YORK chairman Clint Goodchild is unfazed by Hull KR’s request of an ‘easier’ opening round fixture of the Super League season in 2026.
Rovers will be travelling to the York Community Stadium in round one to take on the newly-promoted Knights, before titanic clashes against Brisbane Broncos in the World Club Challenge and Leeds Rhinos in Las Vegas.
The East Yorkshire club actually requested to play a promoted side to aid their congested fixture list, but Goodchild believes Rovers earned the right to do so.
“It will certainly be a big test, they are the treble winners and are looking to be the World Club champions,” Goodchild told League Express.
“They haven’t done us any favours in terms of the on-field competitiveness because it’s a tough start for sure. They are a class act.
“And they can request what they like. It makes sense that they would want an easier run with the two big weekends they have to look forward to.”
Ticket sales for that opening round fixture at the York Community Stadium have been selling like hot cakes.
And ahead of their first-ever season in Super League, attendance figures are expected to be high at York, given the appeal of a new ground to visit for many top flight fans.
Indeed, Goodchild himself believes the Knights will attract strongly in 2026, though he does not want to give a predicted figure.
“I think that we will have good crowds, we will have a higher-than-average away attendance as York is very attractive for visiting teams and fans.
“It will be a bit of a wait and see for the year, because it’s our first season in Super League, so it’s all guesswork at this stage.
“If ticket sales for the first game are an indicator to go by, then it looks like we will have very healthy crowds.
“But we will release those ticket sales on our terms.”