Premier League supports Hull City fans in fight over switching name to 'Tigers'

The owner of the club wants to change the name for marketing reasons

Hull City owner Allem Assam (GETTY IMAGES)

Hull City supporters campaigning against a name change to Hull Tigers say the Premier League has told them it is prepared to approach the Football Association to discuss how a club’s heritage can be protected.

Representatives from City Till We Die (CTWD), the group set up to oppose Hull owner Assem Allam’s plan, said discussions with the Premier League director of communications and public policy, Bill Bush, and the head of supporter services, Cathy Long, on Wednesday were “constructive and positive”.

Opposition to Dr Allam’s plan has grown considerably since his extraordinary exclusive interview in last week’s Independent on Sunday, in which he said fans who chanted “City Till I Die” could “die when they want”.

The City supporters responded with good humour, chanting “We are Hull City, we’ll die when we want” and creating an outstanding atmosphere that inspired the team to their best performance of the season in beating Liverpool 3-1.

Following the article, which was followed up around the world, CTWD has received pledges of support from supporters of various clubs.

In a statement, CTWD said the meeting concluded the heritage of British football clubs was valued by the Premier League as a fundamental element of its brand; that any material changes to that should be done in consultation with supporters and wider stakeholders in football; and that the Premier League was prepared to approach the FA to discuss these matters.

A spokesman for The Premier League said: “We met fan representatives from Hull City who expressed their concerns regarding the potential for a change in the name of the club. We explained the processes that would have to be undertaken before any such change could happen and committed to maintaining dialogue throughout.”