THE past few years have been testing times for Super League clubs in the face and repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Government loans need to be repaid whilst a reduced Sky Sports broadcasting deal means teams are having to find around £800,000 of their own money to cover the salary cap.
For Hull FC owner, Adam Pearson, the financial situation means that external investment into his club is unlikely, with the MKM Stadium also brought into that.
“There should be no misconceptions about this – my door is always open to external investment. It would make me sleep considerably easier at night if we had two or three other investors on board, but that’s not going to happen until I negotiate a new lease,” Pearson told Hull FC Live.
“Nobody is going to buy into a club that doesn’t have a long-term lease on the stadium and that has the amount of debt we have on our balance sheet.
“It’s just not a sensible investment or proposition for somebody so I have to manage the club through that process, get the lease in place, get the team winning again, and then hopefully investors will come knocking on the door and we can bring extra funding into the club.”
In terms of the current lease with the MKM Stadium – which ends in four seasons Person reveals – talks are expected to begin with the Stadium Management Company in 2024.
The relationship with the Stadium Management Company is now excellent – it’s very proactive.
“We’re working well together on issues like fixtures and ticket offers, but at the moment, there are no specific negotiations on a new lease.
“I think negotiations will start within the next six months. We have four seasons left, but it will probably take a year to negotiate.”
That being said, Pearson is confident that a deal will be done as he outlined the pros and cons of the MKM.
“As we saw from the Grand Final coming here during Covid, this is Super League’s finest stadium as far as I’m concerned.
“It’s also the biggest and the most expensive so it’s got both pros and cons. What we have to do is put a winning team on it to maximise the size of the stadium.
“If we don’t put a winning team out there then the stadium becomes too expensive for the club, and therefore it’s difficult to negotiate a new deal.
“But I’m extremely confident we’ll get a deal done and a new negotiated lease in place. The relationship with the SMC is as good as I’ve known it.”
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