Hull FC’s future at the MKM Stadium is uncertain, according to Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı. Ilıcalı suggested that the club’s fans have given an ‘important signal’ regarding the Black and Whites’ tenancy at the venue.
The current lease for Hull FC at the MKM Stadium expires at the end of the 2027 season. Co-owner Andrew Thirkill confirmed in January that the club is in talks with the SMC, which is run by Hull City, about their future beyond the end of next year.
Ilıcalı Voices Concerns Over Lease Agreement
Speaking at a City Fans Forum event on Friday night, Ilıcalı stated that he doesn’t believe Hull will accept the SMC’s new lease offer. The Tigers chief believes the current deal isn’t ‘equal or fair’.
Ilıcalı asked fans at the forum to indicate whether they wanted ‘the rugby club’ to continue playing at the stadium. The majority of attendees raised their hands to suggest they did not want Hull FC to stay at the MKM Stadium.
Financial Impact and Pitch Conditions
Ilıcalı suggested that Hull City has lost money due to the stadium share arrangement. He also identified the condition of the pitch as a major problem, referencing its poor state in January, five months after Hull FC last played on it.
He said: “Here the agreement is far away from being equal and I don’t know about the past; I know nothing, so I don’t judge anybody at that time. If something happened, I don’t know but for the future, we lost so much money before for so many years; we lost sharing the same stadium. We paid for so many things apart from being equal. So for the future, I’m not sure that they will be okay to accept our offer.”
Fan Sentiment and Future Discussions
According to Ilıcalı, the fan vote at the forum indicated trouble for Hull FC’s future at the stadium. He stated that this would be a topic for discussion.
Addressing the pitch issues, Ilıcalı said: “So at the end of today, if this year for example, the pitch you saw, if we’re going to suffer from this pitch like this in winter times, the most critical moments of the season, I really think that it’s effective in our football because our team is playing with more technical players, our identity, our idea is getting high-quality players with the talent and you cannot do anything in the middle of the mud.”
He added: “I walked 20 times this season on the pitch and the pitches; sometimes in January it was like this, trust me, like this. So for the future I have doubts about the rugby side and you showed me today that you (do too).”
The Black and Whites have played at the MKM Stadium since the 2003 season. The stadium is owned by Hull City Council, with both Hull FC and Hull City as tenants.
Ilıcalı also stated that a meeting will take place soon.