What is the future of MKM Stadium and its surroundings? Meetings that have recently taken place illuminate this question somewhat. New information will also emerge later in the year. What might change regarding Hull City's stadium?

Benefits for the community and the club

Hull City issued the following statement published by Hull City Council on Thursday February 22: Hull City Council leader, Cllr Mike Ross, this week met with SuperStadium Management Company (SMC), Hull City executive vice-chair Tan Kesler and Hull FC chairman Adam Pearson to progress discussions on the redevelopment of the MKM Stadium.

Mike Ross, councillor at Hull City Council said: It was good to meet with SMC and see the progress it has made on the proposals and discuss any support needed from the council. There would be wider benefits for the community and the professional clubs and it was great to be able to hear about those.

A large fan community will no doubt be pleased to see changes to upgrade their team's home, which might attract more local residents to the stadium. Many supporters are also going online to get football betting tips, adding to the excitement of watching matches both from the stands and on TV..

© Bill Anderson

Not the first improvement

Hull City, Tigers Trust, SMC and Hull FC will now engage with the local community and other stakeholders in advance of submitting a detailed planning application later this year. This would not be the first changes to the stadium in a long time, as turf maintenance has recently been carried out. The pitch surface at City's ground has been under scrutiny in recent weeks as the club has pledged £1.5m to repair it after a number of games and disastrous weather conditions.

Although competition at the top of the Championship is huge, Hull believe they will return to the Premier League after seven years. One thing is for sure - the club's stadium is good enough for the Tigers to play in the top division and some Premier League clubs do not have such a facility.

Stadium’s planning and design was handled by Arup Sport and Miller Partnership - both known for other English stadiums. The single-tier bowl (topped by a second tier on the west side only) was intended to hold between 25,000 and 30,000 people. Although the capacity was eventually kept at 25,000, the possibility of expansion by adding another tier to the east still remains.

© Jason Gillyon (cc: by-nc-sa)