LUKE ROBINSON has nothing but admiration for Ken Davy as the Huddersfield Giants owner prepares to uproot his club in more ways than one.
They plan to leave the John Smith’s Stadium, their home since 1994, for The Shay in neighbouring town Halifax from next season.
Davy is in the process of buying that venue from Calderdale Council, who approved a purchase in March, so that the Giants can play there while a new home is built back in Huddersfield.
A new hybrid pitch will be installed at The Shay, which will continue to host current tenants Halifax Panthers and FC Halifax Town.
There were concerns the Giants’ move would mean the round-ball club fall foul of English Football League regulations, with FC Halifax currently in the National League play-offs and aiming for promotion to League Two.
The EFL’s board must approve any groundshare and typically do not allow one of their clubs to share with more than one other sports team.
But that hurdle has now been cleared with confirmation that all three will be permitted to play at the venue.
Meanwhile, Huddersfield have also confirmed the submission of plans to extend their training base at Laund Hill in the town.
The addition of a state-of-the-art gym, along with medical facilities and meeting areas, would mean all of their needs met under one roof.
Coach Luke Robinson, who oversaw a first win of a difficult Super League season at the tenth time of asking against Hull FC at Magic Weekend, believes the benefits will be “massive”.
He said: “When I was at Wigan a long time ago, we used to travel between venues and then we got one place and I saw the difference it made to the playing group.
“You’re not having a split training session where you’re travelling from one place to another, especially if someone pulls up sore or picks up an injury on the playing field and then have to get in their car and drive somewhere else.
“The logistics will make such a big difference – the way we train, the duration we can train for, the quality we train. The facilities there are amazing.
“What Ken Davy has done for this club is unbelievable and he’s continuing to do that, with the plans for The Shay, the future plans for a stadium, and now the plans to have a Giants centre of excellence.
“I think it’ll be great not only for the first team but the women’s team, the Academy, the Scholarship – everybody will see the fruits of it, and I think players will become better because of it.
“It only bodes well for Rugby League and the town that we have somebody like Ken Davy still involved and still building the club.
“The things off the field that he’s doing will only bear fruit on it in the coming years.”
