Fans' Forum: Your Questions Answered

8 hours ago
10 min read

If you were unable to attend our Fans’ Forum on Tuesday 1st September, here’s a summary of events!

Chief Executive, Neil Gulliver (NG) and head coach, Mark Applegarth (MA) addressed the room, responding to questions submitted in advance and taking questions from the floor.

Ownership update

Neil Gulliver welcomed fans and said the club was at the beginning of another great chapter in its history. He said the rise of the club has been nothing short of phenomenal, and he paid tribute to everyone who has played a part in the journey so far.

He said the club wanted to have the forum as soon as possible after the the change of ownership was confirmed, and wanted to be open with fans.

Due to the short notice of the date of the forum, David Dickson from the consortium was not able to attend.

Another member of the consortium, Richard Larking was there. He’s been on the board of the club since February and is fully integrated in it.

Neil said there is a new structure in place for a bright and strong future, with the end journey to win things in Super League now Knights have made it there. Long term plans are to improve and show the club belongs, and do things special with the club and in the city.

He added there’s a lot of work in the background and progress is being made.

IMG Grading update

NG - IMG grading is inplace for 2027. There’ll be 14 teams in the league and the same system that takes clubs up can also take clubs down. There have been tweaks to the system of how points are gained, but we are in a strong position in terms of IMG. Average attendances have risen from last year’s average of 2500 to just over 6000. Media scores are up, performance is up and finances have risen. We will improve on last year’s points. There is a caveat that changes to criteria might mean our points come down, but so will everyone else’s.

Performance update

MA - Would like to do updates more often and be connected to fans and he wans to be honest with supporters.

He said they went from losing last year’s Grand Final, to waiting for the decision re: Super League and had in effect four weeks noticed to put a full time performance and playing staff together.

Having a dual registration system with Newcastle Thunder and a performance pathway will be good long term but taking on two squads was a challenge with one set of staff. York wouldn’t have had Cody Hunter without the pathway, and it’s given regular game time to the likes of Harvey Reynolds and Brad Ward. They needed more game time to develop and they’ve been able to do that this year. That side of things is going from strength to strength, but next year there will be a sideways step. There will be a dual reg link, but the two clubs will be more of a separate entity so one set of staff aren’t servicing both clubs.

Barring Leeds and Wigan, MA said they’ve been competitive in every game, and he has a group representing us in a positive manner but they lack a bit of SL experience and quality. They can either recruit to solve this or train people up, such as Cody Hunter. The club now has players with Super League experience following this year. Adding new signing Cameron McInnes and potentially one more will help make progress.

He said the players have dealt well with what’s happened behind the scenes.

MA also said they look at clubs such as Hull KR, who have gone from relegation to treble winners, and Wakefield now reaching the play offs just two years after promotion, and they want to be like them. It will take time, but we will get there. Strong foundations are being laid off the field with David Dickson and his family providing stability.

There are new performance staff joining the club. Chris Thorman will remain as assistant coach. Will Leat move to the youth system and become Head of Youth, overseeing Squires and Excel, and building foundations for an academy. The aim is for a team with a core product of York youth in 10 years time.

Ukuma Ta’ai will return to work with the forwards, Graham Steadman remains as Rugby Manager, working as a mentor and providing an experienced voice. Gareth Ellis comes in from Hull FC and joins as another assistant coach.

There is more time this year to get things in place unlike last year. MA said he’s excited there will be core staff there to support a top level team.

The club is also trying to get community clubs connected to York again and keep the best players in York, make those clubs feel wanted again. and be proud of it.

NG explained the Valkyrie coaching staff couldn’t attend because it was a training night.

The Valkyrie will also get more investment and support, and they want them to achieve as much as they can and continue their success. Effort is being put into pathways and there’s never been so many female players in York. NG will be sitting with coaching staff to come up with a plan to get a stronger Valkyrie in 2027.

Newcastle Thunder Pathway

The partnership is still there. Changes to Championship salary cap rules and quota rules will mean things need balancing so the partnership will change in how it looks. However, the idea is to still support Newcastle to strengthen and grow both clubs.

Academy / Centre of Excellence

NG has spoken to the RFL about wanting to have and run the club’s own academy. If it comes to geographic base, to work with a team in the North East, they would have access to a lot of players. They would need somewhere for them to train and see something to aspire to. There are drawings and plans to build a centre of excellence. NG has spoken to Portacabin and local education establishments about where it could be hosted. The facility would need classrooms for reviews, social space for when not players aren’t training during the day, be used on an evening for pathways.

Kit Supplier

NG said this is something the club hasn’t had right for a few years now. Next year, it will be a different kit supplier. The club is in negotiations with some and are close to signing a deal.

Memberships are planned to be announced in late October, a Kit Launch is planned for late November, and everything should be on sale before December.

Match day Experience

NG - A number of things have been tried for the match day experience but some things could have been done differently. The West Stand Fan park has grown and changed as the year has gone on and it will be looked for next year and change potentially how it’s done. There’s never been a lack of effort, but perhaps the club should have listened to fans more. There will be a Fan Engagement Programme going forward to try and make match day experience better.

An application process for such a group will be opened up, to meet quarterly. More details to come in the next couple of weeks.

Presubmitted questions:

Are there any plans to run coach travel for away games next season?

NG - We tried to do it for every game and did for some. The Bootham Tavern has organised travel, and there’s not enough demand for coach travel for both to operate. The club is happy to work with them, but won’t run in competition.

With so much to sort out this year, we were slow off mark. We tried to work with other clubs that run coaches to away games to offer a reciprocal deal but not every Super League Club runs busses for supporters.

Will there be a mascot next season?

NG - We will have two - one each for the Knights and the Valkyrie. The previous mascot, Norris the Knight was retired, following the passing of Gary Dunham.

Why is the awards night being held on the night is?

NG - Understands the frustration but it's a difficult time of year. The club wanted to make sure everything happens before the end of the season. Tonight’s forum was important. On Thursday/Friday there is travel to Catalans and they return on Sun. There’s recovery for the players on Monday, and the Bradford game on Thursday. The presentation evening needs to be before some of the players return home to Australia for the off season, and Tuesday 8th was the only day available. NG said he understands it’s not ideal and the plan is for next year to be different.

Questions from the floor:

Can there be a working screen in the East Stand? You can’t see the big screen easily if you’re in the West Stand.

NG - Technically, yes. We are now working on it and waiting to see if we can get access.

The Fanzone is great to have but not everyone accesses the ground on that side. Are there any plans for the East Stand?

NG -The Fanzone is for everyone, but the issue is the walk around from east to west. We’re looking at a couple of options.

Can we do cuddly toys in the club shop like other clubs?

NG - Yes. It will probably happen.

Will we be fully funded if we’re in Super League in 2027?

NG - I fully believe we will be in Super League and yes we will.

If we return to the Championship will we stay full time?

NG - We have no plans to return to the Championship!

Catering facilities haven’t been good on match days - the queues have been terrible on big games.

NG - It’s something that we’re discussing at length.

Can the clock be on the screen in Valkyrie games?

NG - We used to do it but with no official time keepers, we ended up with time different to the referee so it was only ever a guide on the screen. Knights games are controlled by a timekeeper. There’s no official timekeeper at Valkyrie games, so that’s out of our control.

Are there plans to continue partnerships with Penrith and New York Knights ?

NG - We need to focus on what we are. A relationship with Penrith ould be beneficial in terms of pathways, experience etc, but we need to make sure we know what we’re about.

MA - Youth development in Australia is different to UK. Football hoovers up talent here, unless it’s a hardcore RL are. Penrith’s youth development coaches came here last year. They do the same as over here but they are better funded and resourced. The link is there but our focus should be nurturing our own catchment area.

When will you announce which players are getting released?

MA - An announcement will hopefully be made by the Bradford game. It’s been a difficult couple of months and there’s been a lot to unravel and get more streamlined. There are no secrets but some players will move on, and they need a send off they deserve.

When something goes up for a video ref decision, can we get the referee’s voice over speaker to clarify decisions?

The question has been asked but we don’t have the technology at the moment to do it. .

Will Jordan Lipp will be at York next year?

MA - Jordan is under contract with York for next year.

Referees -have a tough job, but is there a formal procedure to give feedback?

MA - Until we perform where we can’t blame anyone other than ourselves, we won’t blame anyone else. We don’t want to go down the spiral of feeling everyone is against us. There is a formal procedure where we can email clips of games. Most time we’ve lost because we’ve not been good enough, not because of decisions. We need to fix up our own performances first.

Will the West Stand be unallocated seating next year?

The whole stadium will go to allocated seating next year. There have been more issues this year with unallocated seating than anticipated. Allocating seats also mean more seats can be sold. There are more details to come but the renewal process for memberships will be similar to this year with a priority window. -

What will the memberships cost next season?

Details are being finalised and will be released in a few weeks.

Can we have someone drip feeding The Press with information because there’s not much coverage of the club?

NG - Every press release goes to every organisation. It’s up to them whether they use it or not.

MA added he’d be happy to speak to fans on match days once he’s finished other duties after games.

Will we announce attendances after games?

NG - We do. It’s added to the match report. It’s not immediately announced because there are checks that are needed to ensure accuracy.

What’s stopping technology working at this stadium?

NG - The Stadium Management Company has hugely improved the stadium in the last few years, and there has been investment.

These issue is that the rooms at the stadium are used by lots of people on different days and wires etc can get moved and then things won’t work!

Can the Stadium be extended if necessary?

NG -Yes. The North Stand can match the South Stand, and there’s and room on one side to extend. But until both clubs are selling out that won’t be looked at.

Are we going to buy the stadium?

NG -It’s owned by the council. Absolutely not.

What would happen if we bought it?

NG - To buy this Stadium would be the most complex thing in the world. The top floor belongs to the NHS, there’s downstairs office space belonging to the NHS and different partners. It’s complex now, so it would be difficult to pull it apart. That’s not going to be a problem for forseeable.

How many players are we looking to have in the squad and how far down line are we?

MA - 35, made up of something like 25 Super League quality, five from the Championship/talent released from academies to gain experience, and five of the most talented juniors who would join us on a couple of days a week.

How many new players are we bringing in?

MA - At least four that I feel comfy enough to say about. It’s about making sure it’s all signed and sealed before coming in.

Neil Gulliver closed the meeting, saying details about memberships will follow, and thanked everyone for attending.

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