Hull FC’s Centre of Excellence hosted a careers fair for current Academy and Scholarship players at the University of Hull’s Allam Sports Centre yesterday evening.
Key figures from Hull FC’s past and present were at the Careers Fair to offer advice to the youngsters, whilst a wide range of local organisations pitched up stalls to discuss career opportunities for those who fall out of the Rugby League programme.
Over 60 players from Hull FC’s Scholarship and Academy squads were split into three groups, hearing from first-team Head Coach Tony Smith and Scholarship Programme Lead Richard Tate on the importance of preparing for life away from Rugby League, former and current Black & White players Richard Whiting and Ben McNamara on how to best spend time wisely away from the game, as well as Paul Molloy and Lisa Dowd from Barclays Bank on looking after finances.
A whole host of local businesses and organisations were on hand to discuss career opportunities, including the likes of Humberside Police, Humberside Fire & Rescue, the British Army, PBS Construction and Rowe Freight to name a few.
In addition, Steve Hardisty represented Rugby League Cares to speak with players and parents about some of the pressures young people who fall out of the youth Rugby League system face when trying to transition into a different career.
Hull FC Head of Youth Pete Riding said: “It’s really important for us as a club to educate our young players on the opportunities that lie ahead of them in terms of alternative career options.
“The brutal reality of sport is that not every young player in every youth system is going to make it to the top level.
“So for us, we have a duty of care to our youth players to help them put plans in place for a life outside of professional Rugby League, and it was fantastic to see our Scholarship and Academy youngsters engage in the session with such enthusiasm last night.
“We are also very fortunate to have so many open-minded local organisations, and we are really grateful that they were able to attend our Careers Fair event.”
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