Hull KR up for sale as Hudgell steps down
Neil Hudgell chairman of rugby league club, Hull KR has announced plans to step down from the role on 1 December after 16-year involvement with the club.
The chairman who has overseen the club’s return to the Super League and a Challenge Cup final is also looking to sell the club having been the sole owner since last year when Rob Crossland relinquished his role as vice-chairman.
In a statement Hudgell said, “Lockdown has given me a chance to reflect on the sport, the club and my personal situation. Hull Kingston Rovers has been an all-consuming journey for me for the last 16 years and I have decided that now is the right time for change.”
The executive chairman of Hudgell Solicitors added that the “Coming back to play brings with it a return of the same old stresses and anxieties” and that the club and its fans “needs more than I feel I am now able to give.”
Hudgell is now reportedly looking for a buyer for the club and stated, “Any incumbent would be taking over a club with a significant level of liquidity, as well as Super League status preserved.
“I am looking to hand over the club in a better place than where I found it.”
He also emphasised that there was still an opportunity to “buy Hull College Craven Park and the surrounding land”.
Closing off his letter the lifelong fan of the club said, “It has been an honour to lead Hull Kingston Rovers for such a long time and I have so many people to thank and praise for their help and support throughout the journey. But it’s time for me to sit it out for a while and more importantly, time for someone else to come in and elevate our great club to where I have not quite managed to take it.”
Hudgell’s announcement follows that of the club’s chief executive, Mike Smith, who earlier this years announced plans to stand down in May, before postponing his departure due to the current pandemic stating, “I couldn’t walk away.”
Hull KR currently sit bottom of the Super League and like many clubs in the competition have faced financial difficulties as a result of Covid-19, with estimates in July suggesting the club had a £2m shortfall
