Club legend Johnny Whiteley MBE will deliver the match ball at the MKM Stadium ahead of our Derby Day fixture against Hull Kingston Rovers on Saturday.
The former Black & White captain, and arguably the club’s greatest player of all-time, Whiteley is not highly respected on the Black & White side of the city, having also coached the Robins towards the end of his career in the game.
A member of the Rugby League Hall of Fame, he made over 400 appearances for the club throughout the 1950s and 1960s, as well as a sparkling international career for Great Britain, before going on to coach both Hull clubs when his playing days came to an end.
Whiteley is currently celebrating his 90th birthday year, with Hull’s principal jersey in 2021 dedicated to the club hero – the jersey is modelled on shirts worn by club captain Whiteley in the 50s and 60s.
He will deliver the match ball ahead of kick-off as the Black & Whites take on Rovers in what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested clashes for many year.
Tickets remain available online by clicking here, as well as over the phone by calling 01482 505600, and from the MKM Stadium ticket zone. Unreserved tickets for the South Stand are also available from all three of our club retail stores.
For the latest ticket information – click here
Speaking on his love for the Hull Derby and his experiences, Whiteley said:
“Every season that game is the special one, whether it’s in West Hull, at Craven Park, the Boulevard or Wembley, It is ingrained in the city, we all dream about Derby Day, it has heritage and it means so much to everybody.”
His greatest Derby memory also happens to be his first derby memory as he took to the field in the Black and White for only the second time, in what turned out to be his first ever derby match back in 1950, a 3-3 draw at the Boulevard.
For a 19-year-old, whose only previous playing experience was with Hull Boys Club, the Hull U16’s and a bit of Rugby Union whilst he was with the Military Police, the Hull derby against arch rivals Hull KR was a culture shock.
“I wasn’t really physically equipped to play, all the teams had huge packs and at 19 I didn’t exactly feel big in them days!
“Prior to signing for Hull a month earlier, I had played for Hull Boys club and then Rugby Union in the army but then when I came out of the army, Hull signed me and put me straight into the first team.
“I remember going out there and taking some big hits and remember thinking, Christ, how am I going to cope with this for the rest of my career!”
The game fell at a time when the Hull derby was often played over the Christmas period and for Whiteley, he couldn’t have wished for a better present.
“As a Hessle Road lad, to play at Christmas for Hull and against Rovers, what a memory.
“It was a Christmas Day match and to walk out there for Hull Football Club was like all your Christmas’ coming at once.”
It was also a time when players and coaches were at one with the supporters, all heading to the Boulevard together and sharing a drink or two after the match. A great position to be in if you had won, but not so good if you found yourself wandering to the ground with some Hull KR supporters or worst still, you had lost!
“Back then you rubbed shoulders with everyone, you walked to and from the games with them, you would head down Hessle Road and have a couple of pints in Halfway House!
“Rovers also had Alec Dockar, England’s loose forward, so I was getting verbals from the East Hull people as well about going head to head with him, so all these little things building up to this first derby match was something else.
“But I had a decent game and came through the baptism of fire and it built the foundations for some extremely special years for me and it was great to hold my own with Alex, he was a wonderful man and someone who became a friend.”
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