Andrew Thirkill’s first words to fans after striking Hull FC takeover deal

Andrew Thirkill has addressed Hull FC fans for the first time having struck a deal to purchase the club from current owner and chairman Adam Pearson. The deal was announced this afternoon, with Pearson confirming in a statement that Thirkill, a former president of Leeds Rhinos, and David Hood OBE entering a period of exclusivity.

It’s a deal that brings an end to 13 years of ownership for Pearson, who purchased the Black and Whites in 2011 and led the club to two Challenge Cup final wins. Pearson will be staying on in a consultancy role in order to help the new board get their feet under the table.

It’s hoped that with the significant investment of Thirkill and Hood that Hull can return to the upper echelons of the Super League after spending several years of struggling for traction at the bottom end of the ladder.

Speaking at the Hull FC fans’ forum at the University of Hull’s Middleton Hall, Thirkill said: “I’m delighted to be here. It’s the start of an exciting journey, it happened very quickly.

“Adam approached me about six months ago, wrote me an amazing letter which I found of great interest. We had a brief meeting and Rich (Myler) ended up being the director of rugby from that meeting. Rich has loved the job and talked to me about the club and how big it is.

“I came across in September for a game against Salford, we got well beaten but the fans were fantastic. I was in awe of the support of the club. I had a great time at Leeds but I thought there was no skin in the game, it was an ambassadorial role and I thought I wanted to go to the next level. Business background, relatively successful, I looked at Hull and thought I could make something of this. It’s a great rugby league city and club.

“I’m really excited, I know David Hood who I’m working with on the project is too. I don’t know what the future holds. I’ve no idea, if we’re as successful as Adam has been, three Wembley finals in five years and two Challenge Cups, we’ll be extremely happy but that’s all in the future.”