HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS owner Ken Davy can go ahead and buy The Shay Stadium in Halifax, after Calderdale Council approved the move at a Cabinet meeting.
The contract for the sale of the stadium, which is currently owned by the Council, will include a legal restriction to ensure it is kept as a sporting stadium.
Although the Giants are committed to staying at their current home, the Accu Stadium, for the 2026 season, they may move to The Shay in 2027, although Davy has previously insisted they would only move there if they had been given planning permission to develop their own stadium in Huddersfield.
The Calderdale Cabinet had been expected to consider the issue again when it meets on November 3, with community groups having been given the chance to express interest in taking on the site, which is registered as an Asset of Community Value.
But a community group that had expressed an interest in running the stadium on a not-for-profit basis pulled out of the process in the summer, leaving Davy as the sole remaining potential purchaser.
The Cabinet therefore agreed that the sale to him could go ahead without it coming before the councillors again at their next scheduled meeting.
A Calderdale Council spokesperson said: “The Shay Stadium was registered as an Asset of Community Value, giving community groups the chance to express interest in buying the site.
“This process required a detailed business case to be developed and submitted by October 3, 2025.
“We have not received a worked-up business case from any community group.
“As the deadline has passed, Cabinet’s decision from March 17 – to progress the proposal as submitted by Mr Ken Davy/Huddersfield Giants for the acquisition of the Shay, with a legal restriction to keep it as a sporting stadium – will now be implemented.”
A crucial factor in Davy’s decision to purchase the stadium – where he has already contributed significantly for pitch improvements to cure a major drainage problem – is the fact that the relevant sporting bodies (the FA and the RFL) have given permission for three clubs to be allowed to play at The Shay.