Hull FC’s Head of Rugby Development Danny Wilson will leave the club at the end of the month, with a new youth head coach set to be unveiled at the end of the season.
After more than a decade in several roles with the Black & Whites, Wilson has decided to take up a new challenge in a first-team role at another club, having worked through the club’s community foundation and then into the youth performance pathways for several years.
Having overseen the academy for both Hull FC and City of Hull, he has been heavily involved in retaining Hull’s ‘outstanding’ youth reputation in recent times.
Hull FC Chairman, Adam Pearson, said: “Danny has made a notable contribution to our development pathways over recent years, working alongside a committed group of staff to consistently deliver a programme of the highest standard.
“Our youth system has never been stronger, but we are continuing to enhance our whole youth pathway to achieve our long-term ambition of homegrown players forming most of our match day squad.
“Eight of our team for Saturday’s win over Hull KR were Hull based players, along with 13 of our squad named for the Catalans fixture last weekend – which is a step in the right direction, but we know where we can improve.”
He continued, “We have made a number of new appointments and initiatives since re-establishing the Hull FC academy, not least our new-look Centre of Excellence which is now home to many of the region’s best rugby league players, and we are looking forward to making some further announcements in the autumn.”
The club’s ongoing enhancement of the club’s youth structures continues apace, following the recent awarding of an academy licence – with the club’s efforts praised as one of the leading applications.
Matty Faulkner, who recently stepped into a new role of Head of Youth Pathways, continues to oversee planning, strategy and talent ID, working closely with the club’s Chief Executive and management team.
A 40-strong staff of coaches, scouts, administrators, teachers and volunteers, the largest youth structure the club has ever had, will be joined by a new Head of Youth Coaching and two further appointments at the end of the season.
The club’s newly established Centre of Excellence pathway will now boast over 100 of the area’s best young rugby league players, plus a title-winning wheelchair team, a growing female rugby league programme and a new-look LDSL squad – with the ambition to deliver one of the best and most productive youth pathways in rugby league.
A host of regional development centres and camps have also been established, with work underway for a new facility and the return of the reserve grade squad for 2022, all of which will be revealed in a series of special announcements in the autumn.
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