Football club to get council's share of stadium

A council's share of a major sports venue is to be handed over to a football club in a bid to secure the future of the site.

Since it was opened in 1993, the John Smith's Stadium in Huddersfield was jointly owned by Kirklees Council, Huddersfield Town Football Club and Huddersfield Giants Rugby League Club.

But under a new agreement, the council is expected to give its 40% share to Huddersfield Town after making it clear recently that it no longer wanted to be involved in the stadium's business side.

Moses Crook, deputy leader of Kirklees Council, said the John Smith's Stadium needed a "long-term plan" and the football club could "take the venue forward and give it the investment it needs".

Under the latest agreement as set out in a new Kirklees Council report, Huddersfield Town will own 80% of shares in the stadium, while Huddersfield Giants will hold the remaining 20%.

The local authority had previously offered to transfer its share to both the clubs, but under the latest agreement, its 40% will pass solely to Huddersfield Town.

However, Kirklees Council will retain ultimate control over the use of the site, located on Stadium Way, as it will keep the freehold.

The stadium, which has a 24,500 capacity, opened in 1993 and is managed by Kirklees Stadium Development Limited (KSDL).

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Huddersfield Giants will be free to use the stadium when required, though the club’s owner recently outlined plans to leave the site and build its own purpose-built venue.

The council also said there would be some debt write-off to facilitate the new arrangement, potentially including a previous £3.8m loan to KSDL.

In December 2022, it was reported that KSDL was at risk of going into administration and the stadium was in need of up to £10m worth of refurbishments.

Mr Crook said: “The council has been working with its partners over the past couple of years to secure the future of the stadium as a top-class venue for sport, entertainment and wider community benefit.

“Over the years, the council has provided investment into the stadium in the form of loans which will now be written off as part of the agreement."

As part of the deal, the council is also expected to take possession of a plot of land at Gasworks Street, near the the stadium, which was previously purchased by KSDL.

It was hoped the land would offer "major regeneration potential" for Huddersfield's economy, Mr Crook said.

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