Hull FC academy back rower Charlie Severs has signed his first senior contract with the Black & Whites, putting pen to paper on an initial two-year deal.
The 18-year-old second-row forward becomes the latest beneficiary of the club’s Rising Stars development programme to earn a promotion to the first-team after successfully coming through the club’s Centre of Excellence system.
Despite coming from York, the former Heworth ARLFC youngster is a lifelong fan of the Black & Whites and has played scholarship and academy rugby for the club.
It’s been a rapid rise to success for the back-rower, who only made his Academy debut at the start of the 2021 campaign.
Severs has captained the unbeaten Academy side on several occasions, showing good leadership qualities, as well as catching the eye of a number of first-team forwards since being introduced to the Elite Performance Centre in recent months.
He has also represented Yorkshire in this season’s Academy Origin match against Lancashire, scoring a try in that match at the AJ Bell Stadium, after recovering strongly from a fractured cheekbone earlier in the season.
“I’ve been at Hull since Scholarship and as a massive fan of the club it means a lot for me to sign a first-team deal here,” said Severs, who is included in this weekend’s squad for the upcoming derby match against Hull KR at Magic Weekend.
“It’s a bit surreal but I’m still focused on just getting my head down and keeping on moving forward.
“When you’re in the Scholarship, you do ask yourself the question of whether you are going to be one of the few that makes it at the very top, but after sacrificing so much like travelling from York for training so many times a week, it just feels fantastic now.
“As soon as I got promoted to the Rising Stars group, I didn’t stop grafting. Especially in the pre-season friendlies against Bradford and Leeds, I just wanted to prove what I’m capable of.
“It does make me appreciate the saying that hard work pays off. Thankfully my hard work has paid off here. Now I want to keep pushing on.”
Having caught the eye of Brett Hodgson within weeks of the Australian arriving at the club for the 2021 season, Severs now has the opportunity to push for a place in the first-team squad.
The 18-year-old has been included once again in the latest Hull FC squad to face Hull KR and Hodgson admits he is doing everything he can to earn a place in the team.
“Charlie is a fantastic lad and someone who is demonstrating a real hunger and commitment to make the grade at first-team level, he has become a really popular part of our group,” said Hull’s head coach.
“He has the attributes to be a good back rower and we saw glimpses of his quality in pre-season when he lined up with some senior lads against Bradford and Leeds Rhinos.
“We are really pleased for Charlie that he has earned his next step on the ladder and he has an extremely bright future ahead of him.
“It is great that he is also a fan of the club and this is a proud moment for him and his parents, as well as being another positive reflection on the work we’re putting into our Centre of Excellence pathway.
“He is doing everything he can to earn his first-team debut, which I don’t think will be too far away if he keeps working like he is.”
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