Grattan.
That statement read: “Castleford Tigers can announce the departure of long-standing Managing Director, Mark Grattan. Mark will step down immediately from his role after 15 years of service to the Club.”
Martin Jepson said: “I would like to put on record my thanks to Mark for all his years of service to the Club. In particular, I would like to thank Mark for his hard work last year in helping the Club secure its Super League status by attaining the requisite number of IMG grading points. This was a complicated piece of work that had to be delivered over a significant period of time. Everybody at the Club will always be extremely grateful for this achievement.”
“On behalf of the Club I would like to wish Mark the very best of luck for the future and I know fans will show him their appreciation when they see him at a future game.”
Mark Grattan said: “It’s been a real pleasure to serve the club for 15 years initially as a volunteer, then an employee and Director of the Board. There have been many high points over the years including winning the League Leaders Shield, getting to the Grand Final and reaching two Challenge Cup Finals, however the most memorable achievement was being awarded grade A status in October 2024.
“Getting the club through lockdown and the following two years really took its toll on me and I made the decision at the end of 2023 that once we had secured the Grade A status I would look to start the handover process. I would personally like to thank everyone I have worked with and alongside, both on field and off field, over the last 15 years. I have had the honour and pleasure of working with some of the most hardworking and dedicated people I have ever come across. I would also like to thank the sponsors and fans of the club who have been incredible over the last 15 years. Finally, I would like to wish Martin Jepson and Steve Vause all the best and I look forward to coming down to the ground to support the team from the terraces as a fan, and enjoy the best atmosphere in Super League.”
