CASTLEFORD TIGERS are having to face a waiting game for their main stand to be redeveloped as the Super League club’s new owner Martin Jepson gives the lowdown on the situation.
The Tigers focused on making subtle but major changes to their facilities during the 2024 season in a bid to earn their place in the top flight for 2025 under the IMG grading.
In doing so, they have a brand new big screen, LED boards on the way, more seats spread throughout the stand and plans to demolish and redevelop the main stand.
However, Jepson has now given a timeframe for the proposed redevelopment of The Jungle’s main stand, with the club dependent on outside factors for the work to be given the go ahead.
“I met the developer last week and I think September 2026 is the best we can hope for,” Jepson told The COYFCast podcast.
“It’s a market I work in and it’s not right for anybody to come in and fund the development. It’s exactly the sort of thing I do and I know that.
“I think he will, over the next 12 months, look for partners and funders to move that site forward. There are a number of obstacles in his way.
“I cant’ see it happening that quickly and if it did happen next year we then wouldn’t be in a position logistically to build a new stand at the end of next season.
“It’s not in our hands. We are reliant on other people and the important thing for us is that when the released we are ready to go.”
Jepson had previously touched upon this stadium subject.
“The main stand redevelopment is still a little way off because it’s out of our hands,” Jepson had previously told BBC Radio Leeds.
“The reality is the timing is out of our hands because it is dependent on money coming into us from a developer (Axiom) who is developing a site out on the M62 junction.
“I can’t see it starting until the earliest September 2026. I’m not saying it won’t happen, but I work in the property industry and know what the market is like. It’s currently not conducive for that development to start just yet.
“I hope conditions improve in the next 12 months and that will then be the catalyst for the development to commence.
“It’s about looking at what we can do in the short-term to secure the stability for the club, on and off the pitch.”
