Hull City Memorabilia Day
We dropped in on the Senior Tigers Club for a walk down memory lane at its Memorabilia Day.
There have been more than a few ups and downs in Hull City’s colourful history.
From being locked out of Boothferry Park by bailiffs to resurgence at the KCOM and promotion to the Premier League, it’s fair to say the club’s fans have been on a roller coaster ride since City’s formation in 1904.
For many of the club’s older fans a lifetime of loyalty to the Tigers has brought with it many treasured memories.
Now, despite being on the mature side, members of the Senior Tigers Club are turning to the latest technology to create a digital archive of photographs, memories and memorabilia celebrating 114 years of footballing devotion.
The Senior Tigers is a supporters’ club for Hull City fans over the age of 55. The group, which has more than 200 members, holds monthly meetings and social gatherings based on a shared love of all things black and amber.
The new online archive is currently being collated, scanned or photographed and preserved by members of the club and is now being put on public display at www.seniortigers.org.uk.
Among the treasures fans will soon be able to peruse are pictures of every Hull City team since 1904, match day snapshots, scans of vintage club strips and old signs saved from directors’ box at Boothferry Road.
Rob Wilson, the Senior Tigers’ web coordinator, is the man charged with preserving decades of city memories for posterity.
Speaking at a memorabilia event at the KCOM Stadium, he said: “It’s been a great day, the turnout has been amazing. The idea was to get as many fans down with their old photos and memorabilia as possible and scan or photograph it in for the archive.
“We’ve seen an absolute treasure trove brought in – things we never knew were out there. I think my personal favourites were some of the personal items that belonged to Andy “Jock” Davidson, who was City’s all-time record appearance holder. His daughter brought in Jock’s pass book which the players used to have to show to get into the stadium.
“And Roy Bly, who’s the son of Hull legendary goalkeeper Billy Bly, brought in the signage from the sweet shop he ran after he retired.”
Rob added that the new archive was a labour of love for those involved which will take years of painstaking work to pull together. Many of the photographs in the archive will be indexed and linked to a whole host of match stats and information.
“It will be a massive resource for Tigers fans when it’s finished. We’re basically using the modern resources available to us to create a comprehensive catalogue of the history of the club.
“Sometimes when I look at the scale of what we have to do – the sheer volume of memorabilia we have to scan or photograph and catalogue – it's going to be a massive undertaking.
“But I think it’s really important that we do this now and record all this history for future generations before it’s lost for ever. There really are some incredible memories here.”
For more details about the Senior Tigers Club visit www.seniortigers.org.uk