Hull FC are delighted to announce the appointment of Richard Tate as the club’s new Head of Youth.
One of the British game’s most highly-rated youth development coaches, Tate will head up with the club’s rapidly expanding Centre of Excellence programme and oversee the club’s entire youth system.
Tate, who first joined the club over a decade ago, has gained a wealth of experience in various roles across the sport over the past 15 years, and has played a significant role in producing some of the club’s, and the sport’s brightest young talents.
Tate began his youth development career with the Bradford Bulls Foundation and their clubs’ Scholarship programme in 2010, before moving to the Black & Whites in 2014 as the club’s Schools Development Manager.
He returned to West Yorkshire for a two-year spell with Leeds Rhinos in a similar position, before heading back to East Yorkshire in 2017 to take on the club’s School Sports Partnership Manager position within the club’s Community Foundation – Tate stepped into the position of Sport, Health and Wellbeing Manager in 2020, before becoming FC’s Player Performance Manager and Scholarship programme lead in 2021.
Tate has also worked in various other positions across the sport, including as Head Coach of the Great Britain Students Rugby League Pioneers side, leading the side on inaugural tours of Morocco, Ghana, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Hungary between 2013 and 2016, and as Assistant (2017) and Head Coach (2018-2022) of the England Universities Rugby League side, including during the Student Rugby League World Cup in Australia in 2017.
With vast experience of developing youth from within many different sporting environments, as well as supporting young people from areas away from Rugby League, Tate will step up to take charge of a youth system which now boasts over 120 of the regions most promising players across the Reserves, Academy, Scholarship and Development squads, alongside the growing plans for Womens, Girls and Disability teams.
Tate has created an excellent track record over the last few years in helping to identify and support some of the club’s brightest stars, and with the likes of Lewis Martin, Matty Laidlaw, Logan Moy, Jack Charles, and Davy Litten, all of whom have recently signed new deals with the club, having come through the club’s Centre of Excellence programme which Tate has played a key part in.
“Everything I do, I consider myself very fortunate to work in this great game, whilst working alongside some fantastic individuals.
“It’s a real honour to be given the opportunity to be the Head of Youth at a club the size of Hull FC.
“My focus and my main goal is to continue helping these young players in the best possible way – that’s my passion and I’m really determined to succeed in that.
“It’s not just about making them great Rugby League players, but it’s also about teaching our young players some valuable life skills, as well. I want them to be able to represent the club in the best possible way.
“I have to say that it was a privilege to work under Pete Riding over the last couple of years. Some of the insight he has given me is something I will take forward in this role and probably for the rest of my life.”
Hull FC’s Director of Rugby, Richie Myler, said: “Rich has been one of the most well-respected figures in youth Rugby League for some time now, and is a particularly highly-respected figure within the club itself.
“He has been around the game a long time, but he’s still hungry to learn and develop himself as a coach and leader, and I know he will instill that same desire into all of our young players across the club.
“We’re really excited to see him take the next step in his development at the club, and we’re confident that we will continue to see the stars of the future produced from our Centre of Excellence under his leadership.”
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