Castleford Tigers ' new director Martin Jepson explains reasons for getting on board with crucial investment

After being officially confirmed as a new board member Jepson stated it was his intent to provide investment that would be crucial in convincing RFL partners IMG that the Tigers were worthy of more points than they received in the 2023 gradings that put them in 13th place – and in jeopardy of being left behind when the Super League teams are announced for 2025.

Castleford’s aim is to improve their grade B rating and eventually earn a grade A that would ensure no relegation. The money put in by their new director can start the process.

Jepson, whose company, Ergo, are sponsors of the club has now become a director, shareholder and significant Investor in the club.

Chairman Ian Fulton and managing director Mark Grattan have been working with Martin and his finance and legal team for a number of months to conclude a deal that sees him become a 32 per cent shareholder of the club while also investing a significant seven figure sum directly into Castleford Tigers.

“I’m delighted to finally conclude everything,” said Jepson.

"I’ve been talking to the directors for a while, it’s now nice to get it out in the open.

"I’ve followed this club all my life and I’m just so pleased I can do something for the club and the town of Castleford.

“I grew up in the area, just a few miles from the ground in Garforth and I’m a lifelong Cas fan but haven’t lived here for 40 years. That being said, I make the trip here regularly for matches.

"I’m fortunate that I am able and in a position to invest and I think this is a real pivotal moment for the sport and the club in particular.

"I thought long and hard about it. I’ve been a sponsor for a few years, I got more and more wedded to the club and started coming back to more matches than I was before.

“I just felt that the club needed some investment, the town needs the club to be in Super League and I would regret it if I didn’t take the chance to help the club along the journey.”

The process has been a long one, but Jepson is now delighted to be getting on with with tak of working with Mark Grattan and Ian Fulton.

He explained: “I wouldn’t have come on board if I didn’t feel I could work with both Ian and Mark.

"This is very much a partnership and they, like myself, are very passionate about the club. I’m really impressed with Mark’s knowledge and when we came up and went through the workings of the club, it was very clear that he has a deep understanding of how Castleford Tigers runs and also the intricate workings of the sport and all the associated processes and procedures.

"Ian, has a long-standing loyalty to the club, along with his family.

"I’m really looking forward to working with them both and I don’t think I would have done this deal if I thought we weren’t all like-minded.”

Ian Fulton explained how the shares have changed ownership and what that means for him: “Martin is definitely the right fit for Castleford Tigers and he has the same interests in the club as we do. I’m glad he’s now on board.

"It means we have another investor which can take the club to a different level.

"It’s taken some finding but we definitely have the right man for the job.”

“How the shares are now split as follows: Martin, Myself and Janet have a 32 per cent share each, so we have an equal shareholding in the club. That isn’t a re-issue of shares, that’s come from myself and Janet.

“On behalf of the board of directors and everybody associated with the club, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Martin to the board at Castleford.”

Managing director Grattan said: “It’s been a pleasure working with Martin to get the deal done over the past six months.

It's been no secret that we have been looking for investors and to bring new people into the club. Martin is exactly the kind of person we need to join us and the significant sum he has invested will help us to push the club forward over the coming years.”

Grattan explained why there was a delay in announcing Martin after he was appointed on Companies House.

He added: “Our financial year end was last Thursday, November 30, this will be the set of accounts that go towards our grading scores to determine Super League status in 2025.

"We had been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get the deal done before our financial year end. We managed to do this and the first part of Martin’s investment landed with us on that day to ensure that the funds counted towards owner investment points for the 2025 season.

"To ensure it counted, he needed to be a shareholder and director before November 30.

"We then had to wait for a few final pieces of due diligence to be completed before we could officially make the announcement which was the reason between the timings gap of Martin becoming a director and us being able to make the announcement.”