Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
club based in
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...
,
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...
, England. Hull play their home games at the
MKM Stadium and compete in
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
, the top tier of
British rugby league
Hull have won the
League Championship six times and
Challenge Cup
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
five times.
The clubs traditional home colours are white shirts with black hoops and black shorts. The city of Hull is split in two by the
River Hull with Hull F.C. representing the West side and cross city rivals
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
representing the East side.
History
Early years
The club was formed in 1865 by a group of ex-schoolboys from
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, most notably Anthony Bradley, who had been at
Rugby School. The founders used to meet at the Young Men's Fellowship, at
St Mary's Church, Lowgate. The vicar at that time was the Reverend Scott and his five sons made up the nucleus of the team. The club immediately took on members who were plumbers and glaziers. Soon another team, Hull White Star, was formed and the two clubs merged. Hull Football Club was one of the first clubs in the north of England to join the
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...
.
Hull F.C., then nicknamed the All Blacks, were one of the initial 22 clubs to form the
Northern Union after the
acrimonious split from the Rugby Football Union in 1895. The club moved from East Hull to the Hull Athletic Club at the Boulevard in 1895, and subsequently played their first ever match there in September of that year. 8,000 people turned out to witness the first club's match in which Hull F.C. beat
Liversedge RFC.
The Oxford-educated
Cyril Lemprière (1870–1939), who also played for
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
, was
captain of Hull during the
1895–96 and
1897–98 season.
The early years of the Northern Union saw Hull F.C. prosper, and their black and white irregular hooped jerseys, which they adopted in 1909, became one of the most famous and feared strips in the league. Between 1908 and 1910, Hull F.C. lost three consecutive
Challenge Cup
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
Finals. In the first; they failed to score against
Hunslet who would go on to win
All Four Cups
Winning All Four Cups referred to winning all four competitions available to a United Kingdom, British rugby league side in the top division between 1907 and 1970. The cups available to win were the Rugby Football League Championship First Divisi ...
whilst in the second they failed to score against
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...
. In the third final of 1910, they held
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
to a 7–7 draw at
Fartown,
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...
but were heavily beaten in the replay held two days later.

In 1913, they paid a world record £600, plus £14 per match, to Hunslet for
Billy Batten, one of only seventeen players, and the first representative from Hull F.C. so far inducted into the
British Rugby League Hall of Fame. A year later the Airlie Birds won their first Challenge Cup, beating Huddersfield in the semi-final and Wakefield Trinity in the final held in Halifax. Playing alongside Billy on that day was
John "Jack" Harrison VC, MC who scored a try. Harrison scored 52 tries in the 1914–5 season, a club record that still stands. Twelve Hull F.C. players were killed during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
Australian
Jim Devereux became the first player to score 100 tries for Hull.
In 1920, Batten was once again key in Hull F.C.'s first ever
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
Final, scoring the only try in the 3–2 victory over
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...
.
The early-1920s were bittersweet years for the club. In 1921, Hull F.C. lost the
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
County Cup but won the
county championship
The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...
, both against rivals
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
. Hull F.C. could not match the successes of 1914, losing a further two consecutive cup finals in 1922 and 23 to
Rochdale Hornets and Leeds respectively, but they managed to win the Yorkshire County Cup in 1923 and finish top of the league.
In the early 1930s, Hull F.C. had a full back and goal kicker called
Joe Oliver. Oliver was so dependable with the boot that the crowd at one match spontaneously started singing the
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...
song,
Old Faithful, at him. Hull F.C. supporters adopted the song as their battle cry from then on.
Hull F.C.'s record attendance was set in 1936 when 28,798 turned up for the visit of Leeds for a third round Challenge cup match.
Post-Second World War
The 1952 Kangaroos visited the Boulevard on Monday 8 September. They had opened their tour with a victory at
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...
two days earlier, and they continued their winning run with a 28–0 victory over Hull F.C..
In 1955, the black Welshman
Roy Francis became the first black professional coach in any British team sport, when he switched from playing on the wing to coaching Hull F.C..
Hull F.C. team won the
league championship in 1956 when
Colin Hutton kicked a last-minute penalty in the final against
Halifax at
Maine Road, Manchester. Hull F.C. won the play-offs again in 1958, against
Workington Town
Workington Town is a semi-professional rugby league club based in Workington, West Cumbria, England. The club plays home games at Derwent Park and competes in the RFL League One, League One, the third tier of British rugby league system, Briti ...
. They also won the European Club championship in 1957 and lost in the cup finals at Wembley in 1959 and 1960. These triumphs healed the wound of two successive
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
County Cup Final defeats in 1955 and 1957. They lost in two further Challenge Cup finals to
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
and
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...
in 1959 and 1960. All these reverses, when one hand had been grasping so many trophies, gave Hull F.C. a steely resolve and a thirst for success.
Johnny Whiteley became player coach in October 1963. When Roy Francis retired as Hull F.C. coach in 1965, Whiteley took over as coach. Hull F.C. lost to Wakefield Trinity 17–10 victory in the 1968 Rugby Football League Championship final at
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
on 4 May 1968. Whiteley resigned in 1970 to coach
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
.
Ivor Watts was then appointed coach from 1970 to 1971 of which Hull F.C. won 28 matches and lost 17.
With the coaching appointment of
Arthur Bunting in 1978, Hull F.C. began a period of dominance. Hull F.C. won all of their 26 Division Two matches in 1978–79, the only time a club has won all of its league matches in a season and returning to the top flight. The Airlie Birds lost the 1980 Challenge Cup final against Hull Kingston Rovers 10–5 and never won at Wembley until 2016. It was reputed that a makeshift sign was left on the A63 (the major westerly road out of Hull) that read "last one out turn the lights off!" due to most of the city travelling to Wembley for the final. In 1982, Hull F.C., crushed by
Widnes
Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400.
Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...
in the
Premiership Final, avenged the defeat with an 18–9 Challenge Cup replay win at
Elland Road
Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...
.

Hull F.C. eventually won the league in 1983 and also reached the Premiership final, the Challenge Cup final and the Yorkshire County Cup Final, but the latter trophy would be their only reward from the three finals. They lost to
Featherstone Rovers at Wembley in one of the great Challenge Cup final upsets and they also lost the Premiership final three years running.
The signing of Australian
Peter Sterling, a 2006 inductee into the
Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame, maintained HullF.C.’s strength, and Bunting's men went to their third successive Yorkshire Cup beating Hull KR 29–12, but were edged out in arguably the greatest ever
Challenge Cup
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
Final in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
by Wigan at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
with a score of 28 to 24 in Wigan's favour. The game was played in front 99,801 fans, the rugby league attendance record for Wembley. A number of subsequent coaches, such as
Brian Smith (1988–90) failed to deliver consistent success. Hull F.C. lost the Premiership final in 1989 to Widnes, but two years later returned to beat them 14–4 at
Old Trafford under coach
Noel Cleal.
Royce Simmons moved to England to coach Hull F.C. for two seasons from 1992 to 1994.
In June 1993, financial trouble forced Hull F.C. to put seven players on the transfer list and Royce Simmons ran five marathons to raise money to pay for players from Australia.
Summer era
In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inaugural
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
season and changed from a winter to a summer season.
As the sport in Britain entered a new era, controversy was sparked in the city of Hull when it was suggested that Hull F.C. should merge with
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
to form 'Humberside'. Hull F.C.'s shareholders gave the idea general approval but it was ultimately resisted. In February 1997, the club like many other rugby league clubs, re-branded as the ''Hull Sharks''. The newly rebranded team finished below the cut-off point of 10th in the existing top flight and so were excluded from the new Super League.
Phil Sigsworth joined the club in 1996 and coached them to the First Division championship title and promotion to Super League in 1997 but struggled to compete in the top division. Off-field issues in 1999 saw the club offered a merger with
Gateshead Thunder. Hull were offered £1.25 million as part of the agreement. At the start of the 2000 Super League season however, the club reverted to the name Hull F.C. and continued to play at The Boulevard without any acknowledgement towards Gateshead. A new
Gateshead Thunder would be formed for the
2001 Premiership season. Ex-
St. Helens coach
Shaun McRae who remained at the helm until 2004.
After 107 years at the
Boulevard, Hull F.C. moved in January 2003 to a £44 million state-of-the-art
council-owned Kingston Communications Stadium, more commonly known as the
KC Stadium and the rejuvenation of the club continued. Although they are joint tenants at the stadium alongside the city's football club Championship side
Hull City : the two teams sharing use of the stadium, Hull F.C. have been forced to play a cup match away at Doncaster to avoid two matches clashing. Shaun McRae left the club to return to Australia at the end of the 2004 season; he was replaced by former
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
coach
John Kear, who had previously been McRae's deputy.
In his first season at the club, Kear led Hull F.C. to the Rugby League
Challenge Cup
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
Final for the first time since 1985. Hull F.C. defeated
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
25–24 in a thrilling final at
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
's
Millennium Stadium to lift the trophy. Paul Cooke's 77th minute try, which was converted by Danny Brough gave Hull a 1-point lead, which they held onto after Hull F.C. captain Richard Swain charged down a drop-goal attempt from Leeds skipper
Kevin Sinfield in the dying seconds of the match.
John Kear left Hull F.C. on 3 April 2006 after a disappointing start to the season, which saw Hull F.C. lose four out of their first seven league games and also their defence of the Challenge Cup being ended at the first hurdle against the
Bradford Bulls in a 23–12 defeat, to be replaced by Australian
Peter Sharp who was recruited from
Parramatta Eels where he was assistant coach. Between 14 April – 15 July 2006 Hull F.C. won 13 matches in succession, including a 27–26 defeat of the league leaders St Helens on 8 June 2006. The last time they beat St Helens on their ground was 18 years ago. This run ended in defeat at
Harlequins RL on 23 July 2006. Hull F.C. managed to finish in second place, their highest league position in the Super League era. They lost to the league leaders St. Helens in the first Grand Final playoff game, but succeeded in reaching the final by defeating the reigning champions Bradford. Over 20,000 Hull F.C. fans travelled to
Old Trafford, but again they lost out to the Saints, this time by 26–4. The overall attendance broke the Grand Final record, mainly due to the stadium's recent expansion.
For the 2007 season, Hull F.C. signed five players:
Matt Sing (a prolific
National Rugby League try-scorer and
Australian representative), Hutch Maiava, Willie Manu, Danny Tickle and Wayne Godwin. The 'Hull Derby' also returned for the 2007 season due to Rovers' promotion from National League 1. The first of four of these derby matches was played on
Easter Monday, 9 April 2007, at the KC Stadium. The game was played in front of a
sell-out attendance of 23,002 and ended with a result for the Black and Whites who had been struggling early in the season. The final score was 22–14 with
Sid Domic crossing the line for the Airlie Birds in the final seconds.

On 23 April
Paul Cooke, stand-off, controversially resigned from Hull Football Club to join Hull Kingston Rovers. Cooke claimed he was out of contract as he had not signed the contract that the club had offered him. Following his departure, club chief executive David Plummer resigned. His replacement James Rule has come in for much criticism.
Hull F.C. have endured a poor 2008 season and on 19 May 2008 the club dismissed coach Peter Sharp. A week later they appointed his assistant
Richard Agar as his replacement. John Sharp has since been named as an addition to the Hull F.C. coaching staff. Hull F.C. finished a poor 11th in the League in 2008, falling far short of the fans expectations, although a Challenge cup final appearance and a successful franchise application ensured the season was not a complete failure. The club announced that Australian test forward
Michael Crocker will sign for the club on a three-year contract from the start of the 2008–09 season. Fullback
Chris Thorman has signed a one-year deal for 2009, after leaving
Huddersfield Giants
The Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Huddersfield play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league sy ...
. Matty Dale, Matt Sing and James Webster were released at the end of the season, with former Hull Kingston Rovers favourite Webster having only played one game.
In March 2009 Michael Crocker was denied a visa to come to England to play for Hull F.C.. Hull F.C. announced four big name signings for the 2010 SL season: Craig Fitzgibbon, Mark O'Meley, Sean Long, and Jordan Tansey (although Tansey arrived at the club towards the end of the 2009 season, having been released early from his contract at Sydney Roosters). Several long serving players left the club at the end of the forgettable 2009 season, including Paul King, Graeme Horne, and Gareth Raynor.
Super League XV started well with five wins from the first seven games, the two losses coming away against
Crusaders and Wigan Warriors. F.C. beat Hull K.R. 18–14 in the first derby of the year at Craven Park, but then followed a period of one win from five games, in which the team were convincingly knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Leeds. Hull F.C. finished the regular season in 6th place, however a convincing 21–4 home defeat by rivals Hull Kingston Rovers brought an early end to their playoff campaign.
On 22 July 2011 it was confirmed that Hull City's Head of Football Operations, Adam Pearson had purchased the entire shareholding of the club together with his close friend Mikey Drake and they had taken over full control from Kath Hetherington. In a statement on the club's website, it was also confirmed that James Rule would continue as chief executive.
Richard Agar left the club at the end of the 2011 season and was replaced by Australian
Peter Gentle. The 2012 season was a largely transitional one, with high player turnover and many injuries hampering the side's progress mid-season; however, the club finished a respectable 6th in the regular season. They went on to convincingly beat Huddersfield in the first round of play-off games but fell to defeat away at Warrington in the preliminary semi-finals.
For the 2013 season, Hull F.C. again finished 6th in the regular season and beat Catalans at home in the first round of the play-offs but were comprehensively beaten 76–18 by Huddersfield in the second round. Hull F.C. also reached the Challenge cup final for the first time in 5 years but were beaten 16–0 by Wigan. On 24 September 2013 Hull F.C. announced the departure of Peter Gentle with two years still remaining on his contract. It is thought the record loss to Huddersfield in the play-offs along with the poor performance at Wembley were the main factors behind his demise. The next day Hull F.C. announced that 34-year-old assistant
Lee Radford would become Head Coach from 2014 and Andy Last would step up to become Lee's assistant. Former player
Motu Tony became the new director of football, replacing outgoing director Shaun McRae.
In 2016, a promising beginning to the season was crushed with a 46–6 loss to Widnes. After the match, coach Lee Radford and his staff were asked to leave the changing room by the Hull F.C. squad. Following this initial defeat, Hull endured a 10-game winning streak and finished on top of the Super League table. Hull FC won at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
for the first time in the club's history, defeating Warrington in the
2016 Challenge Cup Final and defending their title in
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
by also defeating Wigan. Following the win at Wembley, Hull ended the 2016 season by finishing 3rd in the Super 8's; Hull later lost to Wigan in the semi-finals of the play offs.
In March 2020, Hull FC announced the departure of Lee Radford after a 38–4 home loss to
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England. They play home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league system, British rugby league.
Warringto ...
. It transpired to be Hull FC's final fixture before the nation was put into lockdown due to the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Assistant coach
Andy Last was put in interim charge of the club until the end of the
2020 season, guiding the team to the play-off semi-finals, where they were eventually upended by
Wigan Warriors
The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...
. Last departed the club at the end of the 2020 season to take up an assistant coach role at fellow Super League club
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...
.
In November 2020, Hull FC announced that
Brett Hodgson would take over as head coach of the club for the 2021 season. The Australian coach won his first game of the season against the club he once played for, Huddersfield Giants.
Hull FC played their first match in front of spectators following the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
lockdown on 17 May 2021. They were defeated 27–10 by
Catalans Dragons at home.
Hull F.C. started the
2021 Super League season
Super League XXVI, known as the 2021 Betfred Super League XXVI for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the Super League and 127th season of rugby league in Great Britain.
The 2021 season was originally scheduled to begin on 11 March 2021 ...
in strong fashion, only losing once in their opening seven games. However, the club ended the season winning only once in their last nine matches. This saw Hull F.C. finish the year in 8th place on the table.
Hull F.C. finished the 2022 Super League season in 9th place on the table. Head coach Brett Hodgson resigned from his post and was replaced by Tony Smith for the 2023 season.
Hull F.C. started the 2023 Super League season with two wins in a row under new head coach Tony Smith. However, the club would then record seven successive league defeats and sat second bottom of the table by round 10 of the competition. On 11 April 2024, Smith stepped down as head coach after 18 months in charge. Hull F.C. had started the 2024 Super League season poorly losing six of their first seven matches with their only victory coming in a last gasp effort against the
London Broncos. Under Smith, Hull F.C. in 2024 conceded 50 points or more on three occasions. The 2024 season saw the first time Hull FC lost 20 or more league fixtures since 1999.
Stadiums
1895–2002: The Boulevard
Hull F.C. moved into
The Boulevard shortly after the formation of the
Northern Rugby Football Union. Between 1904 and 1905 the ground was shared with
Hull City A.F.C. and speedway also took place during the 1940s, 1970s, and 1980s, and also had a greyhound track in 2007. The Boulevard also hosted many international rugby league games. Like a number of grounds at the time, the pitch at The Boulevard was surrounded by a
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...
track that was also later used for Greyhound racing.
2003 – present: MKM Stadium
In 2003 Hull F.C. moved into the
KC Stadium, renamed KCOM Stadium in 2016 and MKM Stadium in 2021, which they share with Hull City for a second time in their history. The record attendance for a rugby league ground was 23,004 in 2007 when they played local rivals
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
.
Kit sponsors and manufacturers
Rivalries
The club's main rivalry is with cross-city side
Hull KR
Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
in which they contest the
Hull Derby.
2025 squad
2025 transfers
Players
Hall of Fame inductees
The following players have been inducted into Hull F.C.'s Hall of Fame:
Bill Drake · Chris Davidson ·
Gary Kemble ·
Richard Horne ·
Greg Mackay ·
Ivor Watts ·
James Leuluai ·
Jim Drake · Keith Boxall ·
Mick Crane ·
Paul Prendiville ·
Richard Swain ·
Tevita Vaikona ·
Trevor Skerrett ·
Billy Batten · Jim Kennedy ·
Joe Oliver ·
Clive Sullivan ·
Peter Sterling ·
Garry Schofield ·
Mick Scott ·
Arthur Keegan ·
Tommy Harris ·
Paul Eastwood · Phil Bell
Captains
*1895 to 1896 –
Cyril Lempriere
*1896 to 1897 –
Charlie Townend
*1897 to 1898 –
Cyril Lempriere
*1898 to 1900 –
Herbert Wiles
*1900 to 1901 –
Jack Townend
*1901 to 1902 – Tom Stitt
*1902 to 1904 –
Harry Taylor
*1904 to 1905 – Jack Ritson
*1905 to 1906 – James Harrison
*1906 to 1907 – A. E. Freer
*1907 to 1909 –
Harry Taylor
*1909 to 1910 – Billie Anderson/Billy Anderson
*1910 to 1912 – George Connell
*1912 to 1913 – Ed Rogers,
Billie Anderson/Billy Anderson,
Herb Gilbert
*1913 to 1915 –
Herb Gilbert
*1915 to 1919 –
Billy Batten
*1919 to 1921 – Jim Kennedy
*1921 to 1922 – Jim Kennedy,
Billy Stone
*1922 to 1923 –
Billy Stone
*1923 to 1924 –
Edgar Morgan
*1924 to 1925 – Jim Kennedy
*1925 to 1928 –
Eddie Caswell
*1928 to 1930 –
Harold Bowman
*1930 to 1931 –
Joe Oliver
*1931 to 1933 – George Bateman
*1933 to 1936 –
Joe Oliver
*1936 to 1939 –
Harold Ellerington
*1939 to 1945 – No fixed captain
*1945 to 1946 –
Charlie Booth
*1946 to 1947 –
Freddie Miller
*1947 to 1948 – Ernie Lawrence
*1948 to 1949 –
George Watt
*1949 to 1950 – Ernie Lawrence
*1950 to 1955 –
Roy Francis
*1955 to 1957 –
Mick Scott
*1957 to 1965 –
Johnny Whiteley(
Bill Drake deputy 1962...63)
*1965 to 1971 –
Arthur Keegan
*1971 to 1974 –
Clive Sullivan
*1974 to 1975 – Chris Davidson
*1975 to 1978 – Brian Hancock
[Brian Hancock – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project](_blank)
/ref>
*1978 to 1980 – Vince Farrar
*1980 to 1981 – Steve Norton, Charlie Stone
*1981 to 1985 – David Topliss
*1985 to 1987 – Lee Crooks
*1987 to 1990 – Dane O'Hara
*1990 to 1992 – Greg Mackey
*1992 to 1994 – Russ Walker
*1994 to 1996 – Steve McNamara
*1996 – Gary Divorty
*1997 – Andy Fisher
*1998 – Alan Hunte, Gary Lester[Gary Lester – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project](_blank)
/ref>
*1999 – Karl Harrison
*2000 to 2001 – Tony Grimaldi
*2002 to 2004 – Jason Smith
*2005 to 2006 – Richard Swain
*2007 to 2009 – Lee Radford
*2010 – Sean Long
*2011 – Craig Fitzgibbon
*2012 – Andy Lynch
*2013 to 2017 – Gareth Ellis
*2018 to present – Danny Houghton
Past coaches
Also see '' :Hull F.C. coaches.''
* J. Gray 1895–1900
* W. Wright, C. Hunter 1900–3
* H. Coates 1903 to 1908
* J. Lewis 1908–12
* Harry Taylor
* Sid Melville 1912–27
* Edgar Wrigley 1927–31
* Edward Caswell 1931–46
* Ted Tattersfield 1946–9
* Roy Francis 1949–63
* John Whiteley 1963–70
* Ivor Watts 1970–71
* David Doyle-Davidson 1972–73
* Clive Sullivan 1973–74
* David Doyle-Davidson 1974–77
* Arthur Bunting 1978–85
* Len Casey 1986–88
* Tony Dean & Keith Hepworth 1988
* Brian Smith 1988–90
* Noel Cleal 1991–92
* Royce Simmons 1992–94
* Tony Gordon 1994
* Phil Windley & Russ Walker 1994–95
* Phil Windley 1995
* Phil Sigsworth 1996–97
* Peter Walsh 1997–99
* Steve Crooks 1999
* Shaun McRae 2000–04
* John Kear 2005–06
* Peter Sharp 2006–08
* Richard Agar 2008–11
* Peter Gentle 2012–13
* Lee Radford 2014–20
* Andy Last 2020
* Brett Hodgson 2021–22
* Tony Smith 2023–24
Seasons
Super League era
Honours
Major titles
Other titles
Records
Player records
*Most tries in a match: 7 by Clive Sullivan vs Doncaster
Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
, 15 April 1968
*Most goals in a match: 14 by Jim Kennedy vs Rochdale Hornets- 7 April 1921, Sammy Lloyd v Oldham
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
– 10 September 1978, Matt Crowther v Sheffield Eagles – 2 March 2003
*Most points in a match: 36 by Jim Kennedy vs Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...
, 29 January 1921
*Most tries in a season: 52 by Jack Harrison, 1914–15
*Most goals in a season: 170 by Sammy Lloyd, 1978–79
*Most points in a season: 369 by Sammy Lloyd, 1978–79
*Consecutive Tries: 11 by Jack Harrison, 1914–15 & Richard Horne, 2006
Career records
* Most goals: 687 – Joe Oliver 1928–37 & 1943–45
* Most tries: 250 – Clive Sullivan 1961–74 & 1981–85
* Most points: 1,842 – Joe Oliver 1928–37 & 1943–45
* Most appearances: 501 – Edward Rogers 1906–25
Team records
*Highest score: 88–0 vs Sheffield Eagles, 2 March 2003
*Highest against: 80–10 vs Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England. They play home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league system, British rugby league.
Warringto ...
, 30 August 2018
*Highest losing margin: 71 points (71–0) vs Bradford Bulls, 1 October 2005
*Highest attendance (The Boulevard): 28,798 vs Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, 7 March 1936
*Highest attendance (KC Stadium): 23,004 vs Hull KR
Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
, 2 September 2007
*Highest attendance (Challenge Cup
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
): 99,801 vs Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
, 4 May 1985 ( 1985 Challenge Cup Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
)
*Highest attendance vs an international touring team: 16,616 vs Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, 23 September 1948 ( 1948–49 Kangaroo tour)
*Only team to have won every single league game in a season: 1979 Division Two
*Most consecutive Super League victories: 13 games, (14 April 2006 – 15 July 2006, beating Huddersfield, Wakefield, Catalans, Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
, Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, St Helens, Harlequins, Castleford, Catalans, Salford & Warrington).
*Most consecutive Super League Losses: 13 Games, (5 May 2018 – 7 February 2019, Losing to Huddersfield, St Helens, Wakefield, Hull KR, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Warrington, Castleford, St Helens, Catalans, Wigan, Hull KR & Castleford)
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull FC
Rugby clubs established in 1865
Super League teams
Sport in Kingston upon Hull
1865 establishments in England
Founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union
Rugby league teams in England