Castleford Tigers co-owner Martin Jepson addresses prospect of full takeover after positive start

A lifelong Castleford supporter, Jepson has provided regular updates to bridge the gap between the club and a disenchanted fanbase.

"There's a good bunch of fans who will follow the club all over the land and it's important that we acknowledge that," he told The Yorkshire Post.

"This is nothing against the previous powers that be but we have to admit that we'd lost touch with our fanbase, not helped by the fact that performances have gradually been slipping ever since we lost the Grand Final (in 2017).

"We'd buried our heads in the sand a little bit. My view is that if you want to show leadership, you have to front up. It's easier for me to do that coming in as the new boy.

"You've just got to be honest with people because there is a strong fanbase at Castleford and the town needs the club to be in Super League."

As well as providing the transparency that had been lacking, Jepson has drummed home the importance of packing out Wheldon Road in the final two months of the Super League season to boost the club's IMG score.

Until the grades are released in late October, the Tigers will not know for sure which division they will be in next year.

From the upgraded Princess Street stand to LED advertising boards, Castleford are doing everything in their power to retain their Super League status.

"We've scheduled various works and are comfortable we'll increase our provisional grading from last year significantly," said Jepson, who does not expect work on the main stand to begin until the end of 2025 at the earliest.

"The expectation is that we'll do what we need to do to be in Super League next year.

"I'm still waiting to find out where we are on the accounts side but I would expect us to be over 14 points."

Jepson joined the board in late 2023 after pledging to invest a seven-figure sum, to be split across two financial years to aid the club in their quest for long-term Super League security.

The Castleford native purchased shares from Ian and Janet Fulton to give him an equal say on all club matters at Wheldon Road.

Because of the fan in him, Jepson has been more involved than he originally planned – but a full takeover does not appear to be on the cards.

"I just felt that the club needed a face, not only with the fans but the rugby league world as a whole," said the founder of Ergo Real Estate.

"This year it's been a case of getting on with the job at hand and then at the end of the season we can all take a view.

"The job I came in to do was to stabilise the club and get it established in Super League in the IMG era.

"Inevitably at some point, the club will need new investors. I've always said we'd be open to that.

"Let's get to the end of the season and see where we are – but I will not be a full-time chief executive or chairman because I've got other things that I need to do."

London-based Jepson has battled the motorways to attend the majority of games this year, a level of commitment that has been matched on the field.

After a six-game losing start amid an early injury crisis, Castleford have found their feet under Craig Lingard, as evidenced by recent wins over St Helens and Catalans Dragons.

Sunday's victory over the Dragons made it three in a row and took the Tigers past their 2023 points tally with nine rounds still remaining.

"I said before the season that we might surprise a few people and that's exactly where we've got to," added Jepson.

"The important thing now is: can we do this consistently? It's always interesting when the narrative changes from the club people see as whipping boys to a team that is taken seriously.

"We need to sustain these performances for the rest of the season. The big thing for me is the effort the boys are putting in.

"Craig, Danny (McGuire) and Scott (Murrell) have managed to bond that group of players together. All I hear from everybody is that there's a really good spirit in the camp. It's a happy camp – and from what I've heard about last year, that wasn't the case at all."

Maintaining that harmony is part of the challenge for Castleford as they finalise their 2025 squad.

Although the playing budget has increased, the Tigers will keep changes to a minimum to build on their early progress under Lingard.

Rather than target eye-catching signings to make a statement at the start of a new era, Castleford will continue to seek incremental improvement.

"The intention is that we'll spend more on salaries next year," said Jepson.

"There will probably be a few additions over the off-season but it all depends on availability.

"We've got a three-year plan to slowly improve the quality of the players, either through development or recruitment.

"I expect the team to grow over the next two or three years but it's hugely important that you don't just bring players in for the sake of it. Going back to last year, there was no harmony in the squad even though we had a lot of players with storied careers behind them. We've got to bring the right players in."