Hull FC is a professional rugby league football club formed in 1865 and based in Hull, England. They were one of the founder members of the Northern Union which was formed in 1895. Later that year they moved to the Hull Athletic Club's ground at The Boulevard, Airlie Street, which gave rise to their nickname "The Airlie Birds". Traditionally people from the west side of Hull supported Hull FC while Hull Kingston Rovers were supported by the east half, the 'border' usually being regarded as the River Hull. The club reverted to their former name of Hull FC in 1999, after Hull (then known as Hull Sharks) merged with Gateshead Thunder after both clubs ran into financial difficulties.
The club was formed by a group of ex-schoolboys from York, who had been at Rugby school, in 1865. The club immediately took on members who were plumbers and glaziers.
The club moved into the Hull Athletic Club at the Boulevard in 1895, and subsequently played their first ever match in September of that year. 8,000 people turned out to witness the first club's match in which Hull beat Liversedge.
The early years of the Northern Union saw Hull prosper, and their black and white irregular hooped jerseys became one of the most famous and feared strips in the league. Between 1908-10, Hull lost three consecutive Challenge Cup finals, and has in fact lost in more major finals than anyone else.
In 1913, they paid a world record £600, plus £14 per match, to Hunslet for Billy Batten, one of only seventeen players, and the only representative from Hull FC, 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. Playing alongside Billy on that day was John Harrison (VC), the only professional sportsman to win the Victoria Cross, the holder of the club record for most tries in a season. In 1920, Batten was once again key in Hull's first ever Championship final, scoring the only try in the 3-2 victory over Huddersfield.
The early-1920s were bittersweet years for the club. In 1921, Hull won the Yorkshire Cup but lost the county championship, both against rivals Hull Kingston Rovers. Hull couldn’t match the successes of 1914, losing a further two consecutive cup finals in 1922-23 to Rochdale Hornets and Leeds respectively, but they managed to win the Yorkshire Cup and finish top of the league.
In the early 1930s, Hull 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 song, Old Faithful at him. Hull supporters adopted the song as their battle cry from then on.
Hull's record attendence was set in 1936 when 28,798 turned up for the visit of Leeds for a third round Challenge cup match.
Post World War two
The 1952 Kangaroos visited the Boulevard on Monday 8th September. They had opened their tour with a victory at Keighley two days earlier, and they continued their winning run with a 28-0 victory over Hull.
In 1954, the black Welshman Roy Francis became the first black professional coach in any British team sport, when he coached Hull.
After the second world war, Hull won two Championship in three years, beating Halifax in 1956 and Workington Town in 1958. These two triumphs healed the wound of two successive Yorkshire Cupfinal defeats in 1955 and 1957. They lost in two further Challenge Cup finals to Wigan and Wakefield in 1959 and 1960. All these reverses, when one hand had been grasping so many trophies, gave Hull a steely resolve and a thirst for success.
With the coaching appointment of Arthur Bunting Hull FC began a period of dominance. Hull 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 KR 10-5 and have never won at Wembley since, 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, crushed by Widnes in the Premiership final, avenged the defeat with an 18-9 Challenge Cup replay win.
Hull eventually won the league in 1983 and also reached the Premiership final, the Challenge Cup final and the Yorkshire Cup final, but the latter trophy would be their only reward from the three finals. The signing of AustralianPeter Sterling, a 2006 inductee into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame, maintained Hull’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 final of 1985 by Wigan at Wembley Stadium with a score of 28 to 24 in Wigan's favour. A number of subsequent coaches, such as Brian Smith (1988-91) failed to deliver consistent success. Hull lost the Premiership final in 1989 to Widnes, but two years later returned to beat them at Old Trafford under coach Noel Cleal.
Super League era
When the Super League was formed, it was suggested that Hull should merge with Hull Kingston Rovers to form 'Humberside'. This was resisted but the club changed its name to Hull Sharks. It is unclear who came up with the 'Sharks' as a nickname but for a nautical city it was a fairly obvious choice.
File:Hull Sharks.jpgThe old 'Hull Sharks' logo
Hull FC finished below the cut-off point of 10th in the existing top flight and were excluded from the new Super League.
The club won promotion to the Super League until 1997. Hull and Gateshead Thunder merged at the end of 1999, after the owner of the two clubs could not afford to keep both afloat and Hull reverted to their original name, Gateshead later reforming as a new club but retaining the Thunder tag. Ex-St Helens and Gateshead Thunder coach Shaun McRae was at the helm from 2000 up to 2004.
After 107 years at the Boulevard, Hull moved in January 2003 to a £44m state-of-the-art council-owned Kingston Communications Stadium, more commonly known as the KC Stadium. They are joint tenants at the stadium alongside city's football team: the two teams have priority use at the stadium at the end of each sport's season, thus Hull FC receive priority during the early part of the football season, the situation being reversed at the early part of the rugby season. Shaun McRae left the club to return to Australia at the end of the 2004 season; he was replaced by former England coach John Kear, who had previously been McRae's deputy.
In his first season at the club, Kear led Hull to the Challenge Cup final for the first time since 1985. Hull defeated Leeds Rhinos 25-24 in a thrilling final at Cardiff'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 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 FC on 3 April2006 after a disappointing start to the season, which saw Hull FC lose 4 out of their first 7 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 Peter Sharp who was recruited from Parramatta Eels where he was assistant coach. Between 14 April – 15 July2006 Hull FC won 13 matches in succession, including a 27-26 defeat of the league leaders St Helens on the 8 June2006. The last time they beat St Helens on their ground was 18 years ago. This run ended in defeat at Harlequins RL on the 23 July2006. Hull 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 Bulls. Over 20,000 Hull FC 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 signed five players: Matt Sing (a prolific National Rugby League try-scorer and Australian representative), Hutch Maiava, Willie Manu, Danny Tickle and Wayne Godwin. Also, the Hull FC v Hull Kingston Rovers derbies are back 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, the 9 April2007 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 April 23Paul Cooke, stand-off, controversially resigned from Hull FC to join Hull Kingston Rovers. He played his first game for them on Friday April 27 against Huddersfield . On Saturday May 5 Cooke took to the field at the Millennium Stadium for the 200th all Hull derby against Hull FC.
Also, in early July 2007, Hull FC played their bitter rivals, Hull Kingston Rover at Craven Park in front of just over 9,000 people, where Hull FC overcame a good first half from Hull Kingston Rovers, and eventually came out 30-20 winners in the enemy's back yard.
Fastest ever try in both codes of rugby: 9 seconds by Lee Jackson for Hull FC in the Yorkshire Cup semi-final against the Sheffield Eagles at the Don Valley Stadium, 1992 This World Record still stands today
Only team to have won every single league game in a season: 1979 Division Two
Most consecutive Super League victories: 13 games, (April 142006 – July 152006, beating Huddersfield, Wakefield, Catalans, Wigan, Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, St Helens, Harlequins, Castleford, Catalans, Salford & Warrington).
Also made their first super league grand final but lost to St Helens in 2006
James Rule
Peter Sharp
