Hull FC have confirmed that Danny Houghton will take on the role of club captain for the 2024 Betfred Super League season.
The veteran hooker becomes the first Hull FC player to retake the captaincy after a break since Ernie Lawrence in 1949, with Houghton most recently sharing the position during the 2021 campaign.
A former Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel, with over 430 club appearances to his name, Houghton is preparing to enter his 18th season as a Hull FC player, one of the longest spells as a representative in the club’s history.
Held in the highest regard by his fellow Hull FC team mates, both as a player on the field and a peer off it, the appointment of Houghton as club captain will no doubt be a popular decision in the dressing room.
Another hometown player will take on vice-captaincy of the club in 2024, with Brad Fash given the responsibility by Head Coach Tony Smith.
The proud, Hull-born forward has made over 150 appearances for his boyhood club, and he has become a staple of the Black & Whites’ pack in recent years.
Just over a year ago, Fash won the club’s Player of the Year Award at the end of the 2022 campaign.
Speaking to hullfc.com after being named captain of the side in 2024, Houghton said: “It’s a real honour for me to skipper my hometown club again.
“I’m really determined to give it absolutely everything in 2024, and I will be doing everything I can to lead by example for this great club.
“We have a lot of young players coming through the youth programme at the moment and they need a strong leader to look up to, and that’s exactly what I’m hoping to achieve.
“I like to think that I’m not only somebody who leads by example on and off the field, but also a very approachable member of the dressing room. As I say, I’m really honoured to have this responsibility again.”
Head Coach Tony Smith said he had no doubts when selecting his captaincy roles for the upcoming season.
“Danny has had a couple of years off captaincy and I think that was required. Captaincy can weigh heavily after a while, but he’s ready to take that leadership role and give it his all this year,” Smith explained.
“He’s got the full support of his team mates and that’s because they enjoy working under him. He leads by example.
“Brad Fash also leads by example and he’s Hull FC through and through – that’s why he will make a good vice-captain,” he added.
“He’s one of the senior blokes now and I feel like he is ready for a leadership role. He’s a great communicator and he would never ask somebody to do something that he wouldn’t do himself.”
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