In the first of a two-part interview with the Halifax Courier, Huddersfield Giants owner Ken Davy discusses his plans for The Shay, his imminent takeover of the stadium and the new pitch.
Ken Davy insists “what you see is what you get” and he has nothing to hide as his takeover of The Shay draws closer.
The Huddersfield Giants owner looks set to purchase the stadium from Calderdale Council after a community group withdrew their interest last month.
The council have since confirmed that the sale process will not end until early October, when ownership is then expected to pass to Mr Davy, who plans for the Giants to play there temporarily until they can move into a new, permanent home of their own.
“That’s my understanding,” Mr Davy told the Courier when asked whether his purchase of the ground will now go through as far as he’s concerned.
“However, the vital first stage has already been completed in terms of getting the new pitch in.
“It looks fantastic and it’s going to be of tremendous benefit to the players of FC Halifax Town and Halifax Panthers, and the supporters can now be confident games will go ahead.
“All the drainage has been attended to. Ninety per cent of the work was below ground.
“What we see now is the pitch looking wonderful, but it’s all the work that’s been done particularly at the South end, where the drainage has been completely renewed.
“That’s the most exciting thing for me, and it’s been done for the existing clubs here.
“Yes, we’ll need it for the Giants if and when we come here, but for me, the exciting thing is that both clubs and their supporters are going to enjoy the benfits of it.”
Mr Davy was tight lipped when asked how much he would be buying The Shay for.
“That’s obviously confidential, but what everybody knows is that The Shay has been a liability for the whole of Calderdale,” he said.
“When you consider that 95 per cent of Calderdale Council tax payers don’t actually ever come to The Shay, I’m sure it’ll be a relief that that liability will no longer rest with the council.
“However, I’m anticipating working very hard to attract more people to support the clubs, notwithstanding that I’m not getting involved in the clubs in any way.
“Because we’re going to have reliability and, over time, better facilities for the fans, I’m as confident as I can be that this will attract more people to the Shay to watch FC Halifax Town and Halifax Panthers.
“That will be good for the wider community as well, and I can also confirm that we have now formed ‘Calderdale Community Stadium Limited’ to run the Shay.
“Our objective is to make the stadium a real community stadium that is used by all kinds of organisations, many perhaps with no connection at all with sport.
“As I’ve said before, what you see is what you get, I’ve nothing to hide.
“I’ve not come here as an enemy of either of the clubs or the community.
“I’m here to help.”
Mr Davy says the Giants moving into The Shay was still the objective, despite them facing stumbling blocks in their efforts to find where to locate their new ground.
“There’s always different scenarios that can play out and I’ve learned from experience that trying to second guess them doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said.
Mr Davy says building a new stadium on a former gasworks site in Huddersfield is still his preferred option, but those plans have been complicated by the fact the location has also been earmarked by Kirklees Council as part of a regenaration project.
When asked what would happen if the Giants couldn’t use the former gasworks site, Mr Davy said: “We do have various fall-back positions in Huddersfield, but fall-back positions are exactly that and you hope you won’t have to use them.”
It was thought Kirklees Council would discuss the matter at a meeting last month, but Mr Davy says that wasn’t the case.
“What I can say is we’re working towards getting to The Shay as soon as we can, but given the time it’s taking, it’s difficult to envisage us being here, certainly at the start of 2026, for the Super League season,” he said.
“But hopefully prior to the mid-year re-seeding, it may be possible for us to play some games here.
“We’ll have to see, it’s in the lap of the gods at the minute.”
Before the Giants can play at The Shay, work will be done to upgrade the stadium so that it meets Super League guidelines.
“I’m planning to pay for it,” Mr Davy said.
“It’s not yet certain how long it will take, but I anticipate it will be between six and 12 months.
“I will be paying the cost of upgrading The Shay, which has been estimated at between £2m and £4m.
“The first thing has been done already, that’s the pitch, which initially is the biggest single item.
“Then there’s floodlighting, TV screens, upgrading of the media facilities, providing facilities for Sky, and LED perimiter signage around the pitch. I also anticipate completing significant improvements for the fans.”
When asked how that work would be reflected in the rent of both clubs, and the re-sale cost, Mr Davy said: “It’ll obviously be reflected in the re-sale value, because it will have added value.
“It’s too early to say what the impact will be on the clubs and the charging structure, but I have said there’ll be no increase in the first year, but then we’ll have to look at it.
“But one of the things we’re hoping is that there’ll be a significant increase in the support for both clubs.”
Mr Davy said selling the ground to FC Halifax Town and Halifax Panthers was “still the plan” after the Giants move out.
On what would happen if the club couldn’t afford to buy it, Mr Davy said: “I guess they’d have to continue to rent it, but we’d cross that bridge at that time.”
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