Leeds Rhinos have asked supporters to pledge their support to Leeds City Council to redevelop Headingley.
Plans were put in place to redevelop both the rugby and cricket ground in February, but the development hinges on the sale of two plots of land in Tingley and Weetwood, which will create over 200 new homes in the city with 100% of the net receipts from the sale of the site being invested in the improvements.
“Our supporters should be under no illusion that unless this project is approved, we will have missed a huge opportunity to complete the re-development of the site,” said chief executive Gary Hetherington.
“Everyone is aware of the need to provide modern facilities for our supporters. During the 1990s football clubs in this country received millions of pounds of government funding to renovate their stadia, unfortunately that is not available to us as a rugby stadium. Likewise, rugby clubs like Leigh, Hull FC and Salford have had stadiums built for them by their local councils costing in excess of £20 million.
“If we are unable to proceed with these re-developments, over a 100 years of international cricket and Rugby League is at risk and, given the competition from other stadiums around the country, they are unlikely to return.
“I hope all our supporters can see the benefits that the whole project will bring to our city.”
The Rhinos are asking fans to pledge their support to the of the planning application by contacting Leeds City Council, which can be done at the link below.
https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/
