Huddersfield Town owner and chairman Kevin Nagle has pledged to play “more than his part” in Huddersfield’s £1 billion future.

Self-made billionaire Mr Nagle, who made his fortune in pharmaceuticals, sport and real estate in the United States, was the headline speaker at Huddersfield Unlimited’s annual conference at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Mr Nagle told of his own personal journey from a “working poor” family background – he never knew his biological father – to securing multi-billion dollar deals in business.

Mr Nagle, who says he’s probably two weeks away from taking control of the John Smith’s Stadium, also outlined his plans to develop the 30-year-old stadium and its surrounds.

The conference, attended by more than 150 of Huddersfield’s most influential businesspeople, investors and politicians, heard about progress on regeneration schemes which will see more than £1 billion invested in the town.

These projects include: the TransPennine Route Upgrade and a revamped Huddersfield Railway Station; the £262 million Our Cultural Heart town centre regeneration scheme; the University of Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Campus; the Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor; the re-development of the historic George Hotel; and the 2025 opening of the Kingsgate Leisure cinema and entertainments complex.

 

 

Minnesota-born Mr Nagle, 70, told how he was raised by a single mother in California and grew up with his two sisters in a “working poor” family in a small apartment.

His entrepreneurial spirit started early as he sold ‘lost’ golf balls aged six and washed cars, mowed lawns and delivered newspapers as he grew up.

He studied and got two masters degrees and became an investment banker on Wall Street. He later went into the health care industry and co-founded two companies which later sold for a combined $2.5 billion.

When NBA basketball side Sacramento Kings looked set to re-locate he bought into the club, stopped the move – the first time in NBA history a re-location had been blocked – and expanded the ownership group.

Mr Nagle spearheaded the building of a new arena which he said became a “core of the city” with Paul McCartney playing the first concert there.

Mr Nagle said the project was a “wonderful example” of local government and private investors coming together.

“I am proud to say we won several regional and national awards,” he told the conference. “It exceeded our wildest expectations and the growth continues today, over 10 years on.”

Mr Nagle sold his shares in the Kings for a reputed $8 billion and now owns soccer club Sacramento Republic FC, which – like Town – has ambitions to reach the top flight.

Mr Nagle, who also has an extensive real estate portfolio, sees parallels between Huddersfield and Sacramento, the state capital of California.

“Sacramento and Huddersfield are similar,” he said. “They are both blue collar towns. Huddersfield has land potentially available and fine businesses ready to go to the next level.

“The regional opportunities are vast,” he added. “I have very much fallen in love with the town and its people and very much look forward to playing more than my part.”

 

Image by: Virtual Huddersfield

 

Kirklees Council has agreed to hand over its 40% shares in the John Smith’s Stadium to Mr Nagle, meaning Town will have 80% and Huddersfield Giants owner Ken Davy 20%.

All parties have reached an agreement and Mr Nagle said he expected a deal to be signed in the next two weeks, though he also said that several months ago. It just seems a matter of concluding the legal paperwork.

Mr Nagle has already invested £2 million in improvements, refurbishments and upgrades at the stadium this summer and gave a few hints on his wider development plans for the stadium and surrounding land.

Hospitality will be at the heart of the fan experience and a new 800-capacity venue ‘H Town’ will be opening soon inside the stadium. It will also be available for corporate events and private gatherings such as weddings.

“The stadium re-design will also allow for more concerts during the summer to bring in more revenue,” he said.

A hotel is also part of the plans as is housing, what Mr Nagle described as both “middle class and affordable.”

Mr Nagle said the lack of hotel rooms in Huddersfield was a “big deficit” and the town couldn’t be a “destination” without more places to stay.

“It doesn’t need to be five star,” he said. “Three or four star will give enough critical mass. I stay in Leeds because I can’t find a place to stay in Huddersfield for 10 days when I come over. For me (hotels) are one of the highest priorities.”

 

 

In her speech, Kirklees Council leader Carole Pattison threw some more light on re-development plans for the listed George Hotel which is set to become a Radisson RED boutique hotel.

The council-owned building is wind and watertight and has planning permission but construction has stalled as projected costs have risen. An update on the plans is about to go to the council’s Cabinet.

Radisson is still firmly on board and Clr Pattison stressed the new hotel would definitely happen. “We’ve come too far to go back now,” she said.

The new hotel, however, looks like being two years away.

During questions from the floor, Giants owner and chairman Ken Davy told how he’d got on really well with Mr Nagle.

“Kevin and I are from very similar backgrounds,” he said. “We got on very well and I wish Town every success.”

Mr Davy has made no secret of the Giants’ ambition to leave the John Smith’s Stadium and build their own 8,000-capacity stadium elsewhere.

Mr Nagle has made it clear the Giants are welcome to stay as long as they want but Mr Davy has said he wants to move within three years.

He’s struggling to find a suitable site in Huddersfield, however, and has even floated the idea of moving to The Shay in Halifax.

Mr Davy told the conference: “It’s common knowledge that our objective at the Giants is to move to a new stadium.

“Our preference is to stay in this town and my plea to Kirklees and Planning is let’s have that partnership, let’s work together.

“I want to invest in this town and in a new stadium and we need the help of the council to do it.”

 

 

Other speakers at the conference included: James Collett, UK CFO at Linthwaite and Slaithwaite-based STADA Thornton and Ross; Adnan Rasool, director of InTuBrands; Jonathan Hardy, of the Kingsgate Centre; Sam Wymer, sales director of The Body Doctor; Sue Cooke, chief executive at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre; and Sarah Bowes, head of business, innovation and inclusive economy at West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Kirklees Council’s executive director for place, David Shepherd, also spoke along with Huddersfield MP Harpreet Uppal and Colne Valley MP Paul Davies.

The event was rounded off by energetic presentations from Emma Clarkson, of the West Yorkshire Good Growth Programme, and young film-maker Sam Teale, of Sam Teale Productions.

 

A fly-through video shows just what the proposed visitor centre and café on Castle Hill will look like