Hull City A.F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hull City

Full name	Hull City Association Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Tigers
Founded	1904; 121 years ago (1904)
Ground	MKM Stadium
Ground Capacity	25,586
Owner	Acun Medya
Chairman	Acun Ilıcalı
Head Coach	Tim Walter
League	Championship
2018–19	Championship, 13th of 24
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football team from Kingston upon Hull, England. They are often called The Tigers because of their black and amber striped kits. Hull City plays their home games at the MKM Stadium. They compete in the Championship, which is the second highest league in English football.

The club was started in 1904 and joined the Football League a year later. Hull City has moved between different leagues over the years. They reached the Premier League for the first time in 2008. In 2014, they played in their first ever FA Cup final, but lost to Arsenal. The team has also played in European competitions.

Hull City's Story

Hull City Association Football Club was founded on 28 June 1904. It was a bit tricky to start a football club in Hull because rugby league was already very popular.

Early Days and Challenges (1904–1945)

Hull City couldn't join the Football League right away in 1904. So, they played friendly matches instead. Their first game was a 2–2 draw against Notts County on 1 September 1904. About 6,000 fans watched this match. These early games were played at the Boulevard, which was a rugby ground.

In 1905, Hull City was finally allowed to join the Football League Second Division. They played against famous teams like Manchester United and Chelsea. Their first league game was a 4–1 win against Barnsley. They finished their first season in a good 5th place.

In March 1906, Hull City got its own permanent home ground called Anlaby Road. The team almost got promoted in the 1909–10 season. They finished with the same points as Oldham Athletic, but missed out on promotion by a tiny difference in goals.

After World War I, Hull City struggled and were relegated to the Third Division North in 1930. However, they had a great run in the FA Cup that same year. They reached the semi-finals, beating teams like Manchester City and Newcastle United. They eventually lost to Arsenal after a replay.

Hull City squad in 1936

Hull City won their first league title in the 1932–33 season. They were managed by Haydn Green. A player named Bill McNaughton scored 39 goals that season, which was the most in the league.

Moving Grounds and Promotions (1945–1985)

After World War II, the club moved to a new stadium called Boothferry Park. In the 1948–49 season, under player-manager Raich Carter, Hull won promotion from the Third Division North.

Hull City often moved between the second and third leagues. They won promotions again in 1958–59 and 1965–66. The 1966 team, managed by Cliff Britton, is remembered as one of the best. It included players like Jock Davidson and Chris Chilton.

In the early 1980s, Hull City faced money problems and dropped to the Fourth Division. A new chairman, Don Robinson, and manager, Colin Appleton, helped the club. They were promoted to the Third Division in 1983. The team had young talents like future England international Brian Marwood and future England manager Steve McClaren.

In 1983, fans Henry Priestman and Mark Herman released a song called "The Tigers are Back". This song helped raise money for the players' wages when the club was struggling.

Challenges and Comebacks (1985–2008)

Hull City stayed in the Second Division for six years before being relegated in 1991 and again in 1996. The club faced more financial difficulties, and important players had to be sold.

In 1997, former tennis player David Lloyd bought the club. Later, in 1998, he sold it to a new group, but he still owned Boothferry Park. The team struggled and almost dropped out of the Football League entirely. Fans called the 1998–99 season "The Great Escape" because the team managed to avoid relegation.

Despite more money troubles, Hull City reached the play-offs in 2001 but lost in the semi-finals. A new chairman, Adam Pearson, took over and helped solve the club's money problems.

Chart showing the progress of Hull City's league finishes since the 1905–06 season

In 2002, Hull City moved to their new home, the KC Stadium, after 56 years at Boothferry Park. The club then achieved back-to-back promotions in 2004 and 2005, moving from the Third Division to the Championship.

In 2008, Hull City had a fantastic season. They finished third in the Championship and entered the play-offs. They beat Watford in the semi-finals. Then, on 24 May 2008, they won the play-off final 1–0 against Bristol City at Wembley Stadium. This win meant Hull City reached the Premier League for the very first time! Dean Windass, a player from Hull, scored the winning goal.

Wembley Stadium before the Championship play-off final against Bristol City

Phil Brown and players celebrate on promotion to the Premier League in 2008

Premier League and FA Cup Final (2008–2016)

Hull City started their first Premier League season in 2008–09 very well. They beat Fulham 2–1 in their first game. They even won away at big clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. For a short time, they were joint-top of the league! Their form dipped later, but they managed to stay in the Premier League on the last day of the season.

After two seasons, Hull City was relegated in 2010. However, they were promoted back to the Premier League in 2013 under manager Steve Bruce.

The 2013–14 season was very special. Hull City reached their first ever FA Cup Final! They played against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on 17 May 2014. Hull City surprised everyone by scoring two quick goals to lead 2–0. But Arsenal fought back and won 3–2 in extra-time. Even though they lost, Hull City earned a spot in the Europa League because Arsenal had already qualified for the Champions League. This was the first time Hull City played in a major European competition.

The starting line-ups for the 2014 FA Cup Final

In the Europa League, Hull City drew 0–0 away to Slovakian team AS Trenčín and won the home leg 2–1. They then played against Belgian club K.S.C. Lokeren. They lost the first leg 1–0 and won the second leg 2–1, but were knocked out on the away goals rule.

Hull City was relegated from the Premier League again in 2015. But they bounced straight back up in 2016 by winning the Championship play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday.

Recent Years and New Owners (2016–Present)

After promotion in 2016, manager Steve Bruce left the club. Fans were also unhappy with the club's owners, the Allam family, partly because of a suggestion to change the club's name to Hull Tigers.

Hull City 2–1 Leicester City, 2016

Hull City was relegated from the Premier League again in 2017 and then dropped to the third tier (League One) in 2020. However, they quickly won promotion back to the Championship in the 2020–21 season, winning the League One title. This was their first league title in 55 years!

On 19 January 2022, Turkish businessman Acun Ilıcalı and his company Acun Medya bought Hull City. This ended the Allam family's 11-year ownership. The new ownership brought new energy to the club.

Club Identity

Colours and Crest

Club crest 1979 – 1998

Club crest 1998 – 2014

Club crest 2014 – 2019

For most of their history, Hull City has worn black and amber shirts with black shorts. These colours are why they are nicknamed The Tigers. In their very first match in 1904, they wore white shirts. Later, they used black and amber striped shirts until World War II.

After World War II, they briefly wore sky blue shirts before returning to plain amber. In the 1960s, they went back to stripes. Sometimes, red was added to the kits in the late 1980s. Some kits from the early 1990s had a "tiger skin" design, which some people found unusual!

Hull City has had different club crests (badges) over the years. The first shirt crest in 1935 showed the three crowns symbol of Kingston upon Hull. Later, a tiger's head became the main feature of the crest. The current crest, introduced in 2019, features a tiger's head and the club's name.

Kit Manufacturers and Sponsors

1904 home colours

1935 home colours

1946 home colours

Home colours worn throughout much of the 20th century

Hull City's kits are made by different companies, and they have sponsors whose names appear on the shirts. Here's a list of some of them:

Stadiums

MKM Stadium

Hull City started playing at a rugby ground called the Boulevard. Then, they briefly moved to a cricket ground called the Circle. In 1906, they got their first permanent home, Anlaby Road, where they played until 1939.

After World War II, Hull City moved to the newly built Boothferry Park in 1946. This stadium was their home for 56 years. A special train station, Boothferry Halt, even opened in 1951 for fans going to games.

In December 2002, Hull City moved to the modern KC Stadium. This stadium is also shared with the rugby league team, Hull F.C.. The stadium has won awards for being a great ground. Its name changed to KCOM Stadium in 2016 and then to MKM Stadium in 2021 because of new sponsors.

Rivalries

Hull City supporters celebrating promotion in 2008

Hull City supporters before the 2014 FA Cup Final against Arsenal

Hull City doesn't have one very strong rival like some other football clubs. They play in the Humber Derby against Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United. However, these teams are from a different county and often see each other as their main rivals.

Many Hull fans consider Leeds United to be their main rival. But Leeds United has other strong rivalries too. Hull City also has a smaller rivalry with Sheffield United. This rivalry goes back to 1984 when Sheffield United got promoted instead of Hull City by a very small margin of goals.

Name Change Attempt

In 2013, the club's owner, Assem Allam, wanted to change the club's name to "Hull Tigers." He thought a shorter name would be better for marketing. He also said he didn't like the word "City" because it was too "common."

Many supporters were against this name change. They marched in protest and held banners saying, "Hull City AFC: a club not a brand." The owner said that fans could "die as soon as they want, as long as they leave the club for the majority who just want to watch good football." This made fans even more upset.

In 2014, the Football Association (FA) officially rejected the name change after talking to fan groups. The owner tried to appeal this decision but was unsuccessful. He later said he would not invest more money in the club unless the name change was allowed.

Players

Current Squad

Here are the players currently in Hull City's first team squad:

No. Position Player 1 GK Ivor Pandur 2 DF Lewie Coyle (captain) 3 DF Ryan Giles 4 DF Charlie Hughes 5 DF Alfie Jones 6 DF Sean McLoughlin 7 FW Liam Millar 8 MF Marvin Mehlem 9 FW Chris Bedia (on loan from Union Berlin) 10 MF Abdülkadir Ömür 11 FW Doğukan Sinik 12 FW João Pedro 14 MF Harry Vaughan 16 FW Ryan Longman 17 DF Finley Burns (on loan from Manchester City) 18 MF Xavier Simons 19 MF Steven Alzate 20 MF Gustavo Puerta (on loan from Bayer Leverkusen) 22 GK Carl Rushworth (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion)

No. Position Player 23 DF Cody Drameh 25 MF Óscar Zambrano (on loan from L.D.U. Quito) 26 DF Andy Smith 27 MF Regan Slater 29 DF Matty Jacob 31 GK Anthony Racioppi 32 GK Thimothée Lo-Tutala 33 FW Mohamed Belloumi 34 GK Harvey Cartwright 36 FW Will Jarvis 40 GK Owen Foster 41 FW Tyrell Sellars-Fleming 42 MF Rocco Coyle 43 DF Stan Ashbee 44 FW Abu Kamara 45 MF Kasey Palmer 47 MF Nathan Tinsdale 48 FW Mason Burstow 55 DF Jevon Mills

Players on Loan

These players are still part of Hull City but are playing for other teams for a while:

No. Position Player 21 DF Brandon Fleming (at Doncaster Rovers) 28 MF Callum Jones (at Morecambe) 35 DF Kyle Fanning (at Liversedge) 38 FW Sincere Hall (at Liversedge) 39 DF Alfie Taylor (at Grimsby Borough) 49 DF Paul Iggulden (at Stocksbridge Park Steels)

No. Position Player 50 FW Henry Sandat (at Wealdstone) 54 FW Jaedyn Chibanga (at Grimsby Borough) – MF Yuriel Celi (at Universitario) – DF James Furlong (at AFC Wimbledon)

Under-21s and Under-18s

Hull City also has younger teams, like the Under-21s and Under-18s. These teams help develop future football stars. The Under-21s play in the Professional Development League North Division. Their home games are often at the LNER Community Stadium in York.

Captains Through the Years

The captain is a very important player who leads the team. Here are the official captains of Hull City since 2002:

Name Nat Tenure Ref Ian Ashbee August 2002 – January 2011 Andy Dawson January 2011 – July 2011 Jack Hobbs August 2011 – July 2012 Robert Koren July 2012 – May 2014 Curtis Davies July 2014 – July 2015 Michael Dawson August 2015 – July 2018 Markus Henriksen August 2018 – July 2019 Eric Lichaj July 2019 – June 2020 Jordy de Wijs June 2020 – August 2020 Richie Smallwood August 2020 – June 2022 Lewie Coyle July 2022 – Present

Player of the Year Award

Each season, fans vote for their best player. Here are some of the recent winners:

Robert Koren, Player of the Year for the 2011–12 season		Jarrod Bowen, Player of the Year for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons
Curtis Davies, Player of the Year for the 2013–14 season		Sam Clucas, Player of the Year for the 2016–17 season

Here is a list of all the Player of the Year winners since the 1998–99 season:

Winner Nat Season Ref Justin Whittle 1998–99 Mark Greaves 1999–00 Ian Goodison 2000–01 Gary Alexander 2001–02 Stuart Elliott 2002–03 Damien Delaney 2003–04 Stuart Elliott 2004–05 Boaz Myhill 2005–06 Andy Dawson 2006–07 Michael Turner 2007–08 Michael Turner 2008–09 Stephen Hunt 2009–10 Anthony Gerrard 2010–11 Robert Koren 2011–12 Ahmed Elmohamady 2012–13 Curtis Davies 2013–14 Michael Dawson 2014–15 Abel Hernández 2015–16 Sam Clucas 2016–17 Jarrod Bowen 2017–18 Jarrod Bowen 2018–19 N/A – 2019–20 – George Honeyman 2020–21 Keane Lewis-Potter 2021–22 Alfie Jones 2022–23 Jacob Greaves 2023–24

Hall of Fame

Hull City has a Hall of Fame to celebrate its most famous players and figures. It was created in 2017.

Ian Ashbee, Hall of Fame inductee in 2018

Dean Windass, Hall of Fame inductee in 2020

Andy Dawson, Hall of Fame inductee in 2022

Here are some of the people in the Hull City Hall of Fame:

Inductee Nat Year Ref Ian Ashbee 2018 Billy Bly 2018 Chris Chilton 2018 Jock Davidson 2018 Ken Wagstaff 2018 Peter Skipper 2019 Dean Windass 2020 Garreth Roberts 2021 Andy Dawson 2022 Nick Barmby 2023 Raich Carter 2024

Hull City Ladies F.C.

There is also a women's football team called Hull City Ladies F.C. They are not officially part of the men's club, but they play in the same colours and have a similar name and crest. They are known as The Tigresses.

Management

Board and Coaching Staff

Here are some of the key people who manage Hull City:

Position	Name
Chairman	Acun Ilıcalı
Vice Chairman	Vacant
Head Coach	Tim Walter
Assistant Head Coach	Filip Tapalović
Assistant Head Coach	Julian Hübner
First Team Head Coach	Andy Dawson
Goalkeeping Head Coach	Erbil Bozkurt
Coach Analyst	Vacant
Head of Performance Strategy	Beri Pardo
Head of Recruitment	Jared Dublin
Kitman	John Eyre
Head of Medicine and Performance	Andrew Balderston
First Team Strength and Conditioning Coach	Matt Busby
First Team Physiotherapist	Stuart Leake
Academy Manager	Richard Naylor
Youth Team Physiotherapist	Duncan Robson

Managerial History

Here is a list of all the managers who have led Hull City in competitive matches:

Name	Nat	Tenure	Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
James Ramster		August 1904 – April 1905	0	0	0	0	00.00
Ambrose Langley		April 1905 – April 1913	318	143	67	108	44.96
Harry Chapman		April 1913 – September 1914	45	20	10	15	44.44
Fred Stringer		September 1914 – July 1916	43	22	6	15	51.16
David Menzies		July 1916 – June 1921	90	31	27	32	34.44
Percy Lewis		July 1921 – January 1923	71	27	18	26	38.02
Billy McCracken		February 1923 – May 1931	375	134	104	137	35.73
Haydn Green		May 1931 – March 1934	123	61	24	38	49.59
Jack Hill		March 1934 – January 1936	77	24	15	38	31.16
David Menzies		February 1936 – October 1936	24	5	8	11	20.83
Ernest Blackburn		December 1936 – January 1946	117	50	31	36	42.73
Frank Buckley		May 1946 – March 1948	80	33	19	28	41.25
Raich Carter		March 1948 – September 1951	157	74	41	42	47.13
Bob Jackson		June 1952 – March 1955	123	42	26	55	34.14
Bob Brocklebank		March 1955 – May 1961	302	113	71	118	37.41
Cliff Britton		July 1961 – November 1969	406	170	101	135	41.87
Terry Neill		June 1970 – September 1974	174	61	55	58	35.05
John Kaye		September 1974 – October 1977	126	40	40	46	31.74
Bobby Collins		October 1977 – February 1978	19	4	7	8	21.05
Wilf McGuinness		February 1978 – April 1978	9	1	4	5	11.11
Ken Houghton		April 1978 – December 1979	72	23	22	27	31.94
Mike Smith		December 1979 – March 1982	117	30	37	50	25.64
Bobby Brown		March 1982 – June 1982	19	10	4	5	52.63
Colin Appleton		June 1982 – May 1984	91	47	29	15	51.64
Brian Horton		June 1984 – April 1988	195	77	58	60	39.48
Eddie Gray		June 1988 – May 1989	51	13	14	24	25.49
Colin Appleton		May 1989 – October 1989	16	1	8	7	6.25
Stan Ternent		November 1989 – January 1991	62	19	15	28	30.64
Terry Dolan		January 1991 – July 1997	322	99	96	127	30.74
Mark Hateley		July 1997 – November 1998	76	17	14	45	22.36
Warren Joyce		November 1998 – April 2000	86	33	25	28	38.37
Billy Russell		April 2000 – April 2000	2	0	0	2	00.00
Brian Little		April 2000 – February 2002	97	41	28	28	42.26
Billy Russell		February 2002 – April 2002	7	1	1	5	14.29
Jan Mølby		April 2002 – October 2002	17	2	8	7	11.76
Billy Russell		October 2002 – October 2002	1	1	0	0	100.00
Peter Taylor		October 2002 – June 2006	184	77	50	57	41.84
Phil Parkinson		June 2006 – December 2006	24	5	6	13	20.83
Phil Brown		December 2006 – June 2010	157	52	40	65	33.12
Iain Dowie		March 2010 – June 2010	9	1	3	5	11.11
Nigel Pearson		June 2010 – November 2011	64	23	20	21	35.94
Nick Barmby		November 2011 – May 2012	33	13	8	12	39.39
Steve Bruce		June 2012 – July 2016	201	83	44	74	41.29
Mike Phelan		July 2016 – January 2017	24	7	4	13	29.17
Marco Silva		January 2017 – May 2017	22	8	3	11	36.36
Leonid Slutsky		June 2017 – December 2017	21	4	7	10	19.05
Nigel Adkins		December 2017 – June 2019	78	26	21	31	33.33
Grant McCann		June 2019 – January 2022	136	53	30	53	38.97
Shota Arveladze		January 2022 – September 2022	30	9	6	15	30.00
Andy Dawson		September 2022 – November 2022	8	3	0	5	37.50
Liam Rosenior		November 2022 – May 2024	78	27	28	23	34.62
Tim Walter		July 2024 –	17	3	6	8	17.65

Records and Statistics

Player Records

Jock Davidson has played the most games for Hull City, with 579 appearances in all competitions. Chris Chilton holds the record for the most goals, scoring 222 goals between 1960 and 1971.

The youngest player to make their debut for Hull City was Matt Edeson, who was 16 years and 60 days old in 1992. The oldest player to play for the Tigers was Steve Harper, who was 40 years and 60 days old in 2015.

Game Records

Hull City's biggest win was 11–1 against Carlisle United in 1939. Their biggest away win was 8–2 against Stalybridge Celtic in 1932.

The team has lost 8–0 twice in its history. Once against Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1911, and again against Wigan Athletic in 2020.

Attendance Records

The highest number of fans at a Hull City game was 89,345. This was for the 2014 FA Cup Final against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in 2014.

The record for the most fans at a home game at Boothferry Park was 55,019 in 1949. At the MKM Stadium, the record is 25,030, set in 2010.

Transfer Records

The most money Hull City has ever paid for a player is about £13,000,000 for Ryan Mason in 2016. The most money they have received for a player is about £12,000,000 when Leicester City bought Harry Maguire in 2017.

European Record

Hull City has played in European competitions once. Here's how they did:

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
2014–15	UEFA Europa League	3Q	FK AS Trenčín	2–1	0–0	2–1
		PO	KSC Lokeren	2–1	0–1	2–2

Honours

Here are some of the titles and achievements Hull City has won:

League

• Championship (Second highest league)
  • 2nd place promotion: 2012–13
  • Play-off winners: 2008, 2016
• Third Division North / Third Division / League One (Third highest league)
  • Champions: 1932–33, 1948–49, 1965–66, 2020–21
  • 2nd place promotion: 1958–59, 2004–05
  • 3rd place promotion: 1984–85
• Fourth Division / Third Division (Fourth highest league)
  • 2nd place promotion: 1982–83, 2003–04

Cup

• FA Cup
  • Runners-up (finished second): 2013–14
• Associate Members' Cup
  • Runners-up: 1983–84
• Watney Cup
  • Runners-up: 1973

Images for kids

• 

  Boothferry Park in March 2008

See also

In Spanish: Hull City Association Football Club para niños