Hull KR complete purchase of Sewell Group Craven Park and have a house to call their home

Hull Kingston Rovers have successfully completed the purchase of Sewell Group Craven Park, with Chief Executive Officer Paul Lakin describing it as a ‘landmark moment’ for the East Hull outfit.

The Robins moved to the ground in 1989 from the ‘Old Craven Park’ which was sited on Holderness Road – a main area in East Hull.

Talks of purchasing the new ground from Hull City Council and Kingston Community Developments Ltd have been an ongoing talking point in the city since KR were rescued from administration in 2000 by Edward Klempker, the man that Price Waterhouse Coopers decided was the hero the club needed after the club were placed into administration three years prior.

In the 33 years that Sewell Group Craven Park has stood proudly down Poorhouse Lane, rugby league hasn’t always been the only sport of action in East Hull with the club always looking for ways to expand their connections.

For a decade – between 1995 to 2005 -, speedway team Hull Vikings shared the ground with Rovers, but the team were forced to shut down due to a spate of crippling financial problems. The ground has seen concerts, football, and even a Championship fixture of the Quidditch Premier League back in 2017!

Two years prior to the Quidditch, and just 4 hours after KR had beat Warrington Wolves in the Challenge Cup semi-final to reach Wembley for the first time since ’97 , Tommy Coyle and Luke Campbell met in the boxing ring as Sewell Group Craven Park hosted the ‘Rumble on the Humber’.

15,ooo people saw Olympic gold medalist Campbell end Coyle’s brave effort with East Hull and West Hull colliding once again, this time with two men representing their side of the river instead of 26 as found in a rugby league fixture.

The purchase of Sewell Group Craven Park and the surrounding area now opens up a whole new era for the Reds with the building and development of top first-team and academy training facilities being central to the concept of the stadium takeover.

Having everything under one roof provides the club from academy to first team with the long-term stability and extra income to produce a trophy-winning side, something the people of East Hull crave. Rovers CEO Lakin spoke to Hull Live, saying: “It opens up a whole host of exciting opportunities for the community in east Hull and Hull as a whole.

“But most importantly for the club to own its’ own stadium and to have the option to develop the surrounding land, it secures the future of the club for many years to come.”

A passionate video from KR’s social media team broke the news, featuring club legend and president Mike Smith, Rovers supporters group chairman and all-round nice guy Ian Adge’ Cutler as well as long-serving staff member Trevor ‘Barney’ Barnett, who is part of the club’s furniture for his endless hard work over the years.

The video showed the character and fabric of the club which is what the main ethos of Robins stands for.

Hull Kingston Rovers prides itself on being part of the community, and with the purchase of the ground finally going through, the hard work starts now to create a campus feel around the area with the design of a state of the art facility for generations to come.

28th March 2022 will now always be known as the day that Hull Kingston Rovers finally had a house to call their home.

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