Sheffield co-promoter Damien Bates has confirmed his family will retain part ownership of the Tigers into 2026, with the club set to welcome new investors.
The Bates family put Sheffield up for sale shortly after the season finished, leaving their Premiership future in doubt.
But they will race on at the top level with the news that the Bates family will continue to run the club alongside part-owner Peter Mole, with new investors joining to manage “the commercial and marketing side of the club.”
Bates told the Tigers official website: “It has not been an easy few months for anyone and we do sympathise with the supporters and how worried they must’ve been. But honestly, things have been so up and down, literally changing on a week-by-week basis, and we didn’t want to say anything until we knew which way things were going.
“From the moment we announced we were putting the club up for sale, we had a lot of interest – but no actual firm offers as such. Some people seemed more genuinely interested than others, but at the same time, we wouldn’t just hand Sheffield over to anybody. At the end of the day, we love Sheffield and throughout this whole process, we’ve kept the best interests of the club at heart.
“There was one phone call which stood out more than all the others though – that is the one we’ve followed up and it’s one that has convinced us we’re bringing the right people into the club.
“We can’t say too much more at this moment in time because we still need to dot the Is and cross the Ts, but it’s a set-up that we feel very comfortable with and one that has helped renew our enthusiasm after a difficult end to the 2025 season.
“Me and my family will be staying on as owners and Peter Mole has also decided to retain part-ownership – but he will still step down as co-promoter as planned. The new investors have committed to looking after the commercial and marketing side of the club, and with them and one or two other people stepping up their involvement behind the scenes, we feel we’re back in a really strong position as a club going into 2026.
“We’re looking at this as a fresh start and a new chapter in so many ways and there’ll be lots to announce in the new year once we’ve had chance to finalise everything. In the meantime, we’ve resumed conversations with riders, and we’ll unveil those in due course also.”