Hull Kingston Rovers

Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR to differentiate them from their West side neighbours Hull FC) were one of the latest teams to join the Super League when they won promotion from the National League in 2006. The team changed their strip to celebrate this and have played in their Super League strip (based on the original strip worn by the first team in 1882) ever since. They can trace their lineage back to 1882 when a group of boilermakers in the Hessle Road area of Hull formed a team known as the Kingston Amateurs. The first ground that the club claimed as their own was not very prestigious, in fact it was simply a piece of waste ground near Albert Street in Hull, however this ground allowed the team to begin playing in the Hull and District League in 1883.

For the 1885-1886 season the club changed their name from Kingston Amateurs to Kingston Rovers for their entry into the Times Cup. More and more clubs joined the league and Hull KR went on to win their first trophy for the 1887-1888 season by beating Selby in the final of the Times Cup. The team then moved to a new ground at Hessle Road, having moved previously from their strip of wasteland to Albert Street, then to Anlaby Road, and then to Chalk Lane. In their next season the Kingson Rovers had the honour of only loosing two games and defeating Britannia in the Times Cup final. Once again the team moved to their next ground, in a different location down Hessle Road. Unfortunately the teams luck would not be quite as good in the future, when they entered the Yorkshire Cup they lost to Bradford in the first round and then lost out to Dewsbury in the second round. In 1892 the team recorded an all time low of only one away win and six home wins and were once again knocked out of the Yorkshire Cup during the first round.

Kingston Rovers did not join the 22 clubs that broke away to form the Northern Football Union in 1895; instead the team were promoted to the second division of the RFU and managed to finish joint second. Once again the team moved ground to Craven Street off Holderness Road, however in the 1896-1897 season they were denied a place in the first division when many of the teams resigned but a team from West Riding in Yorkshire dropped out so Kingston Rovers were moved up. In a fortuitous stroke of luck the team were able to amalgamate their resources with what was then known as Albany Soccer Club (later to become Hull City A.F.C) and this allowed them a new flexibility and freedom which paid dividends, Hull KR went on to win the Yorkshire Cup for the first time and win the league competition in a challenge match. The team then applied to join the Northern Union and played their first match under the new rules in 1897-1898.

Throughout the beginning of the 1900's Hull KR had many successes and few victories as they continued to climb the tables; they were elected into the Yorkshire Second competition and won all 17 matches that they played. They went on to set a record of 19 consecutive play off and cup wins in 1900 and were admitted as full members into the Yorkshire Northern Union. Next year the top Yorkshire clubs formed a new "super league" and Hull KR went on to play in the Lancashire League finishing a respectable 5th out of 13 teams. Unfortunately a change in fortune meant that in 1904 the team lost the Challenge Cup final to Warrington in front of a record breaking crowd of 19,638. The next year they once again reached the final ut were knocked out by Bradford 5-8.

Throughout the world war periods the teams fortunes continued to vary, with clusters of wins being followed by clusters of losses. Their position in the league tables varied wildly, some seasons fininshing near the top, and finishing near the bottom the following season, however they did manage to avoid relegation on most occasions. By the time the 1980's had rolled around time had taken it's toll on the teams Craven Park stadium so a decision was taken to build a new stadium, known as New Craven Park which was constructed on a site just off Preston Road. The ground was opened in 1989 and Hull KR were able to beat Trafford 48-8 and this marked a new era for the club. The teams fortunes continued to rise, although they were relegated to the third division in the 1994-1995 season they managed to climb their way through the divisions until 1997 when they finished 8th in the first division. In 2006 the team had a fantastic year and remained mostly unbeathen, due to this astounding success they were promoted to the Super League in the same year. 2006 also saw Hull KR crowned National League One Minor Premier winners and reach the first Grand Final in the clubs history. The team made a good start to the 2007 Super League season and although they did not top the table they are assured of a place in the 2008 season.