Hull FC captain Danny Houghton has signed a two-year contract extension with his hometown club.
The long serving skipper will become one of the club’s leading appearance makers of all-time as prepares to see out his career at the KCOM Stadium until at least the end of the 2022 campaign.
Having represented the Black & Whites for fourteen seasons, Houghton has played a major role in the club’s recent success, playing in all six of the club’s semi-final appearances in league and cup since 2016.
Twice they have gone on to enjoy finals success, including Houghton’s famous last gasp tackle to clinch Hull FC’s first Challenge Cup title at Wembley Stadium – a now iconic cup moment.
That same year, he was named as the Steve Prescott Man of Steel, becoming the first Hull player to win the award.
Houghton helped the Black & Whites defend their Challenge Cup title in 2017, and the hooker’s allegiance to his boyhood club was rewarded with the captaincy from the 2018 season.
He will once again lead out his team this Thursday as the Black & Whites take on Wigan Warriors in the Betfred Super League play-off semi-final, with the prospect of captaining the side in a Grand Final on home turf at the KCOM Stadium, where he grew up watching the club play.
After recently clocking up his 350th Hull FC appearance, Houghton is thrilled to continue his career with the club he has supported since a young age.
“I’m over the moon. I’m very happy to have got the deal done and continue playing for the club I love,” he said.
“The club has always looked after me and I’m always proud to pull that jersey on. Hopefully I can continue to do that in some big games in the next couple of years, especially tomorrow.
“To get to the Grand Final would be the icing on the cake. But we know what’s in front of us tomorrow – Wigan in finals footy are up there as one of the best sides at it. But we know we are going to give it our absolute best for 80 minutes.
“Coming off the bench has taken a little bit of the sting out of games for me lately. With me coming on at the same sort of time as Ligi and Chris, the games have been opening up for us, so I’m really enjoying it at the moment.”
Houghton has won the Super League Hitman award in five seasons for completing the most tackles in a Super League campaign, becoming hugely respected across the game as one of Super League’s most hard-working and committed players.
Despite playing fewer minutes in 2020 following the emergence of youngster Jordan Johnstone, Houghton is still in the top ten Super League players for tackles completed this season.
The influence of the long-serving captain is not lost on interim Head Coach Andy Last, who is pleased to see Houghton extend his time with the club.
“We’re really pleased to announce the extension for Danny. He’s a fantastic player, a great club man and a real inspirational leader for the group,” Last said.
“His form doesn’t drop off, which is a measure of his consistency.
“His role has changed a little bit during my time in charge. I moved him back to the bench because of his ability to change the course of a game when he comes off the bench.
“His run threat and his footballing ability makes him a really good all-round player and we’re far better for having him in the team.”
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