Birse Stadia, the construction company behind the Reebok Stadium in Bolton and the Madjeski stadium in Reading, is to build a £43.5m stadium in Hull.

The company was awarded the contract by Kingston upon Hull City Council for the 25,000-seat Hull Community Stadium, which will be located on the site of the old Anlaby Road cricket ground.

Andy Hurst, stadium director for Birse Construction, said the company was looking forward to the project: It's a magnificent project and Birse are delighted to be part of the team.

The stadium will be home to Hull City football club and the Hull FC rugby league team. Work is due to start in November and the target date for completion of the project is November 2002.