History of the Senior Tigers

The Senior Tigers Club came about as part of ITV’s Year of Promise in partnership with the Nationwide Building Society and The Football League in 1999.

Most Football League clubs decided to make their Promise to the youngsters of the club, but we at Hull don’t follow what everyone else does. Hull City Football Club decided to “Promise to create an organisation for their senior supporters which will make them feel an integral part of the Football Club within the community”.   The letter and application form were completed by David Capper, the Director of Football Administration at the club, and Andy Dakin, the Commercial Director. The form was sent to the Football League for approval.

Following that approval from the Football League, each club that joined the scheme received a grant of over £10,000. The Senior Tigers Club was launched at the home game against Exeter City in the Nationwide League game on Saturday, 4th December 1999.

A meeting took place at Boothferry Park in the Tiger Club Lounge in January 2000. A working committee of 8 was formed, and the inaugural meeting of the Senior Tigers Club was scheduled for 3rd February.

David Capper chaired the January meeting but soon handed control over to the ‘elected’ committee. Most of the members of the committee already had a close working relationship with the Football Club. As they all had various jobs on match days, from the ticket office to manning the turnstiles and generally helping out where needed.

Referring back to being ‘elected’, as Gordon Towse recalls, it was very much a case of David Capper saying to Gordon at one particular time in the ticket office: “Gordon, you are the Chairman and Mavis (Boddy), you can be the Secretary”. Mavis also knew lifelong supporter Alan Tichias and persuaded him to become the Treasurer. The others coerced into being committee members were Joyce Towse, Ilona Tichias, Betty Corfield, Shirley Cross and Gordon Owen. David’s decision has proved over the years to be a good one, as this committee stayed together for 15 years and built a solid foundation for the Senior Tigers to grow.

The inaugural meeting in February, which was held in the Sponsors Lounge, attracted nearly 50 members, all enjoying a lunch provided by the Football Club. By the time the March meeting was due, the Sponsors Lounge wasn’t big enough, so the Executive club room was called into action to house the ever-increasing membership.

In the first couple of years, the newly formed Senior Tigers Club received help from the Football Club under the then Chairman Nick Buchanan by making rooms available for the monthly meetings at Boothferry Park.

For the Christmas lunch, the Business Club room was made available. When the membership increased, the Executive room was used. When this room became too small, a section of the gymnasium behind Bunkers Hill (what memories does this name bring back?) was transformed with nets and curtains to resemble a marquee (it had other names).

When Adam Pearson took control of the Football Club in 2001, he not only gave the Senior Tigers his full backing but also attended some monthly meetings and lunches. In January 2002, the Football Club moved from Boothferry Park to the brand-new KC Stadium. Adam made the Whiteley Suite available when that became too small; we moved to the Carter Suite, then into the Wilberforce Suite (now known as the 1904 Suite). Not only did he make the room free of charge, but he also provided free tea/coffee and biscuits for the members.

Along came Dr Assem Allam in 2010, who saved the Football Club from near-extinction and invested millions in the club. It also brought changes for the Senior Tigers as the free use of the Wilberforce Suite and refreshments came to an end. The charge for using the room was beyond what the Senior Tigers could afford, so the decision was made to move to the more affordable Sports Bar (later renamed The Dugout).

The initial subscription to become a member of the Senior Tigers in 2000 was set at £5.00 and renewed annually. With this membership, you were entitled to various benefits, such as a 10% reduction in the club shop. (Sadly, this is no longer available). The first increase in the cost of membership came in 2003 when it was raised to £7.00. It was increased again in 2012 to £8.00 and once again in 2015 to £10.00. For those interested, there are detailed yearly financial reports available from the first year to the present day by visiting the Financial Reports page.

Initially, the Senior Tigers Club year ran from January to December and in 2004 it was decided to change to fall in line with the Football League season. So, the 2004/05 year started in September and ended in May. This change allowed the Senior Tigers to have an end-of-season lunch in May to add to the already popular Christmas lunch.

Throughout the history of the Senior Tigers Club, we have, when funds have been available, made donations to local charities. In the early years, when times were financially difficult for the Football Club, they also helped to sponsor several players’ kits.

Since 1999, at the first meeting for the new season, the Chairman has given an overview of the previous year’s speakers and events. These can be viewed by visiting the  Chair’s Review of the Season page. These end-of-season reviews give a great indication as to the variety of speakers that were and still are prepared to give up their time to come and speak at our meetings and answer questions from the audience, all in their own time and free of charge.

From the very beginning of the Senior Tigers Club, excursions and trips to other football clubs’ facilities have taken place. Over time, these trips did decline and then stopped for various reasons.

The original committee was in place for the first 15 years, when they all decided that their job was done and that they would step aside, leaving the Senior Tigers a solid foundation for a totally new committee to take over in 2015.

As with any new committee, new ideas and suggestions were formulated and introduced. One of the first to be reintroduced, at the start of 2015/16, was social outings. The history of these outings, and their success, can be viewed by visiting the  Social Activities page on the website.

In 2015, teas & coffee were once again made available to the Senior Tigers, free of charge from the Football Club. This came about with the help of James Mooney, the Marketing & Online Commercial Manager for Hull City. This gesture by the Football Club was greatly appreciated by the members.

It was around this time that Pete Wilson took charge of running the raffle at our monthly meetings and took it to a different level. The quality and number of prizes he managed to put on his table were fantastic. It remains our main source of income, which allows the committee the flexibility of subsidising events or making charitable donations. Pete ‘retired’ at the end of season 25-26 and will be hard for us to replace.

As the membership started to increase, we thought it was about time the Senior Tigers had their own website, and so towards the end of the 2016/17 season, www.seniortigers.org.uk made its first appearance online.

Our membership has more than doubled since 2015 and is still on the increase. The range of activities we can offer our members has also increased, like walking football, swimming, and table tennis, besides our monthly outings, all of which have proved popular. We continue with our Christmas lunch and an end-of-season lunch in May, when around 200 members have a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

In 2018, to conform to GDPR, we introduced a Privacy Policy and developed processes to record and protect personal information regarding our members’ membership in the Senior Tigers.

In 2019, a revised constitution was proposed and agreed upon by the members. This constitution emphasised the aim of the Senior Tigers Club to provide opportunities for members to enjoy social activities and encourage member participation that will improve the all-around wellbeing of members

As a result of the changes to the constitution, a Wellbeing initiative was started around four months before the Covid pandemic hit the world. Paul Bryan, who ran this confidential section, played a major role in keeping in contact with all our members every month during this very difficult period. His telephone calls played a major role in making sure our members were not forgotten, which helped to keep their spirits up, knowing that there was someone there if needed.

The Committee also decided to refresh and update our website to make it more responsive and easier to navigate and maintain. We have been fortunate that our web designer, Pete Magee of Jupiter Web Solutions, along with our own Rob Wilson, have developed this improved, modern-looking site. We also have to thank KCOM for making this possible by providing the finance for the website upgrade. Members of the committee have also taken an active part in developing this update.

At the same time as the website was refreshed, our Memorabilia Gallery was redesigned to accommodate the growing amount of memorabilia and statistics being collected. We wanted to ensure that Hull City’s history and heritage was captured and secured. This was a massive undertaking, but under the guidance of Rob Wilson, our web coordinator, Tony Conway and his team of Helen Carter, the late Stuart Tomlinson, Brian & Brenda Becks, something unique was created. We were also able to collaborate with other like-minded groups, who have given their support to our endeavours.

COVID-19 was always going to be a challenge. We were unable to hold our monthly members’ meetings or plan excursions with full coaches of members! Staying in touch became our challenge.  The regular check-ups of members were so well received, but another initiative was to send out a monthly Newsletter, something that kept all members up-to-date. The first issue was mailed out to every member in September, 2020. Allen Bagshawe, our then Secretary, took on this duty and, although it was only intended to cover the Covid isolation months, it has continued to this day. Eventually, the mailed ‘hard-copy’ was replaced by an email version, but otherwise it remained unchanged. The monthly Memorability article has proven particularly appreciated, and we recognise the role played here by Tony Conway.  All these decisions were taken by the committee during their regular Zoom committee meetings, quite a new challenge for some of them!

In September 2021, at the start of the new season, the Senior Tigers had their first meeting back after the 18-month enforced break, due to the Covid pandemic. With it came the unfortunate news that the Football Club felt that they were unable to provide free teas/coffees for our monthly meetings.

In December 2021, our first Christmas Lunch since the pandemic proved so popular that we had to change restaurants! We had to move from our much-loved Circle restaurant, with those wonderful panoramic views over the pitch, as it simply was no longer large enough to accommodate the 200 members and guests who wanted to come. The move to the Kingston Suite has continued for our twice-yearly meals.

In January 2022, our great football club Hull City unveiled a new owner, Acun Ilicali. This heralded a new era for the Club under its dynamic Turkish owner. The Senior Tigers were looking forward to a long and happy relationship with Acun and his management team.

However, those missing teas & coffees led to renewed calls from the members to see them reinstated. With the members showing that they were happy to pay the going price, arrangements were made from the start of the 2022/23 season. On arrival, members were asked to pay for a tea/coffee at the interval along with a small pack of biscuits. Our thanks to Teresa & Alice, who took on this duty and John & Judy, who supervised the serving. Over the following years, the volunteer contributions may have changed, but the provision of refreshments works to everyone’s satisfaction.

At the AGM in August, 2022, David Jackson, our Chair, announced that he was stepping down. No issues, just a feeling it was time to move on. He had taken the chair in 2015 and brought his own style and charm to the role. He proved his value every month when he welcomed our guest speaker and gently grilled them with questions! The committee had no immediate plans and decided to give themselves time to consider – 3 months. In the interim, the Secretary was asked to chair the meetings. The Christmas Luncheon was set to announce the new Chair, and our Secretary was chosen! One great discovery was that we also had a natural replacement for those monthly interviews. Richard Beachell stepped forward and brought such professional skill that Senior Tigers were again the winners.

Senior Tigers is so much more than a monthly meeting. Under the well-being banner, we look to provide more activities for our members. The Walking Football meets twice a week under the leadership of The Tigers’ Trust; similarly, Table Tennis enjoys two weekly sessions at the Haltemprice Centre, thanks to the enthusiasm of Pat Ellis. Computing skills can be gained from our regular sessions hosted at the KCOM offices. Issues and confusions can be shared with KCOM staff. KCOM also make regular appearances at our monthly meetings, providing a valuable Help Desk.

Senior Tigers are a club for Tigers’ fans of “a certain age”. However, getting to the monthly meeting can become an issue for some members who have mobility challenges. Now, every month, we have a minibus service which sets off from the Gilberdyke area and picks up en route to the stadium. This has been a lifeline for some members who would otherwise be missing the meetings. Ernie Addy looks after this, and for the 2026-27 season the cost has been provided by Home Instead Charities.

The regular monthly outings continue to attract large numbers. Stadium visits are always popular, and we have recently taken members to the new Wembley, the even newer Spurs Stadium and then the Hill Dickinson, home of Everton. By contrast, we have offered canal cruises, steam rail excursions, factory tours, like Jaguar Land Rover and the Wedgwood factory; Beamish and RHS Gardens. Other memorable highlights include a series of privileged visits to Hull’s Trinity House, and special educational sessions at The Deep, where Senior Tigers became Silver Sharks! We have enjoyed a wonderful picnic on the farm and visits to the Leeds Christmas Pantomimes – Oh Yes we did! We have twice sponsored one of our local non-league matches, for our enjoyment and their encouragement. Bridlington Town and then North Ferriby United were the beneficiaries. You can read all about the trips on our website. Barbara Wilkinson continues to be the inspiration for the trips, but is now supported by Andy Riley. Andy has also taken the leadership of away match trips during the season. The latest being the 3 coaches that made the 2026 Play-off Final at Wembley! What a day that was!​

Two wonderful photos from the 2026 Wembley Play-off Final, taken by Dave Cormack

Our outings have tremendous support from Acklams Coaches. They also provide sponsorship to help cover the room hire fees for our Members’ monthly meetings.

Memorabilia Days.  The more we gather memories and acquire items of memorabilia, the more we long to see the establishment of a permanent home, a place where fans can visit and see our story for themselves. As yet, it is just a pipe-dream. However, the incredible memorabilia site on our web pages is possibly the best in the country. Well, that is our opinion! Tony Conway has a great team of volunteers who continually add new items that can be viewed online. Twice, we have made special efforts to bring things off the pages and displayed where all can see them. The first Memorabilia Day was held in 2018 and a second in June, 2024. The response was incredible on both occasions. We are possibly the only football club that has taken on the challenge; it would never have happened if it were not for the Senior Tigers.

As an ongoing spin-off from the memorabilia work and the support from KCOM, in addition to KCOM’s continuing financial support for our website and the help to cover the cost of our monthly room hire, they also provide a video recording service for our Listening project. This project captures the stories from our members’ experiences in supporting the Tigers. All captured and made available for all to view on our website

Our story continues, back in the Premier League!

We hope the above account has given you more of an insight into the Senior Tigers’ history. We do not doubt that we have only touched the surface and that there is a great deal of information that you, the members of Senior Tigers and other supporters of Hull City, could contribute.

So, we invite you to join in on our Share Your Memories by adding your own personal account of things you remember that could be shared with others. With your help, we can build up a unique History of not only the Senior Tigers but of Hull City Football Club from the spectators/supporters’ point of view.

We thank you for taking the time to visit our website and look forward to reading your recollections down Memory Lane.