Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull, Hull F.C., the All Blacks, or the Airlie Birds, is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. 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 representing the east side.
Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club's traditional home colours are white shirts with black hoops and black shorts.
Hull have won the League Championship six times and the Challenge Cup five times.
Contents
History
Founding
The club was first founded in 1865 by a group of ex-schoolboys from York, most notably Anthony Bradley, who had been at Rugby School. They met at the Young Men's Fellowship of St Mary's Church, Lowgate, where Reverend Scott was the vicar and whose five sons made up the nucleus of the team, together with a number of plumber and glazier recruits. Another team, Hull White Star, was soon formed, and when the two clubs merged the resulting Hull Football Club, nicknamed both the "All Blacks" and the "Airlie Birds", was one of the first clubs in the north of England to join the Rugby Football Union.
The early years
After an acrimonious split from the Rugby Football Union in 1895, Hull F.C. were one of the initial 22 clubs who formed the Northern Union. That same year the club moved from East Hull to the Hull Athletic Club at the Boulevard, and in September 1895 8,000 people turned out to witness Hull F.C.'s first match there in which they beat Liversedge RFC. The Oxford-educated Cyril Lemprière (1870–1939), who also played for Yorkshire, was captain of Hull during the 1895–96 and 1897–98 seasons.
The early years of the Northern Union saw Hull F.C. prosper, and the black and white irregular hooped jerseys which they adopted in 1909 became one of the most famous and feared strips in the league. But between 1908 and 1910, Hull F.C. lost three consecutive Challenge Cup Finals: in the first they failed to score against Hunslet who would go on to win All Four Cups; in the second they failed to score against Wakefield Trinity; and in the third final in 1910 they held Leeds to a 7–7 draw at Fartown, Huddersfield but were heavily beaten in the replay held two days later.
World War I and after
In 1913 the club paid Hunslet F.C. a then-world record of £600, plus £14 per match, for Billy Batten, the first representative from Hull F.C. so far inducted into the 17-member British Rugby League Hall of Fame. With Billy Batten on board, the club won their first Challenge Cup in 1914, beating Huddersfield in the semi-final and Wakefield Trinity in the final held in Halifax. Playing alongside Billy Batten on the day of the final was John "Jack" Harrison VC, MC who scored a try, one of 52 he scored in the 1914–5 season alone, a club record that still stands. Australian Jim Devereux became the first player to score 100 career tries for Hull, but on the other side of the ledger, 12 Hull F.C. players were killed during the First World War.
In 1920, Billy Batten was once again key in Hull F.C.'s first ever Championship Final, scoring the only try in their 3–2 victory over Huddersfield. But the rest of the early 1920s were bittersweet years for the club, with Hull F.C. not able to match the successes of 1914. In 1921, the club lost the Yorkshire County Cup but won the county championship, both against cross-city rivals Hull Kingston Rovers, before losing a further two consecutive cup finals in 1922 and 1923 to Rochdale Hornets and Leeds respectively. However, Hull F.C. 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 who was so dependable with the boot that the crowd at one match spontaneously started singing the Gene Autry song Old Faithful to 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 a visit by Leeds for a third round Challenge Cup match.
The post-World War II years
On Monday 8 September 1952, the Australian "Kangaroos" played Hull F.C. at the Boulevard. They had opened their tour of the U.K. with a victory at Keighley two days earlier, and they continued their winning run with a 28–0 victory over Hull.
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..
In 1956, Hull F.C. won the league championship 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, and also won the European Club championship in 1957. These triumphs helped heal the wounds of two successive Yorkshire County Cup Final defeats in 1955 and 1957, with the club losing two further Challenge Cup finals in 1959 and 1960 to Wigan and Wakefield Trinity, as well as losing the cup finals at Wembley Stadium in 1959 and 1960. After having previously grasped so many trophies, all these reverses gave Hull F.C. a steely resolve and a thirst for success.
Johnny Whiteley became a player coach in October 1963, and when Roy Francis retired as Hull F.C. coach in 1965 Whiteley took over. Hull F.C. lost to Wakefield Trinity 17–10 in the 1968 Rugby Football League Championship final at Headingley on 4 May 1968, and Whiteley resigned in 1970 to coach Hull Kingston Rovers. Ivor Watts was then appointed coach from 1970 to 1971, during which time Hull F.C. won 28 matches and lost 17.
With the appointment of Arthur Bunting as coach in 1978, Hull F.C. began a period of dominance, returning to the top flight by winning 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. The club lost the 1980 Challenge Cup final against Hull Kingston Rovers 10–5 and had to wait until 2016 to win at Wembley. It was reputed that on the day of the final 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 game. In 1982, Hull F.C. was crushed by Widnes in the Premiership Final, but avenged the defeat with an 18–9 Challenge Cup replay win at Elland Road.
The summer season era
In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inaugural Super League season and changed from a winter to a summer season. As the sport entered a new era in Britain, controversy was sparked in the city of Hull when it was suggested that Hull F.C. should merge with Hull Kingston Rovers to form "Humberside". Hull F.C.'s shareholders gave the idea general approval but it was ultimately rejected. Like many other rugby league clubs, the club instead re-branded, becoming the "Hull Sharks". But 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 the team struggled to compete in the top division. Off-field issues in 1999 saw the club offered a merger with Gateshead Thunder, including being offered £1.25 million as part of the agreement. However, the club reverted to the name Hull F.C. at the start of the 2000 Super League season and continued to play at The Boulevard without any acknowledgement of Gateshead. A new Gateshead Thunder was formed for the 2001 Premiership season, with ex-St. Helens coach Shaun McRae at the helm until 2004.
In January 2003, after 107 years at the Boulevard, Hull F.C. moved to the £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 were joint tenants at the stadium alongside the city's championship football club side Hull City A.F.C., the two teams shared use of the stadium, forcing Hull F.C. 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 and was replaced by McRae's deputy and former England coach John Kear. In his first season at the club, Kear led Hull F.C. to the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final for the first time since 1985, defeating Leeds 25–24 in a thrilling final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Paul Cooke's 77th minute try was converted by Danny Brough to give 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, seeing Hull F.C. lose four out of their first seven league games as well as their defence of the Challenge Cup ending at the first hurdle when beaten by the Bradford Bulls 23–12.
Stadiums
1895–2002: The Boulevard
Hull F.C. moved into The Boulevard shortly after the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, and between 1904 and 1905 the ground was shared with Hull City A.F.C.. The Boulevard also hosted many international rugby league games, and like a number of grounds during the 1940s, 1970s, and 1980s, the pitch at The Boulevard was surrounded by a Motorcycle speedway track that was also later used for greyhound racing.
2003–present: MKM Stadium
Hull F.C. moved into the KC Stadium in 2003, renamed KCOM Stadium in 2016 and MKM Stadium in 2021, which they share with Hull City A.F.C. for a second time in their history. The record attendance for a rugby league ground was at KCOM Stadium in 2007, when 23,004 spectators watched the club play local rivals Hull Kingston Rovers.
Rivalries
The club's main rivalry is with cross-city side Hull KR in which they contest the Hull Derby.
2026 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
Past coaches
Also see Category:Hull F.C. coaches.
Seasons
Records
Player records
Most tries in a match: 7 by Clive Sullivan vs Doncaster, 15 April 1968
Most goals in a match: 14 by Jim Kennedy vs Rochdale Hornets- 7 April 1921, Sammy Lloyd v Oldham – 10 September 1978, Matt Crowther v Sheffield Eagles – 2 March 2003
Most points in a match: 36 by Jim Kennedy vs Keighley, 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, 30 August 2018
Highest losing margin: 71 points (71–0) vs Bradford Bulls, 1 October 2005
Highest attendance (The Boulevard): 28,798 vs Leeds, 7 March 1936
Highest attendance (KC Stadium): 23,004 vs Hull KR, 2 September 2007
Highest attendance (Challenge Cup): 99,801 vs Wigan, 4 May 1985 (1985 Challenge Cup Final)
Highest attendance vs an international touring team: 16,616 vs Australia, 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, 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)
Other teams
In addition to the men's team, a number of other teams compete under the Hull F.C. brand, including academy, wheelchair, women's, and several youth teams. In 2020 a Learning Disability Rugby League (LDRL) team was founded. Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) and Masters teams were established in 2022.
Women's team
Hull F.C. began developing their women's team through a partnership with local school Sirius Academy, which worked with the Hull F.C. Community Foundation to establish teams playing at the under-14s and under-16s level using the Hull F.C. brand. In April 2018, the Hull team made their début in the RFL Women's Championship. A month later they recorded their first competitive win, defeating Oulton Raidettes 26–22 in the preliminary round of the 2018 Women's Challenge Cup, and at the end of the season they competed in the play-off semi-finals.
In 2020 the Hull women's team was drawn against local rivals Hull Kingston Rovers in the Challenge Cup. However, the season was cancelled and the first women's Hull derby match did not take place until the quarter-finals of the 2022 League Cup. The team continued to compete in the Championship until the restructuring of the league pyramid saw them drop down to League 1.
In the 2024 season they won the League 1 Grand Final 26–18 against Fryston Warriors and returned to the Championship in the 2025 season.
Wheelchair team
The Hull F.C. wheelchair team was established in 2013. The team competed in the National League in the 2015 season, and in the North League in 2017. In the 2019 season they reached the final of the Wheelchair Challenge Trophy and won the Championship Grand Final to earn promotion to the RFL Wheelchair Super League. In the Challenge Cup, the Hull F.C. wheelchair team has competed at the quarter-finals stage several times when it has been played as a knockout tournament. When a round-robin format was used, their best result was a third-place finish in 2023.