FANS of York City Knights are to hold a public meeting with council officials on Thursday - with supporters' chiefs saying it could be as vital as the famous 2002 crisis meeting that led to the rebirth of the club.

The community stadium - and the homeless rugby league club's uncertain involvement in it - is the one item on the agenda, and the Knights Independent Supporters' Society (KISS) are calling for a huge turnout.

The meeting will be at New Earswick Folk Hall, starting at 7.30pm.

A statement issued by KISS said: "The supporters have been approached by City of York Council and asked if we can organise an open meeting and forum with community stadium project manager Tim Atkins and other members of the council's community stadium team, regarding the future of York City Knights and the stadium.

"This will give fans a chance to ask questions about the new stadium facility and, importantly, where the Knights stand in all of this.

"Tim has assured us they will give us as much information as they possibly can, so us Knights supporters can assess the situation for ourselves.

"We cannot stress enough that this really is as vital a meeting as that which took place in 2002 in which we, the fans, assisted in the rebirth of professional rugby league in York."

The Knights are set to begin their season - which kicks off in under a fortnight - without a home, having left the council-owned Huntington Stadium so it can be redeveloped to house both them and York City only to then be evicted from the community stadium project entirely.

The council blamed club chairman John Guildford for the breakdown in talks, saying it will never work with him again, whereas Guildford says the terms offered left the club's future in doubt.

The council has also been criticised by some fans for keeping details confidential, although councillors have been briefed privately about the reasons for ejecting Guildford from the scheme.

A new board of directors has since been appointed with a view to reopening talks but any negotiations are still at a preliminary stage.

The Knights' season kicks off with a League Cup tie at London Skolars on Sunday, March 1, and this will be followed a week later by the Challenge Cup third round, the draw for which takes place tomorrow night.

It is not known what the club will do if they are handed a home draw. They have had to play their two pre-season friendlies so far outside of York, while a 'Probables v Possibles' game on Friday night will be staged at York RUFC's Clifton Park home, which does not meet League One criteria.

The KISS statement added: "Please do all you can to attend the meeting and get the word out there, especially to any former supporters who no longer attend for whatever reason.

"There will be an outstanding future for York City Knights at this new stadium. We just need to have our say."

KISS chairman Gary Hall - who organised the 2002 crisis meeting - said this Thursday's date came about following last week's ward meeting at New Earswick Sports Club, during which he had suggested through the chair that anyone interested in the community stadium could speak to council officials at the end.

He says that during those discussions he was "asked to facilitate a presentation of the community stadium".

KISS, whose primary objective is to raise money for the squad builder fund, has also recently begun looking into forming a supporters' trust with the aim of having a place on the club's board.