Petition launched asking Calderdale Council not to sell The Shay stadium
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The future of the ground is set to be decided at a council cabinet meeting next month, with a proposal on the table from a group of fans that it is run by an independent, not-for-profit trust and another from Huddersfield Giants owner Ken Davy, who would buy The Shay and move his club to play there until they built a new stadium of their own.
Mr Davy has said he will fund improvements to the ground to bring it up to Super League standard, but a combination of grant funding and interest free loans from him to both clubs would be used to pay for a new pitch.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMr Davy has also said he will offer the ground back to both clubs for them to purchase once the Giants move out.


Alex Tepielow, one of the fans who organised the petition, said: "Hopefully, we will gather the 2,000 signatures required to get a slot at the council cabinet meeting on March 17.
"We are not, in principal, against the Huddersfield Giants moving to the Shay on a temporary basis, but this has to be done so as not to endanger the future of either FC Halifax Town or the Halifax Panthers.
"The current Ken Davy proposal to loan money to the two clubs to do the pitch remediation, which they will then subsequently pay back to Mr Davy, would put the burden for funding this ultimately on the local clubs and not the Giants.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"More importantly, if and when the Giants move back to their new home in Kirklees, the offer to sell the ground back to the two clubs is unlikely to happen as neither club has the financial capacity to undertake such a significant investment.
"This raises the worrying concern that once the freehold has been sold to a private company, and the Giants no longer require any use of the Shay, it could well be sold on the open market, potentially leading to the loss of the Shay as a community asset and the end of the the two sporting clubs.
"The petition is open to anyone, rugby fans included, who have the same concerns over the future of the Shay, as we would like the council to consider a hybrid approach using the other options for managing the ground on an ongoing basis alongside the Ken Davy proposal, without selling the 'family silver'."
To view the petition, visit https://form.jotform.com/250277534256358.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.