The MKM Stadium: Hull City AFC
From Hull City
The MKM Stadium has been the ground that Hull City Association Football Club has called home since it opened in 2002. It is the very definition of a multi-purpose facility given that it is also the home of Hull FC, the rugby league club. The name of the ground since it opened was KC or KCOM Stadium, thanks to the fact that it was sponsored by the telecommunications company KCOM, previously known as Kingston Communications. However, in 2021 long term stand sponsor MKM took the mantle.
The stadium is owned by Hull City Council, and they spent a long time deciding on the best location for the venue to be built. They took into account such things as existing facilities within the city, its isolation from residential areas and the local transport options before deciding upon its current setting. Although the football club went into receivership in 2001 not long after being granted the necessary planning permission, the stadium was completed within the allotted timeframe and within its £44 million budget.
Stats
| The MKM Stadium Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 2002 |
| Capacity | 25586 |
| Average Attendance | 17973 |
| Record Attendance | 25280 (England v Netherlands U21 (2004)) |
| Pitch Size | 105x68(7140) |
| Nickname | The KC |
| Owner | Hull City Council |
| Sponsor | MKM |
| Clubs Hosted | Hull City AFC, Hull FC |
| First Fixture | Hull City v Sunderland (18/12/2002) |
| Hull City Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1904 |
| Nickname | The Tigers |
| Club Mascot | Roary the Tiger |
| Rivals | Leeds United, Sheffield United, Grimsby Town |
| Previous Stadiums | The Boulevard, Anlaby Road, Boothferry Park |
| Kit | Orange & Black (Home) / White (Away) / Blue (Third) |
| Training Ground | Hull City AFC Training Ground |
| Shirt Sponsor | Corendon Airlines |
| Team Owner | Acun Medya |
| Record Goalscorer | Chris Chilton (222) |
| Record Appearances | Andy Davidson (520) |
The MKM Stadium Photos
The MKM Stadium Seating Plan and Where to Sit
Like most stadiums built since the 1990s, the MKM Stadium is in a bowl design. Three of the stands are single-tier and one of them has a double-tier. Here’s a bit of info on all of the different stands:
- The North Stand – This stand houses the away fans in the North-East corner, next to the disabled seating section.
- The South Stand – Based on the notion of traditional single-tiered ‘Kop’ stands such as the one found at Anfield, the South Stand is behind the goal and offers a good atmosphere in big games.
- The West Stand – The only stand in the ground that has two tiers, The Cranswick Plc Stand is the main one in the stadium. The two tiers are separated by 28 corporate boxes.
- The East Stand – This is the part of the stadium that is most likely to be expanded, should such a decision be taken in the near future.
Hull City Ticket Prices
Like most clubs in the UK, Hull charge differently for their matches depending on the location in the ground that you’re sitting. Your age will also be a factor in how much you pay for your ticket, there are bulk buy discounts though, and club members are eligible for a small discount too, so there is a fair amount to consider when buying a seat at the MKM.
Here’s a look at the price range for tickets for both adults and concessions:
- Adults/Concessions: £20.00 – £28.00 / £13.50 – £18.00
Season tickets aren’t available for Hull City, instead, they run a long term monthly membership scheme.
Be aware that buying tickets on the day will incur a £2 surcharge.
How To Get Hull City Tickets
There are a number of ways to buy tickets for Hull City games. You can get them online up to an hour before the game, as long as you’re happy to print them off at home. There are also self-service ticket machines at the MKM Stadium itself. You’ll also be able to buy tickets from Tiger Leisure, Hull City’s megastore. Finally you can always call the club directly and buy tickets over the phone, should you not be too sure about trusting any other payment method.
Where to Buy
Getting To The MKM Stadium
Hull is in the East Riding of Yorkshire, about as far to the East as it’s possible to go without getting into the sea or accidentally stumbling into the far superior Grimsby Town. It’s easy enough to get to no matter where you’re coming from, but here are some instructions if you’re not too sure what you’re doing:
Train – Hull train station is easy enough to get to from anywhere in the country, though you might need to change at Leeds if you’re coming at it from the wrong location. It’s just over a mile from the ground, so it’s easy enough to walk from one to the other.
Bus – Hull has an excellent bus service with as many as 16 different bus routes serving the stadium. Numbers 2, 23, 24, 35, 48, 60, 61, 62, 64, 66, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155 and 350 will all take you where you want to go.
Car – The A1 and the M62 are the main routes into Hull, with the MKM stadium itself being reached via the A1105.
By Air – There are four airports that serve international air traffic for visitors Hull. Humberside Airport is about thirty minutes from the city, Robin Hood Airport is located in Doncaster and is 45 minutes away, Leeds-Bradford Airport is an hour away and Manchester Airport, one of the largest in the North, is two hours away.
Taxi – A taxi from the centre of Hull out to the ground will take around the ten minute mark and should cost you about £12. As always with such things, if you’re stuck in the taxi for longer then you’ll pay more.
Parking Near The MKM Stadium
The club have their own car park on Walton Street, just across the road from the ground. It’s only £5 to park your car there, though it does fill up reasonably quickly and takes a while to empty after the match. There are numerous public car parks in the city centre, but be wary if you decide to opt for on-street parking – make sure you keep your eye out for the parking restrictions.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
The MKM Stadium Hotels
Hull was voted as the European Capital Of Culture for 2017, so there is no shortage of hotel options for your stay in the East Riding. Here are some options for you to consider:
ibis Hull - £35+
Gilson Hotel - £41+
The Whittington and Cat - £75+
Pubs and Bars Near The MKM Stadium
The folks in Hull know how to have a good time, so there are more than your fair share of pubs and clubs in the European Capital of Culture, 2017. Here are some of our favourites:
Humber Arena
The New Clarence
Admiral Of The Humber
Facilities
The facilities at The MKM are fine. Not exactly spectacular but not run-down and terrible either. There are places on the concourses to buy yourself a tasty pie or a box of chips and there are stalls to pick a drink up at, too.
Prices
- Programme: £3
- Pie: £3.2
- Cup of tea: £2.2
- Beer: £3.9
Hospitality
Hull have a range of hospitality options open to you, should you wish to experience a match at The MKM in the best style possible. Here’s a bit of information on each of the packages available to you:
- An Executive Box – Pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a box at a football ground. You’ll get 10 guests in, padded seating on a balcony, drinks from a cash bar and dedicated waiting staff.
- Ambassador Club – Available on a seasonal or match by match basis, this option gives you a four course fine dining experience in the Circle Restaurant as well as great seats, lounge bar entertainment, and some complimentary drinks .
- Premier Tiger – This is only available to buy for the full season, and is a more relaxed experience taking place in the Kington Suite. It’s a social affair where you will mix with other supporters, enjoy executive parking, matchday entertainment, and prime seating locations.
- Match Sponsorship Options – This is what you’ll want to be looking at if you’re hoping to use your experience at Hull City to promote your business or brand. Your day will be hosted by a Hull City legend, you’ll get a behind the scenes tour and, of course, fine dining with complimentary drinks.
Private Hire
You won’t be surprised to learn that there are numerous private hire options at The MKM Stadium. From small rooms that are ideal for breakout meetings through to larger areas that are capable of hosting much larger functions, your choices are endless. The stadium is also licensed to hold weddings, so if you’re a massive Tigers fan then what better location to host your big day?
Stadium Tours & Museum
You can’t always enjoy a behind the scenes tour of the inner sanctum of Hull City AFC and Hull FC’s home ground, since they only run them sporadically. However, you used to be able to by request, so you could always try to… request one. The tour lasts an hour and takes in the changing rooms, the press area, the tunnel and the side of the pitch. It’s a bit more immersive than usual and you can be interviewed in front of the Match of the Day boards or given a pep talk in the dressing rooms.
Best of all? They often run the tours for free.
As for a museum, well…there isn’t one. There is, however, a fascinating website with an ‘online museum’ that is run and maintained by members of the Hull City Supporters Trust. You can visit it by heading to this website.
About Hull City
Hull City AFC was founded in 1904, though attempts to form a football team in the city had been made in the past. Hull has historically always been a rugby city, though, so there wasn’t much demand for an association football team. Their formation came too late for them to be able to get membership of the Football League for the 1904-1905 season, so instead they just played friendly games against any team that was interested for the duration of the campaign. Hull City and Grimsby also have quite a strange claim to fame – they were the only clubs that were given permission to play football on Christmas Day because of the demands put on them by the fish trade.
Hull have spent most of their existence in the lower echelons of English football, gaining promotion to the top-flight for the first time in 2008 when they won the Championship play-off final at Wembley. They remained in the Premier League until the end of the 2014-2015 season when they were relegated back to the Championship, and have bounced between the top tier to League 1 since that time. Their best performance in cup competition came in 2014 when they reached the final of the FA Cup, eventually losing to Arsenal.
The MKM Stadium History
The MKM Stadium took just over a year to build at a cost of around £44 million. Hull City moved to the ground from their old location at Boothferry Park when the stadium opened in 2002. It isn’t just a football ground, though, also playing host to Hull FC, the rugby league club. Whilst Hull City moved from their old ground Hull FC moved from theirs, the now defunct stadium called The Boulevard.
Far from being a venue used solely for football and Super League matches, The MKM Stadium has also played host to England Under-21 international matches, rugby league test matches and a variety of music concerts. Artists such as Elton John and The Who have graced the people of Hull with performances in the stadium over the years.
Future Developments
The club reportedly has plans to add additional tiers to the East and the South Stands at some point in the future, increasing the capacity of the stadium to 34,000. When that will take place, however, is open to debate. Certainly there are no plans to make the changes in the immediate future but the new stadium naming rights going to MKM, a building suppliers, might help edge things forward.
They also want to develop the free land around the ground to add 5 aside pitches and the like.