Major retailers ready to join Robins masterplan as part of sustainability drive

The board of business leaders behind Hull Kingston Rovers has confirmed a masterplan for community and sporting excellence designed to provide a platform for success on and off the field.

The Super League club has received a positive initial response to proposals for a sports campus development which will combine community and commercial elements. National brands are ready to move pending the outcome of a planning application in the spring.

Paul Sewell, chairman of Rovers, said heads of terms have been agreed with two big retailers for an investment which would contribute to the creation of more than 100 jobs and generate revenue to support the club’s on-field ambitions.

He said: “The vision is a sports campus. It will be the cornerstone of our plans for the future and will build on the potential of other projects which we have already delivered and which are creating a legacy for the community.

“We will be going for planning permission in the spring and we are encouraged by the response to the pre-application process. We aim to have spades in the ground within a few months of permission being granted.”

Dr Sewell is also chair of Sewell Group, which works across investments, consultancy, data mapping and intelligence, construction and facilities management and announced a deal in January 2022 for the naming rights of  Rovers’ stadium, Sewell Group Craven Park.

In December 2022 he was appointed chair of the club and charged with leading a new board to work alongside the club’s chief executive, Paul Lakin, and support the owner, Hull-based solicitor Dr Neil Hudgell.

Among the recruits were David Kilburn, the co-founder of MKM Building Supplies, James McNicol, managing director of London-based Oil Brokerage Ltd, and Becky Oughtibridge, director of professional services at Sewell Group.

Another member, Ian Richardson, brought international experience in sectors including law, health and beauty. He has now stepped down having retired from his other business roles, but he remains excited about the club’s potential.

He said: “I have really enjoyed my two years on the board and would highly recommend the experience. An exciting potential is being realised, and I will follow future progress with pride and fondness.”

Dr Sewell added: “Ian has made a significant contribution at a pivotal time in our development. His calm and considered approach will be a hard act to follow. We will look for someone who fits the culture and  shares our values and passion for revitalising the club, the wider game, and hence the community.”

On the field, the club has recruited strongly to continue the transformation of a team which last season reached the Super League grand final and the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup. It has also improved it’s a grade A status and moved up a place to fifth in the IMG rankings table.

Continuing investment has brought the opening in December of a 3G community pitch and an extension to the east stand which will be ready for the new season. Fans have responded by snapping up 9,000 memberships. 

The club also hit the headlines worldwide when Sewell Group Craven Park was confirmed as the venue in August 2025 for two gigs by Coldplay – the band’s only shows this year outside Wembley stadium.

The new development will bring into play 15 acres of land east of the stadium to provide retail outlets, units for small businesses, green space and community amenities including the existing Waudby Centre. The club is working with Sport England to develop other sporting activities at the site, on which it holds an option to buy from Hull City Council.

The board is also looking to the future on the corporate side by launching the Hull Kingston Rovers Business Academy, which has attracted some of the brightest entrepreneurs in East Yorkshire for a development programme beginning this month.

Mike Ellis, managing director of the performance marketing agency 43 Clicks North, said: “Running a business can be isolating so meeting people who are on similar pathways and facing the same challenges is a great opportunity and to do that whilst discussing Rovers is an added bonus!

“From a personal development perspective, I thought what better way to progress than to learn from those who have already been there and done it? The club’s approach, giving business academy members direct access to the power board,  means there are a lot of skill sets available to draw from.”

Dr Sewell said: “Everything we are doing is about creating sustainability going forward. You can only spend so much on the team so what we are also doing is investing in the culture and values.

“This is a hugely exciting project and a once in a generation opportunity that is vitally important for the area, local community and for the club.”