Prospective owner lays out vision for Castleford

Businessman Martin Jepson aims to have 100% control of Castleford Tigers by the start of next season

Castleford Tigers' prospective new owner Martin Jepson has said his initial aims are to bring in investment and improve the off-field structure of the club.

The property businessman has agreed the terms of an option with current owners the Fulton family which hands him control of the club, and gives him until the end of January to buy the Tigers outright.

Jepson expressed confidence that Cas will remain a Super League club after the IMG gradings are revealed next week.

The gradings will determine which clubs will make up rugby league's elite division next season based on support level, performance, finance, stadium standard and community involvement.

Jepson said that when he became involved with the club as a sponsor and then a board member, there was some doubt as to whether Castleford would pass the gradings.

He said that should no longer be an issue, even though planned redevelopment of the east stand at Wheldon Road will not start until September 2026 at the earliest.

'Long-term stability'

In an interview with BBC West Yorkshire he said: "My focus was to secure our standing in the IMG grading system. The gradings are released next week and I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't fairly confident we will be a Super League team.

"And secondly it was to ensure the long-term stability of the club which is focussed around the future development of the ground. That is still a little way off because it is out of our hands, but that has to be my focus going forward.

"As part of the agreement I now have total management control, even though it's an option agreement.

"The reason we entered into an option agreement is twofold - one is that I’ve had a few people indicate that they want to invest in the club so I really need to open that one up. We’ve always said there is a need for new investment in the club so there is a direct channel through myself for people who may want to invest in the club.

"Secondly it gives me the chance to really understand the structure of the club. I’m talking mainly about off-field management opportunities here.

"The duty of anyone taking over a club like this is that when you move on you leave it in a much better place. We are only custodians for a period of time, so there is a big onus on me to make sure that whatever happens this club improves."

Jepson said that on the playing side new signings are imminent, but added: "We probably finished a place higher than people thought we would finish [this season], but there were times during the season when we punched above our weight.

"We know we’re not the finished article. We said at the start of the season we had a lot of young players but they now have a year of Super League under their belts and the coaches have talked about a three-year plan. It’s important we build on that next year."