A Brief History of Hull Wyke arlfc – February 2012

Firstly, thank you for showing an interest in our club.

Hull Wyke ARLFC began life in 1960 as an open age club playing as Kingston Communications or “Telephones” in the Hull & District league on Bricknell playing fields, where we still play.

In 2001 the youth section was formed giving children from the local Wyke and surrounding communities the opportunity to play sport, and at the same time eventually creating a feeder system for the senior team.

In 2002 the youth section was represented in the Hull & District League for the first time by our under 11`s team, and from there on we added more teams to our portfolio every year.

By 2004 we had 7 youth teams and had grown into an integral part of many of the local families, and because our home was in the Wyke district we renamed ourselves Hull Wyke ARLFC. We also formed a new committee and supporting structure of volunteers to take the club to the next stage of development.

In October 2005, after 2 years of preparation we achieved the Sport England Clubmark award. This is presented to sporting organisations that display the highest standards of practice throughout their coaching, playing and club development, and who can ensure the welfare and well being of all players, coaches and volunteers alike. Clubmark is recognised by all national governing bodies.

Unfortunately in 2007 we lost all our material possessions due to flooding, including our kitchen, kits and training equipment. Nevertheless we rebuilt and by 2008 we had replaced and repaired all that was lost or damaged.

On the field, we won the u16s Yorkshire cup in 2008, having won the under 15s trophy the previous year. Seven players from that team went on to sign professional contracts with either Hull FC or Hull KR.

In 2009, we were awarded Clubmark Gold the ultimate award in club sport, which underpins everything the club stands for and this was achieved with the absolute minimum of resources.

2011 proved to be our most successful year to date in terms of playing. All our “winter” teams won their respective group trophies. The under 14s were crowned league champions, the under 16s won their Yorkshire divisional cup, the under 12s reached the semi final of the Yorkshire cup and the under 13s and under 15s reached the quarter final of the Yorkshire cup.

Today we have over 250 boys and girls in teams at under 6, 7, 8, 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,and under 17`s, in addition we have our “cubs” who begin “training” at 3 years old, and we have nearly 50 of them! and an open age squad of 40 players, many of whom have come up through the youth ranks.

Our catchment area for players and volunteers now expands well beyond the boundaries of Wyke into north, east and west Hull.

In Summary, we have a well structured club with fourteen teams, a strong committee supported by volunteer fundraisers, grant co-ordinators, a well developed school’s coaching strategy, and many parents and helpers who provide assistance during training sessions and on match days.

Because of our strong foundation the future is promising; we are actively recruiting new players, coaches and volunteers that will take our club forward. Over the next two years we hope to build a new clubhouse, secure additional training facilities, and improve our standards as a club and the strength of our teams.

The committee

Hull Wyke Rugby League