The Shay Stadium on Giants boss radar



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Huddersfield Giants to buy Halifax stadium Image: Peter Evans & The Shay Stadium FC Halifax Town

The English professional rugby league club Huddersfield Giants (UK) Chairman Ken Davy is looking to buy a stadium the Giants can use before their own is built … and they could be playing their first game there early next year.

‘HUDDERSFIELDHUB’ stated that Davy is looking to buy the 5,108-capacity The Shay Stadium in Halifax, England (UK) as a stopgap home for the Giants until their own stadium is built in Huddersfield (West Yorkshire, England) although a site is yet to be identified.

The Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England (UK). The Giants play their home games at The John Smith’s Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league.

The 24,500-capacity Kirklees Stadium, currently known as the John Smith’s Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multipurpose stadium in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England (UK). It serves as the residence of the Huddersfield Giants.

‘HUDDERSFIELDHUB’ further stated that the Giants have played at the John Smith’s Stadium since 1994 but the average crowds are under 5,000 which mean the 24,000-seater stadium is far too big and lacks the atmosphere.

Davy has put out a message to the supporters to allay fears that The Shay could end up being the Giants’ permanent home and that he’s keen to support sport in Calderdale (a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire) as well as the Giants.

The Shay Stadium is home to the FC Halifax Town football club and the Halifax Panthers rugby league team and they will share it with the Giants. A hybrid pitch will be installed so it’s robust enough to play so many games.

Maintained Davy, “If, and presently it’s a big if, we acquire The Shay it would be as a temporary home for the Giants until our hoped-for new stadium in Huddersfield can be built. As such, The Shay would be totally upgraded to full Super League standards. This would involve extensive renovations and improvements to every aspect starting from enhanced facilities for the supporters right through to state-of-the-art floodlighting, TV facilities, and a new pitch. In addition, as you would expect, we will be providing improved transport facilities from Huddersfield directly to and from The Shay on matchdays. This is a very fluid scenario which has the ultimate objective of building our own custom-made venue in Huddersfield.”

The Shay needs a new owner after the Calderdale Council decided to stop running the stadium by April 1st, 2025 to save £161,000 each year and to remove the additional annual cost of up to £500,000 to meet the stadium’s maintenance and safety requirements.

At the moment, there are two proposals to take over the stadium – one by Davy so that the Giants can play there temporarily from 2026 – and the other by a group of FC Halifax Town supporters who have submitted an initial business proposal to run the stadium.

The Calderdale Council’s Cabinet will choose between the two proposals at its meeting to be held in March.

The Shay has been registered as an Asset of Community Value giving the community interest groups the chance to express interest in buying the site. The FC Halifax Town supporters’ group’s initial proposal to run the stadium would require an ongoing financial commitment from the Council so the Council has asked for more detailed information from the group.

Davy’s proposal would involve major investment. The upgrades would include a new hybrid pitch with improved surface and drainage which would be more resilient to the weather. The installation of the new pitch would be supported by the Premier League and external grants.

Further upgrades, funded by Davy, would include essential health and safety works, improved toilets, new modern, energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lighting to replace the floodlights, a new electronic scoreboard, and electronic digital perimeter advertising.

If Davy’s proposals move ahead the new hybrid pitch at The Shay would be constructed from Summer 2025 and the potential impact of this on the Halifax matches is being discussed with the clubs.

Detailed discussions between the Council, the clubs and the prospective buyers will be ongoing until the Cabinet meeting in March.

Commented Councilor Jane Scullion, Calderdale Council leader, “The major financial pressures mean we’re having to make tough budget decisions and can no longer run The Shay. In the proposals we’ve received to take on management of the stadium we’ve seen great commitment to the future of Halifax and the professional sports facilities. We will be considering all options thoroughly before making a decision in March 2025 once the proposals have been worked out in more detail.

Added Davy, “I’m excited by the opportunity to work with the FC Halifax Town, the Halifax Panthers and the Calderdale Council on the potential upgrading of The Shay to make it into an outstanding community stadium facility for the benefit of all. I believe that bringing it up to the Super League standard would dramatically improve the matchday experience for the spectators and encourage more fans to support both the FC Halifax and the Panthers. From the Giants’ perspective while upgrading The Shay would be costly it could be the ideal interim solution for us while we progress plans for a new stadium in Huddersfield.”

The FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England (UK). They currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.

The Halifax Panthers are a professional rugby league club in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England (UK). They play in the Betfred Championship, the second tier of the British rugby league.

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