York Knights takeover confirmed as major shake-up and wealthy owners arrive

York Knights have confirmed that a takeover of the club has gone through – with local businessman and lifelong support David Dickson heading up the new consortium.

Love Rugby League revealed earlier this summer that the Knights were set to be taken over, with Dickson – who has strong ties to the area and has followed York for years, as well as investing in their women’s team, York Valkyrie – the likely new man at the top.

That has now been confirmed by the club, who have revealed that previous owner Clint Goodchild has now formally stepped aside after spearheading their push to Super League.

York Knights takeover finally confirmed

York’s players and staff were told several weeks ago of the news, but the club have now only just made it official following confirmation that a transfer of ownership has formally been completed.

That will see Goodchild step away and previous general manager, Neil Gulliver, step up to the role of CEO at the ambitious Super League club.

In a statement, York said: “The club would like to put on record their appreciation and thanks to Clint Goodchild for his time as custodian of the club. His vision, ambition and drive saw the club progress during his tenure at an incredible pace.

“Following a successful re-brand of the club, unprecedented on field success followed with York Valkyrie securing back-to-back Betfred Women’s Super League titles and York Knights not only winning the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup at Wembley, but also gaining promotion to the Betfred Super League in 2026 for the very first time in their history.

“The rapid growth and recent successes of the club has brought immense pride to the city, with the incoming ownership group being fully committed to enhancing the club’s future, building on these strong foundations, and unlocking York Knights’ true potential.”

Goodchild addresses York exit

Dickson is yet to formally speak about his plans for the club – but York are set to unlock new-found wealth with his backing. They are already making aggressive moves in the transfer market and will soon unveil Max Jowitt as a Knights player for 2027 after he agreed to join the club.

As for Goodchild, he insists that the club is in ‘safe hands’ under the new ownership group.

“I brought ambition. I leave with enough friendships and memories to last a lifetime,” he said. “On arrival I knew York was a proud rugby league city, but I didn’t know then how much this place, this club and its people would come to mean to me.