Pete Riding outlines Hull FC youth goals as Francis Cummins appointment explained
Pete Riding is convinced that Hull FC have made the right appointment in Francis Cummins. After an extensive search, the club have landed the 47-year-old as their new Head of Emerging Talent, with Riding working alongside Cummins as the Black and Whites' Head of Youth.
The duo will now strive to continue Hull's recent progress with their youth departments, which includes two consecutive semi-final finishes in the Academy Championship and an 'Outstanding' rated set-up by the RFL.
Replacing Michael Shenton, Cummins, a former professional player with Leeds Rhinos, started his new role on Monday, with Riding confident he has the right man to turn his visions, one of which is turning Hull FC into the best youth system in the country, into a reality.
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"We're delighted with the appointment," Riding told Hull Live. "I sat down with Francis last week, and his views and vision for where we can take the club forward are very much aligned with Tony Smith and myself. Along with his experience as a head coach and a development coach, it just ticks all the boxes for what we want our programme to look like going forward.
"Francis' appointment wasn't a rush; even though we started our pre-season this week, we were prepared to take as long as we needed to. It was a matter of going through all the people that we identified, sitting down with them, and making sure they were right for us. Ultimately, I think we've made the right appointment, and it's exciting for us now to see if we can build on the good work that's been done.
"As I've said numerous times, my vision for the youth department at Hull FC is to be the best in the country that consistently produces players for our first-team. I think with Francis coming on board, it will only help us achieve that."
Optimistic for the future, the next steps for Riding, Cummins, and co. are to ensure that Hull's visions come to fruit, with the challenge of nurturing club-produced players, eight of whom joined the senior squad for pre-season training, into the first team.
"We've got a number of high-quality players in our system," Riding continued. "We need to ensure that we help fulfil their potential and also, at the same time, create opportunities for them to play at the highest level. For all our policies within our organisation, that's what it's all about. We want to produce good players and good people.
"The eight lads that have started pre-season, they're very grounded, they're very humble, and they understand that they've got to build everything off of hard work. In a first-team environment, they're going to get better and better, and it'll be fantastic to see where they are now compared to where they'll be in February or March. As long as they stay healthy, I'm sure they will get better, and let's hope that sooner rather than later, they'll be knocking on the door of the first-team."
Riding also paid tribute to Shenton, whom he has worked with for the last two seasons, with the former Castleford Tigers player joining Daryl Powell at Wakefield Trinity as his assistant coach.
"Michael did some fantastic work, and we're grateful for that," Riding added. "We wish him all the very best for the next chapter of his coaching career.
"It was a bit of a shock, but rugby league is all about opportunity. They come at different times and at different stages. Michael got the opportunity to work with Daryl at a senior level, and I can fully understand why he has taken that. It's a great opportunity for his own development going forward.
"I've been through this situation many times before, and it was just a matter of us getting our backsides in gear, speaking to a few people we know in the game, and identifying a number of coaches who we knew would add value. Francis' values and philosophies seemed a natural fit for us; we're very happy, and with the support of Adam Pearson and James Clark, we got it over the line."