Hull FC stadium latest as future remains unclear after council update

An update has been provided on Hull FC and their long-term future at the MKM Stadium.

Following comments made by Hull City owner Acun Ilicali that suggested FC were ‘in trouble’ after a show of hands at a fan forum showed that most people wanted FC to leave the MKM, it suggested that they could be on the outer, particularly with their current lease running out at the end of 2027.

The facility is owned by Hull City Council and operated by the Stadium Management Company, which Ilicali controls. He has previously stated that a future lease offer from the SMC to FC would not be on the same terms, with the Hull City owner claiming that those current terms are not equal.

Now, the leader of Hull City Council, Cllr. Mike Ross, has given an update to the BBC, admitting where they are currently at in terms of an agreement.

Revealing what correspondence the council have had from the SMC, Ross said: “The council is fairly regularly in touch with both clubs anyway. I think that’s important for the city going forward that those good relationships remain in place.

“Recently, there’s been concerns raised around the lease for Hull FC and their tenure at the stadium, and whilst that is, and this is important to stress, an issue between the two clubs, FC and the SMC, to deal with and get an assessment on, we felt it was important from the council’s perspective to write and make clear the council’s position.

“The stadium was built for the benefit of both clubs. In our view, both clubs should be able to play there, and that should be what drives those negotiations and discussions. It’s not to tell them how to negotiate and what should be the final assessment of that, but the important thing is that the ability of both clubs to play at the stadium was the paramount reason why the stadium was built the way it was.

“That should, unless of course the club decides to leave the stadium, be the position that is seen through this to the end.”

Asked for an update on those discussions between the two clubs, Ross added: “They are still ongoing, so that is the critical thing here.

“There’s not a resolution to that. I appreciate it’s not an easy process to go through to get to an end point, but the important thing is that it’s done with an attitude of seeking an appropriate resolution that suits both parties.

“It has to, in the end, be an arrangement that does work for both parties involved here, that enables Hull FC to play there, but is also able to be done in a way that actually isn’t a detriment, say to the stadium itself and Hull City as well. There has to be an amicable solution reached.”

There is a scenario where FC do find themselves homeless, but the council are not currently going down that way of thinking, with them hopeful that an agreement will be made between the two in due course.

Cllr. Ross said: “I’m coming at this from a position where my view is that that shouldn’t be the outcome, there has to be a resolution that doesn’t see that being the situation.

“I think it’s fair to say in terms of what the council could do then, the options are very limited just in terms of where we are now, so I wouldn’t want to be saying at this point well ‘this is the plan B for the council’ because really actually it has to be about how we make plan A work.”

Sending a message to FC fans, Ross finished the interview by saying: “Rugby League is an incredible sport, particularly obviously in the North of England, and provides a great sense of belonging for fans that go along to their club so often and feel part of the family there.

“I think it’s also recognised that it’s an incredibly challenged sport in terms of, frankly, the financial situation. I think that is no different for a lot of clubs across the sport.

“My message, to be clear again on this, is that the stadium was built for the benefit of both clubs, and while I appreciate there’s a lot of hard work to be done around getting the future sorted on this, from a council perspective we are clear across the chamber that that is a stadium that is the home for both Hull FC and Hull City and both need to have security of tenure there.”