The Tigers will have to fund a host of improvements to make themselves Premier League-ready
05:00, 01 Jun 2026
The MKM Stadium is preparing for Premier League football
View Image
The MKM Stadium is preparing for Premier League football (Image: Greig Cowie/Shutterstock)
Celebrations have barely stopped since Jarred Gillett's full-time whistle blew at Wembley on May 23, sealing Hull City's long-awaited return to the Premier League.
The Tigers enjoyed their memorable open-top bus parade around the streets of Hull, before ending in front of tens of thouands of supporters at a packed, scorching Queen Victoria Square.
As soon as the full-time whistle blew, attention behind the scenes quickly turned to the upgrades needed both at the MKM Stadium and training ground in Cottingham.
Earlier this year, the Premier League visited the club to go through what improvements would be required, and those plans were firmed up last week when officials from the Premier League spent Thursday at the MKM Stadium, presenting to staff across various departments within the club.
Though the MKM Stadium is a modern venue, many of the facilities haven't been upgraded in some time, and since their last spell in the top-flight a decade ago, standards and expectations have risen, which means there's significant work needing to be done, as Jared Dublin told Hull Live recently.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
Amid a host of changes required by the Premier League, the MKM Stadium will now have a whole new media setup, both in the West Stand upper tier and in the media suite. That will accommodate at least 70 members of the media. A minimum of 50 seats will have to be provided in a revamped space in the upper West Stand, including things like television monitors.
Under Premier League rules, the club must provide at least three television commentary spots for UK media, and 15 for international broadcasters, plus 10 pitchside broadcasting positions. For radio, 15 positions within the media area as close to the halfway line as possible must be provided. The MKM Stadium already has studios inside the bowl, but those will have to be brought up to scratch.
City will also be required to create 25 observer seats for those staff working with broadcasters, and, as there was at Wembley, a mixed zone for the media to conduct interviews will be introduced. The club must also ensure that access for disabled visitors meets Premier League standards, and so, too, hospitality areas.
It's also up to the club to fund the installation of the necessary equipment to run Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and semi-automated offside, while the floodlights must also meet top-flight standards, and so, too, the LED advertising boards.
On the pitch, the Tigers have also renewed the playing surface in a bid to avoid the issues that engulfed the club around Christmas when it was in a poor state, and attracted plenty of criticism. There will also be improvements made to the training ground to ensure it hits the spot with the Premier League.
One thing is for sure: with only 80-odd days until the big kick-off, there will be no time to rest at City with a long list of improvements that must be completed.
Article continues below
Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don't miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group.
You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.