New long-term lease agreement proposed to extend Hunslet RLFC’s proud residency at the John Charles Centre for Sport
A new lease arrangement which would extend Hunslet RLFC’s stay at the John Charles Centre for Sport is set to be considered by senior councillors next week.
As part of a report submitted to a meeting of Leeds City Council’s executive board on Wednesday 18 October 2017, members will have the chance to discuss a revised lease agreement for the historic club, who have played their home games at South Leeds Stadium (now part of the John Charles Centre for Sport) since 1995. This follows a previous long-term lease which expired in November 2015, which meant a temporary arrangement was then put in place between the council and club to allow the club continued use of the facility.
If agreed, Hunslet RLFC will be granted a 25-year term contract and pay a minimum base rent, fixed for ten years. If the club is promoted during this ten-year period, the council would receive an agreed percentage of the income that Hunslet RLFC may collect from the Rugby Football League (RFL), where this amount is greater than the base rent. Along with the right to play up to 25 matches per season, the club will also retain exclusive use of the club shop on site, office and bar.
Underpinning the lease deal is also a requirement from the council that the Hunslet Rugby League Charitable Foundation continue to provide a community development programme.
For a full copy of the executive report, please see: http://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/ documents/s166293/Hunslet% 20Rugby%20Cover%20Report% 20091017.pdf
Councillor James Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member with responsibility for sport, said:
“Since the founding of rugby league in 1895 Hunslet has proudly hosted a rugby league team. Today, Hunslet RLFC is carrying on the tradition of playing an important and valued role in the south Leeds community.
“The revised lease agreement that we have put forward will ensure that the club and its loyal supporters can remain confident that in the John Charles Centre for Sport they have somewhere which can be called home and lay the foundations for the club to plan for the longer term and hopefully rise back up the leagues.”
I am writing in response to your article, HUNSLET RLFC to remain at John Charles centre under a new lease. In 1999 when Hunslet beat Dewsbury in the division 1 playoff final, they should have automatically been promoted to the super league. Leeds City Council did not help Hunslet in any way or form and pressure from certain neighbours, I am sure you know who I mean, made sure it did not happen. Leeds cannot have or sustain 2 super league clubs etc. Hull and Hull KR Manage it ok. The John Charles centre rugby ground was built with a capacity of 2500 and all housed in 1 stand. All the council had to do was put in in some terracing and at a later date a new stand opposite the built one. Hunslet have to change fixtures to suit the needs of the stadiums council events so in effect it is not their ground. Leeds City Council never meant the stadium to feature super league games. When Hunslet won promotion to super league the criteria was that a super league had to have a ground that held 4000 or so. Therefore the council never had any intention of it being a super league ground if the capacity was only going to be 2500. If you look at super league attendances today, some of them at times don`t get 4000 spectators. The proud team of Hunslet are now only lodgers at South Leeds stadium. They are a relic of an age that as passed us by and while I commend the efforts of the team those days now will never come back.