Hull FC have opened the doors to their new FC150 exhibition at the StreeLife Museum in Hull, after it was formally launched this morning giving fans the chance to explore great memories from the club's past.
Former Hull FC great Johnny Whiteley was joined by Councillor Terry Geraghty, Development Manager at Hull County Council Mitch Upfold and the club's Marketing and Communications Director, James Clark, to officially unveil the Exhibition on Friday afternoon.
Special Items include Billy Holder’s 1914 Challenge Cup winners medal and match shirt from the final, a piece of the wooden Threepenny Stand at the old Boulevard Stadium and an archive of old match day programmes, team sheets and news articles to give a full reflection of Hull FC’s vast heritage.
Along with the club’s archived relics, Black and Whites supporters responded magnificently to the call to provide items for the Exhibition, allowing the club to produce a staggering collection of memorabilia.
As part of the £53,000 grant provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund for the FC150 campaign, the exhibition is sure to take supporters young and old down a trip on memory lane, and is available for supporters to visit for the next three months.
Hull County Council have shown the FC150 campaign huge support during its planning last year, and Councillor Terry Geraghty commented on the Exhibition, he said, “I have been a supporter of Hull FC for around 70 years, my first game was in 1940 at the Boulevard and I think the Exhibition is a fair demonstration of what a great club it is.
“It really takes you on a trip of all 150 years of the clubs, including the great players during the early 1900's, right up to Johnny Whiteley and so on.
“When you look around the exhibition, you realise things have not actually changed that much and that atmosphere and passion for the club are still very much there.”
He continued, “The council and Hull FC working together is a tremendous partnership because we believe that Hull FC are something to be proud and puts the city on the map.
“Whether you are in Australia or New Zealand, everybody knows about Hull FC. To a point Hull FC is Hull.”
Meanwhile, Hull FC's Marketing & Communications Director, James Clark, told hullfc.com of his gratitude toward the council for their support in the lead up to the club’s historic milestone.
“The Hull FC anniversary year has had a lot of key stakeholders involved, not just the fans and others involved with the club but externally as well.
“The invaluable support of Terry Geraghty and Mitch Upfold has been absolutely instrumental in getting us into the Streetlife Museum and indeed a lot of our other events this year.
“It is fantastic not only that they have been able to support the campaign but that they have been able to join us at the opening of the Exhibition, to check out the final product.”
He added, “It really is a fantastic exhibition and we have been building it up over the last few weeks with Ash Foster our Heritage Officer and our marketing team and slowly it has been pieced together, but to see it now in all its glory is very pleasing.
“To have Johnny [Whiteley] on the screen talking fans through the exhibition and the club’s history is great and epitomizes what the campaign is all about.
“This is just one of many major events we are planning and fans can expect to see two different strands to this, because they’ll be some more high profile events that will be tied into our match days throughout the season, as well as some more community based events as well.
“The campaign has already brought everybody in the city together, not just Hull FC supporters but other sports fans and stakeholders too and I think the FC150 Exhibition is proof of that.”
The StreetLife Museum is free to enter and is open 10am-5pm. Fans can check out the Hull FC exhibition in the heart of the museum as well as the other great exhibits that are on show.
