FC stars get involved as club engage with local community youth teams
HULL FC have be engaging with local community clubs as they host free half-term elite camps, with the help of some first-teamers.
The Black and Whites have been making their way across the region, offering coaching to children throughout the half-term.
FC have already visited West Hull, Hull Dockers, Hull Wyke and East Hull this week, with youngsters in a number of age groups taking part in sessions with the club’s foundations coaches and first-team players.
Holdnerness Vikings, Myton Warriors, Beverley Braves and Cottingham Tigers will also be visited.
The likes of Scott Taylor, Jack Brown, Ben Mcnamara, Joe Cator and Jacob Hookem have been involved in the camps so far and more will be expected to help out in the coming days.
Hull offered 800 hours of free camps to over 1,100 local children through the summer school holiday and the club have the same goal of helping them keep active throughout this half-term.
“We’ve offered free camp places to community clubs to try and get as many kids playing and learning some new skills,” foundation coach Sam French said.
“During lockdown quite a lot was restricted so we’re trying to give the clubs those opportunities they missed.
“We’ve got the junior camps which have filled up really well and the elite camps where it’s probably a bit more skills based, and it will help them when they go back to the community teams and gives them something different to work on.
“We enjoy doing as much as we can in the community and showcasing what rugby league can offer. We’ve had a good uptake of numbers during the October half-term, especially in the older age group.”
Regarding camps in the future French added: “We’re going to sit down after this week and review it and speak about areas we can improve on.
“We’ll put together a plan for Christmas and next year we’ll be looking to increase our community club engagement as much we can.”
Brown and Hookem helped out at East Hull, the amateur club they both started at, on Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re here to help the coaches, show our faces and get involved in the youth,” Brown said.
“I played here. East Hull will always have link to me and my dad still helps out there, I’ll always give back when I can.”