When Hull Kingston Rovers play Leeds Rhinos in Las Vegas on Saturday night, they will do so as domestic treble winners and world club champions. The club’s chief executive, Paul Lakin, explains how they made it this far and what they want to achieve next.
Leeds say they will struggle to break even on Vegas as the Super League teams have to pay all their own costs. So how difficult a decision was it to give up a home game to go? “It was a big decision and one that we didn’t take lightly. Part of our strategy is to constantly raise our profile and when you looked at the results from a marketing and audience perspective for Wigan v Warrington in Vegas last year, the eyeballs on that were incredible. You don’t get given a pot of money: you have to generate your own money through ticket sales. But like Leeds, we felt that we have a big enough fanbase to financially support our ability to go out there. It’s an incredibly tough schedule but to put ourselves on that stage was too big an opportunity to turn down. A year ago we said: ‘What if we won the Grand Final? It’ll be the World Club Challenge and straight into Vegas.’ We just decided to worry about it when it happens. And now it’s happened!”
Given there are two more years on the NRL’s Vegas contract, do you think Super League will struggle to find four more clubs who want to go and can afford it? “It’s crossed my mind. It’ll be very interesting. There’s been a lot of talk of Hull v St Helens next year. After that, though, it wouldn’t surprise me if it comes back around to Wigan. Clubs with major hospitality facilities cannot afford to lose that income from a home game. I understand that. And it’s alright saying you want to go, but the NRL has to approve your club. Are you going to add to the event? There’s no point coming if you’re only going to bring 500 fans. Across ourselves and Leeds, we’re bringing 10,000.”
Although the Robins are very much representative of East Hull, the current Renaissance: A Hull KR Story documentary shows your fanbase is far broader … “True but, first and foremost, we are embedded in a socially deprived area and our staff and players are all aware that, sadly, some of our supporters would miss a meal to find the money to buy a ticket to our games, which is a sentence you shouldn’t ever have to say. This club is people’s lives, the whole week is matchday. Sport is about escapism. People have tough working lives and it doesn’t matter what your sport is – you go to try to enjoy it, relax, switch off and get away from day-to-day life.”
You’ve had to invest in Craven Park when other clubs have spent on their teams. How have you turned that to your advantage? “It’s a unique stadium, the most higgledy-piggledy stadium you’ve ever seen in your life: a bit of a stand here, a bit there. It’s an architect’s nightmare. Despite our success last year, we still lose money, therefore building a new stand for tens of millions is out of our reach at the moment. The cost is just too high. But it’s a proper one-off setup and that appeals. It’s quirky – and we’re a quirky club. We get 12,000 people in and it’s really loud. It’s sold out every single game. It has been for a long time – and we have a waiting list. So we’re doing something right. We try to create a unique atmosphere, with the Craven Streat concept, strong matchday entertainment, our own mini festival every two weeks. That in itself has created interest from elsewhere.”
You’re now attracting mainstream national brands, such as Specsavers, as sponsors. How do you best monetise and commercialise the success of the team? “The bottom line is it’s about engagement. Running in parallel with the team’s success is the work we do increasing our fanbase, through our memberships, which is a big income generator for us. Our merchandise turnover is up fourfold in the last four years. And we have the biggest social media following in the sport. Partners want to be involved with clubs that are imaginative, and we think a little bit differently. We have to work hard at it. In any business, if you have it tougher, then you probably deliver better results.”
How do you keep this boom period going in a sport with a salary cap? “One of the key ingredients to sustained success is not to be afraid to change. If you think the model that got you there will keep you there, then you’re in for a bit of a shock. In terms of player recruitment and retention, you have to make decisions a year earlier rather than a year too late. And you have to be brave. We brought in two players – Michael McIlorum and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves – for one year only to achieve something. Loyalty needs to be rewarded, but sometimes you have to say ‘we need to move on’.”
One day you won’t have Mikey Lewis and Jez Litten at their peak or Willie Peters as your coach. How do you plan the next evolution? “It’s about keeping your eyes and ears open and understanding the marketplace. We want the very best staff who are available. I get that there’s a lot of eyes on Willie, but he’s contracted until 2028. Mikey’s only 24 years old, completely relaxed and happy in the city, so it’s not an issue. He and Jez are hopefully fine for several years as they have contracts to 2030.”
Rovers were in the third division when Super League began 30 years ago; you were still in the second tier 20 years ago; you were relegated 10 years ago; and it’s only five years since you finished bottom. Can Rovers be an inspiration to other clubs? “I really hope so. That was very much on my mind when we won trophies because, particularly with the Grand Final, prior to ourselves only four teams had ever won it, so that should give everybody hope. We broke the stranglehold of the top teams winning the trophies and we did it in a short period of time. Obviously, our goal is to try and do it again. But it opens the door to others. Leigh and Wakefield, who have been in the lower division in recent times like us and are now rising in Super League, can think this is achievable: ‘If they can do it, why can’t we?”
Most Super League teams have reached a final in recent years but have failed to do so repeatedly. You’ve been to four out of the last six … “That is probably the most important point. When we lost our first Challenge Cup final in 2023 – the first time we’d reached the final for many a year – I remember saying: ‘We have to get back quickly.’ You probably need to lose a couple to win a couple, because being around the players before the finals this year was completely different to the year before, when they’d never been before and it was a whole new experience. Last season felt so much more relaxed. When you start to play big games regularly, you get used to it and it helps you perform. Constantly knocking on the door allows you to win trophies.”
You’ve said that Super League should bring in London Broncos, go to 15 clubs and grow gradually, becoming like the NRL. “Exactly that. It’s very dangerous to put a number on it. If, with the investment in London, they’re ready, then don’t be fixated by the fact it’s an odd number. Bye weeks are the right thing to do – everybody needs a week off. It’s done the NRL no harm. And let’s keep what we’ve got: we can’t be relegating York, Toulouse or Bradford in one year when they’ve only had four or five months to recruit. Give them a chance to build and consolidate or else you’re just setting clubs up to fail. When someone else forces the sport’s hand, they can be assessed, but I don’t see a 16th club. The rest, with no disrespect to anybody, are way off.”
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