Craven Park, Hull facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Craven Park

Former names	MS3 Craven Park KC/KCOM Lightstream Stadium KCOM Craven Park Hull College Craven Park
Location	Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU9 5HE, England
Coordinates	53°45′14″N 0°15′53″W / 53.75389°N 0.26472°W / 53.75389; -0.26472
Owner	Hull Kingston Rovers
Capacity	12,225
Surface	Grass
Opened	1989
Tenants
Hull Kingston Rovers (1989–present) Hull Vikings (1995–2005) Hull United (2015–2016)

Craven Park (officially called the Sewell Group Craven Park Stadium because of sponsorship) is a well-known rugby league stadium. It's located in Kingston upon Hull, England. This stadium is the home of the Hull Kingston Rovers, one of the two professional rugby league teams in the city.

History of Craven Park

The Hull Kingston Rovers team moved to this new stadium in 1989. Before that, they played at the Old Craven Park on Holderness Road. The new stadium was special because it was the first rugby league ground to have special hospitality boxes.

Craven Park was also once home to the Hull Vikings speedway team. However, they left when the stadium was updated for Hull Kingston Rovers to use in the Super League. The very first match at the new stadium was against Trafford Borough. A huge crowd of 8,500 people came to watch. That season, the club became Division Two champions.

In 2006, the stadium and its pitch were greatly improved. This was done to help the club return to the top league in English rugby league. There were talks in 2007 about Hull Kingston Rovers moving to a brand new stadium. However, the Hull City Council and the club decided to keep Craven Park. They made plans to invest in and develop the existing stadium for its long-term future.

The first step in improving Craven Park was to get a temporary North Stand with seats. This replaced a less suitable area for away fans. In 2008, work began to make the East Stand bigger. This added 1,120 more spaces, bringing its total capacity to 4,750. More expansion was planned for 2009, but it was put on hold. Building a new North Stand became the main priority.

Work on the new £8.2 million North Stand started in 2012. This stand has many different facilities. It was first expected to open in 2013. However, disagreements between the club, Hull City Council, and the builders caused delays. The stand finally opened in 2014. It was named the 'Colin Hutton North Stand' to honor the famous former Hull KR coach.

A new record for attendance was set at Craven Park in 2018. A total of 12,090 fans came to watch Hull FC beat Hull Kingston Rovers in a Good Friday derby. This broke the old record from 2015.

In November 2018, a floodlight at the stadium collapsed. Hull Kingston Rovers called it a 'major incident'. Players and staff had to train at the University of Hull. One pre-season match in 2019 was moved. The club returned to Craven Park in late January using a temporary floodlight.

The temporary seated South Stand used in May 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most Super League games in 2020 and 2021 were played without fans. Only a few matches at Craven Park in 2021 had no fans. When fans were allowed back in May 2021, a temporary seated stand was built. This allowed 6,000 fans to attend while keeping social distance. This temporary stand was later removed. In its place, a new food and entertainment area called 'Craven Streat' was created. It's a fun place for supporters before matches. Its name comes from the old Craven Street Football Ground, where Hull Kingston Rovers first played.

Craven Park and the land around it used to be owned by the Hull City Council. However, in March 2022, Hull Kingston Rovers bought full ownership of the stadium. They also have the option to buy 15 acres of land nearby.

Now that Hull Kingston Rovers owns Craven Park, they plan to make more improvements. They want to build a sports campus with new training facilities for the team. This might include a 3G pitch, a gym, and a lecture hall. The club also plans to rebuild the Roger Millward West Stand. It will have new facilities for corporate events. Other plans include a permanent electronic scoreboard and electronic advertising boards around the pitch.

Stadium Layout

Craven Park has different stands, each with its own features.

RSV Colin Hutton North Stand

The RSV Colin Hutton North Stand

Capacity: 2,600 (seated) The North Stand was first a temporary stand. In 2013, the new £8 million Colin Hutton North Stand opened. It hosted a 2013 Rugby League World Cup game between Papua New Guinea and France. This stand also has the Enterprise Business Centre and Training Centre. It includes 42 offices on different floors.

Roger Millward West Stand

The Roger Millward West Stand

Capacity: 2,800 (seated) The West Stand is named after Roger Millward, one of the club's greatest players. It has the main seated area and a small standing area called 'The Colin McNicol Well'. This area holds about 500 fans. It also features a large mural celebrating Hull's history. The stand contains the stadium's main changing rooms, which were updated in 2014. Inside, you'll find The Robins Nest, Flanagan's Bar (named after former player Peter Flanagan), and The Harry Poole Bar. This bar offers pitch-side views and interviews with players and coaches after matches. The TV gantry is also located here.

Wow Hydrate East Stand

The Wow Hydrate East Stand

Capacity: (standing) The East Stand is a covered standing area that runs almost the entire length of the pitch. The right side was made bigger in 2008. There are plans to expand the left side in the future. This expansion was put on hold in 2011 because of the North Stand development. However, in December 2023, the club announced they are thinking about this plan again. This is because of high demand for tickets. It would help increase capacity before the West Stand is redeveloped.

'Craven Streat'

'Craven Streat', located on the South Terrace

This area used to be a small terraced bank at the south end of the stadium. Now, 'Craven Streat' offers live entertainment, bars, local street food, and a big screen. It has a "relaxed festival atmosphere" and is a popular spot for fans before rugby league matches. The name is inspired by the old Craven Street Football Ground, where the club played almost 100 years ago.

After the Roger Millward North Stand was finished, the club suggested building a new South Stand and a hotel in 2015. However, funding for this project has not yet been secured.

Stadium Names Over Time

Craven Park's name has changed several times due to sponsorship deals.

In 2011, a local company called MS3 made a five-year deal for the stadium's naming rights. This was the first time the club had such a deal. Fans voted to call it MS3 Craven Park.

On January 25, 2014, Hull Kingston Rovers announced a new partnership with KC, a local communications provider. For five years, Craven Park was renamed the KC Lightstream Stadium. After a re-branding, it became the KCOM Lightstream Stadium. On February 3, 2017, it changed again to KCOM Craven Park.

On August 21, 2019, Hull Kingston Rovers announced a new partnership with Hull College. The stadium was then renamed Hull College Craven Park Stadium. This partnership also created new training chances for young players. It also allowed Hull Kingston Rovers players to study for degrees at the college.

On January 18, 2022, the stadium got a new name after a two-year partnership with the Sewell Group. The stadium is now called Sewell Group Craven Park.

Other Uses of Craven Park

Besides rugby league, Craven Park has hosted many other events.

Concerts

Craven Park held its first concert in 2017. About 20,000 people attended to see Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. They were the former singers of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South. Other guests included Billy Bragg and The Divine Comedy.

Little Mix performed at Craven Park in July 2018. About 20,000 fans came to their "Summer Hits Tour" show. They were supposed to perform again in June 2020, but the tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Westlife and Sir Tom Jones were also scheduled to perform in 2020. However, their concerts were canceled or rescheduled due to the pandemic.

Rod Stewart performed at Craven Park on July 4, 2023. Culture Club supported him. Two days later, The Who performed with a live orchestra. UB40 also played at that concert.

Association Football

On October 21, 2015, it was announced that the Non-League football team Hull United A.F.C. would play their home games at Craven Park.

Greyhound Racing

Greyhound racing moved to Craven Park in 1989 from the Old Craven Park. The first race meeting was on November 11, 1989. Racing took place on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday nights. The track was 415 meters around. In 2003, greyhound racing moved to the Boulevard Stadium. Both the speedway and greyhounds tracks at Craven Park were then covered with grass.

Speedway

Speedway racing came to Craven Park in 1995. The Hull Vikings team raced there. Speedway events stopped at the stadium in 2005.

Boxing

In 2015, Craven Park hosted a boxing event called 'Rumble on the Humber'. About 15,000 people watched. Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell defeated his local rival Tommy Coyle after ten rounds.

Quidditch

On August 26, 2017, Craven Park hosted the first ever Championship game of the Quidditch Premier League. Eight teams from two divisions played. The West Midlands Revolution won the event.

Rugby League International Matches

Craven Park has hosted five international rugby league matches.

Game#	Date	Result	Attendance	Notes
1	15 November 2000	Morocco def.  Japan 12–8		2000 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament
2	3 November 2012	England def.  France 44–6	7,173	2012 England vs France
3	27 October 2013	France def.  Papua New Guinea 9–8	7,481	2013 Rugby League World Cup Group B
4	4 November 2013	Samoa def.  Papua New Guinea 38–4	6,871	2013 Rugby League World Cup Group B
5	28 October 2016	Australia def.  Scotland 54–12	5,337	2016 Rugby League Four Nations