Campaign group welcomes 'review' of stadium sale

A new-look council is set to review the controversial sale of a West Yorkshire stadium to a private owner.

In March 2025, the then Labour-led Calderdale Council approved the sale of The Shay - home of FC Halifax Town and rugby league club Halifax Panthers - to Ken Davy, owner of Huddersfield Giants.

Davy expressed an interest in the ground in order to temporarily move his rugby league side there and share with the existing teams while a new stadium is built in Huddersfield.

In a statement shared on the group's social media channels, new council leaders Reform UK Calderdale said: "The Shay will be on the agenda at the very first Reform cabinet meeting to review Labour's decision to sell."

Campaign group Friends of the Shay, which was formed to mount a legal challenge against the council's decision last year, said: "From the start, we have argued that this process was rushed, lacked transparency and failed to properly engage with fans and the local community.

"This must be more than a single cabinet meeting – it needs to be a decision to carry out a full, time-taking review of the stadium with all options appraised, including public ownership, before making a final decision. That is all we have ever asked for."

Davy previously said the stadium, which is an asset of community value, would see "major investment" in order to bring the ground up to Super League standards.

A site for a new stadium to be built for the Giants in Kirklees is still being identified, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In September, Davy announced that the 2026 season would be the Huddersfield Giants' last at its current home of the ACCU Stadium.

"We will have a new home base for which could be a number of options at this stage," he said in a statement posted on the club's website.

Councillor Dan Sutherland, Reform's Calderdale group leader, has met with the council's chief executive to set out the group's priorities, according to Reform.

Labour had full control over Calderdale Council since 2019, but Reform secured a majority on Friday.

Reform gained 34 seats, Labour secured eight, Greens seven, Liberal Democrats two and Independents two and the Workers Party one, with the Conservative Party losing all its 11 seats.

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