LEIGH LEOPARDS owner Derek Beaumont is well known for his outspoken views when it comes to rugby league.
Whilst in one breath he believes that Hull FC will lose their Grade A status when IMG’s grading results are announced on Wednesday, Beaumont also hailed the work Castleford Tigers have done along the way.
On the Super League Raw podcast, the Leigh chief praised what has happened and is happening at The Jungle in terms of developing off the field.
“I don’t know anybody else’s score, but I’m going to predict something here that might surprise some people,” Beaumont told the Super League Raw podcast.
“I think Castleford will just about get an A grade. You might be saying, ‘you’ve got to be absolutely crazy saying that with their stadium being an older stadium’.
“They’ve brought in LEDs round the sides of the pitch, they’ve got more seats under cover, they’ve got a guy who has come in who’s got money (Martin Jepson). He has tailored and chopped his financial investment to suit their maximum score just like I’ve done.
“I think that is a strong advert for how IMG has improved the sport. They fought tooth and nail and never gave up because they knew that every single microscopic point was relevant.”
The Tigers most recently announced that Jepson has an option agreement in place to take full ownership of the West Yorkshire club before January 2025.
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