Hull City AFC is an English football club from the city of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire nicknamed the Tigers.  Formed in 1904, the club defied the popularity of the rugby code in the area by using rugby grounds and attracting enthusiastic crowds.  After having played 44 friendly fixtures the previous season, Hull City were finally admitted into the Football League Second Division for the 1905–06 season.  Since then the club – based at Boothferry Park – have spent most of its existence in all three lower divisions.  Hull's greatest achievement in cup competitions during the nineteenth century was in 1930, when they reached the FA Cup semi-finals where they lost to Arsenal.  After claiming the Third Division (North) title in 1933, Hull enjoyed something of a golden era in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when players in the side included Raich Carter and Don Revie.  They captured another Third Division (North) championship in 1949 but were unable to retain their place in the Second Division for long as they bounced between the second and third tiers of English football during the following three decades. High points were the promotion seasons from the Third to the Second Division in 1959 and 1966. Hull also became the first team in the world to go out of a cup competition on penalties when they lost to  Manchester United in the semi-final of the Watney Cup on 1 August 1970. By the early 1980s, Hull were in the Fourth Division, and financial collapse led to receivership. The club bounced back with promotion to Division Three in 1983, and then to the Second Division in 1985. They remained there for the next six years before finally going down in 1991.  A series of relegation near misses followed before fresh investment saw a dramatic improvement in the club’s fortunes. 

Hull were  Division Three runners-up in 2003–04 and League One runners-up in 2004–05. These back-to-back promotions took them into the Championship, the second tier of English football. After almost reaching the First Division under manager Terry Neill in the 1970s, Hull City finally reached the top flight of English football in 2007 managed by Phil Brown.  Strong favourites to be relegated in their first season, they managed to survive on the last day of the season at the expense of Newcastle United. They were not so fortunate the following season which saw them relegated along with Portsmouth and Burnley. They returned to the top tier of English football in 2013 under manager Steve Bruce.  Having secured their place in the premiership, Bruce then took them to the FA Cup Final for the first time in the club’s history in 2014 which they lost -23 to Arsenal in a memorable match. They were relegated the following year, but bounced back after one season, defeating Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off final at Wembley. The club were relegated from the Premier League in 2016-17. A couple of brushes with relegation followed before the club slipped in League One at the end of the 2019-20 season.  Hull were promoited back to the Championship at the first time of asking as League One Champions.