Castleford Tigers confirm they are in talks over a possible takeover at the club

In a clear the air update issued to fans following speculation on social media the club has confirmed they have been in discussions with two interested parties about the possibility of them taking over.

There has also been previous talks that have not come to fruition.

The club statement said: “We are aware of recent speculation circulating about a potential takeover of the club.

"Ian Fulton and the board of directors have made it clear on numerous occasions that they are merely custodians of the club and for the last 10 years the club has had to be run as a business.

"The board are proud that over that period, they have managed to run the club on a sound footing while also winning its first-ever League Leaders Shield and appearing in a Grand Final and a further two Challenge Cup Finals.

"Over the past five years, we have been in discussions with various people/consortiums to either come in and invest or take over and run the club.

"On most occasions, they have been looking to finance the stadium and land to run the club which is not a model for success and sustainability.

"We had one potential buyer in discussion just before the pandemic, but his interest understandably fell away when lockdown happened as during the pandemic two of his businesses suffered large losses and he was unable to follow up on the opportunity.

"Since coming out of the other end of the pandemic we have spoken to numerous people and we are now in the situation of having two different parties who are interested in taking the club forward.

"When we have any further news, we will post an update. In the meantime, the current owners and board along with the club staff, coaches, and players will continue to work hard to turn our season around.”

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The Tigers also commented on recent criticism of the running of the club and is hoping supporters can get behind the team in their relegation fight ahead.

Their statement continued: “Understandably the feeling and mood amongst our fanbase is at a real low.

"We know that it is a difficult and frustrating time for fans, however, while we are accepting of a lot of the criticism currently aimed at the club, we would ask people to refrain from sending personal insults and threats to players and members of the club's staff.

"The board and senior management at the club operate an open-door policy and are always available to discuss issues with supporters in person. If anyone wishes to take this up, then please contact [email protected] to pass on your details and a member of staff will be in contact.

"As a group both on and off the field we are aware we are in a fight. Collectively and with the backing of our tremendous fanbase we firmly believe this is a fight we can win.

"With the changes the coaches and players are making and a couple of new additions to the squad, we believe that we will have a second half to the season that everyone can be proud of.”

On progress with the planned stadium redevelopment, the club said: “We are now just waiting for a date for the stadium development to go before the planning committee.

"We would urge anyone who hasn’t yet supported the stadium redevelopment and Axiom site to please do so, the support of the Castleford fans and the wider Castleford community will be a major factor in us gaining planning permission.”