Never give up

[up the robins]

No club or fans should ever give up the dream of making it to the top.

20 years ago we had a run down ugly ground with the speedway and greyhound tracks affecting the pitch, and with crowds in the very low thousands and struggling financially.

We was told repeatedly that Hull can't support two professional rugby teams and as for super league status we had no chance, and would have to merge.

But here we are triple trophy winners and the best ranked team on and off the field in Europe.

 This beyond any Rovers fans wildest dreams and even as a fan never thought it would be possible.

The hard work put in by the likes of Sir Neil Hudgell mostly amongst others has totally transformed the club. 

Never write any team off and as a fan of any other club never stop dreaming.

[Vyvyan]

Exactly why there should be an achievable path for any club to get into the top flight.   Rovers are an example to all.

[Griff]

Just eight years since they were in Division Two.

[Damien]

Always love these threads where fans big up their own club but in this case its very much deserved. Its been great to see the rise of Hull KR and they've become a real asset to SL.

I always remember when they beat Warrington in the Challenge Cup in the 2000s, while still a Championship club, and you could see even then that something special was bubbling.

[Bull Mania]

Great thread. Enjoy the good times my friend!!

[Chrispmartha]

 

What a difference 9 years makes in sport!

[hunsletgreenandgold]

IF (and that is massive) Bulls do anything like what KR have in the next 5 or so years then I for one will be happy to eat some of my previous words. 

Hull KR are a great example of how a club can rise - Wakefield are on a similar trajectory. It is great to see and long may it continue for those two and other club with similar aspirations. Nothing would please me more than seeing 8-10 clubs that could genuinely challenge every season and with the support to go alongside that. 

[Coggo]

1 hour ago, up the robins said:

Never write any team off and as a fan of any other club never stop dreaming.

Well said. I agree wholeheartedly that no club should ever stop dreaming, or ever be written off.

Except Featherstone.

[WN83]

It's been a fantastic rise and it is a blueprint for any ambitious businessmen who want to get involved in a club, on how they can make a real difference. It's needed ambitious and wealthy people behind it but that's the game nowadays and it is the same across all major sports.

I do still think there is one major step for HKR to take as a club and that is improving youth development. They've become the first Grand Final winners to have done it without having multiple club produced players in the side and to be a sustainable success story, on the field, that will likely have to change. It's impossible to keep nailing external signings, especially as salary cap pressures hit and now there is more competition for players. 

[tuutaisrambo]

24 minutes ago, Coggo said:

Well said. I agree wholeheartedly that no club should ever stop dreaming, or ever be written off.

Except Featherstone.

I've given up 

Might follow Lockyer's Broncos for a bit if they get in.........like an NRL team in disguise.

[daz39]

Absolutely, and it's fully deserved too.

10-15 years ago my club was on the brink of doing something special too but as a team and a club we failed to capitalise.

I still remember when we got into Super League in 1998 and that was a dream come true for us who were among 3 figure crowds at Fartown 20 years earlier, not quite the same scale but it was in the eyes of those long suffering fans.

[Worzel]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Always love these threads where fans big up their own club but in this case its very much deserved. Its been great to see the rise of Hull KR and they've become a real asset to SL.

I always remember when they beat Warrington in the Challenge Cup in the 2000s, while still a Championship club, and you could see even then that something special was bubbling.

It's funny you remember that match. It was the day I knew we were on the way back, even though there was still a lot of the league season to go and Widnes fought us all the way to very nervous Grand Final. Hudgell had spent a fortune laying a brand new full-size pitch a year earlier, and made an effort to paint and tidy up what was still a quite limited ground (Bradford, take note on both), and we were playing 'professional' rugby. I knew that year that we were finally serious, and I knew from that game that the team was up to it.   

24-22 at half time, and 40-36 by the final hooter. Perhaps my favourite memory since 1985, until Wembley this year finally topped it. 

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

50 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

IF (and that is massive) Bulls do anything like what KR have in the next 5 or so years then I for one will be happy to eat some of my previous words. 

Hull KR are a great example of how a club can rise - Wakefield are on a similar trajectory. It is great to see and long may it continue for those two and other club with similar aspirations. Nothing would please me more than seeing 8-10 clubs that could genuinely challenge every season and with the support to go alongside that. 

Never going to happen though.  The fans are too fickle.

[jacksy]

5 minutes ago, Worzel said:

It's funny you remember that match. It was the day I knew we were on the way back, even though there was still a lot of the league season to go and Widnes fought us all the way to very nervous Grand Final. Hudgell had spent a fortune laying a brand new full-size pitch a year earlier, and made an effort to paint and tidy up what was still a quite limited ground (Bradford, take note on both), and we were playing 'professional' rugby. I knew that year that we were finally serious, and I knew from that game that the team was up to it.   

24-22 at half time, and 40-36 by the final hooter. Perhaps my favourite memory since 1985, until Wembley this year finally topped it. 

Great read.

Edited October 16, 2025 by jacksy

[Worzel]

28 minutes ago, WN83 said:

It's been a fantastic rise and it is a blueprint for any ambitious businessmen who want to get involved in a club, on how they can make a real difference. It's needed ambitious and wealthy people behind it but that's the game nowadays and it is the same across all major sports.

I do still think there is one major step for HKR to take as a club and that is improving youth development. They've become the first Grand Final winners to have done it without having multiple club produced players in the side and to be a sustainable success story, on the field, that will likely have to change. It's impossible to keep nailing external signings, especially as salary cap pressures hit and now there is more competition for players. 

Rovers know that. which is why they've invested hugely in youth development in the last 4 years. Even just this season we've invested £1.5m in the only 3G in East Hull, based at our ground, for all the community teams to use. That stuff takes a long time to flow through though, but it will. Right now Hull FC still have first pick on many juniors, but step by step we'll get there.

Winning things helps that 'pull', so it's a bit of a catch 22 - often with youth it's the quality of talent you're bringing in in the mid-teens as much as it is how good your development processes are afterward. 

[jacksy]

5 minutes ago, Worzel said:

Rovers know that. which is why they've invested hugely in youth development in the last 4 years. Even just this season we've invested £1.5m in the only 3G in East Hull, based at our ground, for all the community teams to use. That stuff takes a long time to flow through though, but it will. Right now Hull FC still have first pick on many juniors, but step by step we'll get there.

Winning things helps that 'pull', so it's a bit of a catch 22 - often with youth it's the quality of talent you're bringing in in the mid-teens as much as it is how good your development processes are afterward. 

Both clubs need to keep working harder.

I'd like to see them targetting football players, sprinters and hurdlers alongside the kids already playing the game.

The best player i ever had never played rugby till he was 13..he was a football player.

Both FC and KR wanted him to join their scolarships..he turned them both down.

I still see him. He's got his own business now and family. He regrets that decision.

 

Edited October 16, 2025 by jacksy

[Worzel]

Just now, jacksy said:

Great read until you just had to have a pop lol

You're obsessed Worzel.

It's not a pop, it's a serious point. If Bradford want to be a decent Super League organisation, they'll need to get a proper pitch and spend enough money to show they've pride in themselves. That stuff also translates quite strongly into player mindsets, and on-field peformance. 

Highly recommend the book 'Make Your Bed' by Admiral McRaven on this sort of stuff.

In the meantime, maybe worry about your own club too, the Bulls don't need you a bunch of bitter FC fans defending them 

[jacksy]

3 minutes ago, Worzel said:

It's not a pop, it's a serious point. If Bradford want to be a decent Super League organisation, they'll need to get a proper pitch and spend enough money to show they've pride in themselves. That stuff also translates quite strongly into player mindsets, and on-field peformance. 

Highly recommend the book 'Make Your Bed' by Admiral McRaven on this sort of stuff.

In the meantime, maybe worry about your own club too, the Bulls don't need you a bunch of bitter FC fans defending them 

Actually, when you said 1985 i thought you was referring to FC v Wigan wembley..hence the obsessed crack..then i thought nah hes referring to your last championship.

So i edited it lol

[jacksy]

6 minutes ago, Worzel said:

It's not a pop, it's a serious point. If Bradford want to be a decent Super League organisation, they'll need to get a proper pitch and spend enough money to show they've pride in themselves. That stuff also translates quite strongly into player mindsets, and on-field peformance. 

Highly recommend the book 'Make Your Bed' by Admiral McRaven on this sort of stuff.

In the meantime, maybe worry about your own club too, the Bulls don't need you a bunch of bitter FC fans defending them 

I'm the least bitter fc fan you will meet mate. I thankyou for destroying the sts,wigan,leeds stranglehold of the league/GF.

[up the robins]

46 minutes ago, WN83 said:

It's been a fantastic rise and it is a blueprint for any ambitious businessmen who want to get involved in a club, on how they can make a real difference. It's needed ambitious and wealthy people behind it but that's the game nowadays and it is the same across all major sports.

I do still think there is one major step for HKR to take as a club and that is improving youth development. They've become the first Grand Final winners to have done it without having multiple club produced players in the side and to be a sustainable success story, on the field, that will likely have to change. It's impossible to keep nailing external signings, especially as salary cap pressures hit and now there is more competition for players. 

The club are already well on the way to addressing that, like Worzel has mentioned we now have a 3g all weather training pitch but in addition to this the club has put planning permission in for 3 full size training pitches (one for first team one for the academy and the other for community use) alongside a new gym facility and retail and fanzine development all attached to the stadium.

It is hard to fund a full scale junior/academy set up while operating in the lower leagues, and once promoted the next few years spending is on staying in super league first, then  teams can  really start to look at long term team development.

The three new teams will find themselves in a similar situation. 

 

[WN83]

8 minutes ago, up the robins said:

The club are already well on the way to addressing that, like Worzel has mentioned we now have a 3g all weather training pitch but in addition to this the club has put planning permission in for 3 full size training pitches (one for first team one for the academy and the other for community use) alongside a new gym facility and retail and fanzine development all attached to the stadium.

It is hard to fund a full scale junior/academy set up while operating in the lower leagues, and once promoted the next few years spending is on staying in super league first, then  teams can  really start to look at long term team development.

The three new teams will find themselves in a similar situation. 

 

Fingers crossed it comes to fruition because crack that and there isn't much else needed to sustain it at the very top of the game. 

In terms of payer development, It obviously takes time and I do feel a bit for the Hull clubs in trying to attract young players from outside the City because while Wigan can go to Leigh, St Helens, Warrington, Widnes etc (and vice versa with those clubs) it's a obviously more difficult for the Hull clubs to get kids from towns and cities outside of Hull, due to the travel and it's a big ask for one City to keep producing top level players for both of the clubs. You look at Hull FC with Barron, Martin, Charles, Litten etc though and there is obviously talent in the area. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

It’s a great story let’s face it and one the sport’s PR should be shouting about.

[Barry Badrinath]

2 hours ago, Chrispmartha said:

 

What a difference 9 years makes in sport!

if the result was reversed, you wonder what the respective clubs would be like at this point?

[Dave W]

All you need is a dream and a consortium of plucky millionaire investors and IT COULD BE YOU.

[Martyn Sadler]

3 hours ago, up the robins said:

No club or fans should ever give up the dream of making it to the top.

20 years ago we had a run down ugly ground with the speedway and greyhound tracks affecting the pitch, and with crowds in the very low thousands and struggling financially.

We was told repeatedly that Hull can't support two professional rugby teams and as for super league status we had no chance, and would have to merge.

But here we are triple trophy winners and the best ranked team on and off the field in Europe.

 This beyond any Rovers fans wildest dreams and even as a fan never thought it would be possible.

The hard work put in by the likes of Sir Neil Hudgell mostly amongst others has totally transformed the club. 

Never write any team off and as a fan of any other club never stop dreaming.

A nice comment.

We'll have Neil Hudgell on our Podcast in the morning.

I may read your introduction to this thread to him.

It seems very appropriate.