Castleford Tigers announce club takeover with new owner of Super League side revealed

Castleford Tigers have been taken over by investor Martin Jepson: who has agreed to purchase the shares owned by the Fulton family that would make him the club’s majority shareholder.

Jepson has invested a significant sum of money into the Super League side since initially purchasing 32 per cent of the club’s shares earlier this year. He has helped launch a redevelopment of the club’s Wheldon Road home with his investment – as well as helping the Tigers strengthen on the field, too.

And he is now set to become the majority owner of the club after agreeing to purchase the 32 per cent stake holdings of both Janet and Ian Fulton – meaning that Jepson owns almost all of the shareholdings at the Tigers.

The news also means that the Fulton family’s ownership of the Tigers is set to come to an end after almost 30 years. Jepson will remodel the club’s board and insists that he is determined to deliver good times back to Castleford.

He said: “With the news on this agreement, the expectation of a strong grading under the IMG system, the signing of the S106 Axiom agreement for the new stand development and recent investment from Wakefield Councils Rugby League Resilience Fund, the future looks good for the club.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the future ahead and I am totally committed to both the Club and its fans and giving 100 per cent to this project. When I joined the Board, I said that I wanted to secure the club’s immediate future under the IMG regime and bring long-term stability and that will remain the focus.”

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Jepson continued: “Castleford Tigers means so much to me and the community and I will never take the fans’ loyalty or support for granted. The fans have been starved of real success in recent years and I will do everything in my power to deliver excellence on the playing field and improved fan engagement at all times.

“There is lots of work to be done, starting immediately, and I recognise that I cannot do it all on my own. I have always said that we would be open into new investment into the club and would welcome the opportunity to speak to any individuals interested in joining me on this journey to help realise our collective ambition.”

Jepson will assume control of the day-to-day running of Castleford too, with Ian Fulton stepping down in his role as chairman with immediate effect.

The boyhood Castleford fan has spoken to Love Rugby League on several occasions this season about his long-term plans for the club. He will now take full charge of the Super League side and aim to deliver that vision.

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