The Robins continue to sell out Craven Park
Hull KR currently have two temporary stands at Craven Park
Hull KR continue to explore the possibility of expanding their home ground but a permanent structure is still some way off.
The Robins currently have two temporary stands at Craven Park, with a free standing structure on the east side of the ground being joined by a stand in the south that stretches across the width of the pitch in front of Craven Streat.
Together they push the capacity of Rovers’ ground to over 11,000, with the club proudly selling out eight of their 12 home games this season before the turn of the year.
As such, it’s clear to see the demand is there to justify a permanent stand being built, but CEO Paul Lakin insists any building plans are on the backburner at present.
“We’re always in discussions on it but the cost of building infrastructure at the moment, particularly with the way the world is with materials, it’s probably not the right time,” Lakin told Hull Live.
“We will have the same temporary infrastructure for next season, both East Stand and South Stand, which is no surprise because at this stage to have a permanent fixture we’d have bricks and mortar in there now.
“We’ll certainly have both temporary stands in for next season while we explore the possibility.”
So, if KR can’t work towards improving their capacity with a permanent stand, how can they ensure they continue to grow off the field?
“Aside from building a bigger infrastructure for capacity, I think we’ve been one of the more innovative clubs in Super League and we need to continue showing that innovation in terms of growing the brand,” Lakin added.
“In sport now the younger generation often support a player or a club but they don’t necessarily need to watch the match or the full match. Sport consumption now is bite-sized, with the younger generation sometimes it’s just clips and highlights.
“Just because we sell out every game and have a waiting list, we can continue to grow the club through different ways of innovation and maybe take another game abroad, but also do a lot more in terms of marketing to our wider fanbase because there’s a fanbase there want to buy merchandise from afar, but it doesn’t mean they come to games.
“That’s what we have to continue to grow. Aggregated now we have the largest social media following in Super League. We’re growing all the time but it’s about ideas and innovation, which I think we’ve always been good at and we will continue to do.”