HCST Board of Directors

Nick Thompson (Chair)

Nick is married to Deborah with three children – Hannah, David & Esther – and five grandchildren and counting.
His experience encompasses national media – News International and Mirror Group; technology – KC, Gradwell, The Phone Coop and StyleTech; FinTech and Football – Hull City & Bath City.
Living in Elsham, Nick is a member, with a seat in the West Stand.  He is a trustee for two national charities and is also supporting the launch of Teqball GB as well as doing his best to support Deborah with looking after his grandchildren, doing his best to seed a love of football in them.
Outside of football Nick plays chess, reads a lot and is a film buff.
He identifies his faith as the  more important aspect in his life followed by family and then football.
Favourite Player:  Ian Ashbee. 
I included Ash on my Top 3 players of all time in a Quora answer on football.  My rationale was the only player to captain a club in each one of the four English professional tiers; came back from two season long career threatening injuries and was still one of that select band of players who had the character, will to win and sheer chutzpah to say to his team ‘c’mon lets win this’ and they would be sufficiently scared of him to go and do it.  A rare talent and leader and a good bloke.
First game:  Remarkably I remember, well I remembered when prompted by my uncle, that he took me to a pre-season friendly at some point in the 60’s – I was around 8 or 9, when Hull City AFC, The Tigers, played away at Holbeach Town, The Tigers.  First game ever most likely.  However, I fell in love with City away at Preston on a Friday night, 12th of November 2010.  We got battered for 85 minutes yet won 2-0, Richard Garcia scored one and made another.  The win took us out of the relegation zone.  I remember driving there through biblical rain, being diverted off the M62 and arriving just in time for kick-off.  At the end I stood there thinking ‘this is me, I am a Tiger’.  Strange these moments when you fall in love.

Russell Anson

russell.anson@hullcityst.com

Currently in exile in the South of England, Russell has supported Hull City since the mid 80’s.

Working in the digital sector, Russell helps the board with marketing, PR and website challenges.

As other, Russell was a passionate supporter of the CTWD campaign and would like to see previous rifts between fans resolved with a joint, “together” approach moving forward with closer links to the Club.

First Game: Home vs Bradford City,  September 1981,  2-1. Nearly 4,000 at Boothferry PArk

All time favourite player: Tony Norman

Pete Fleming (Treasurer)

pete.fleming@hullcityst.com

Peter has had an interest in football for over 40 years.  His first Hull City match was the third round FA Cup win over West Ham in February 1973, but he quickly realised days like that came rarely.

Over the years he has supported sport in the city, being a Hull Kingston Rovers season ticket holder and going to see the Hull Vikings speedway team in their glory days of the 1970s.  Football always drew him back though, when matches could be fitted around work commitments.  A change in employment has freed up more time for him in recent years and so allowed greater involvement.  He has been a West Stand season ticket holder for three years and when the team are not playing or are away can often be found supporting the local non-league sides.

Peter is interested in the sustainable development of football from grass roots up through the whole pyramid and the greater involvement and engagement of fans in running the game.  He sees joining the Board as one way of being able to contribute to these activities.

He is a chartered accountant and has worked both in practice and industry in Hull and Grimsby.  He is currently working for an industrial rope manufacturer in Doncaster but still lives in Hull.

He too is a member of CAMRA!

Geoff Bielby

geoff.bielby@hullcityst.com

Geoff has been a Hull City fan since the mid 1960s. In late 2013 he discovered that his family’s involvement in the club goes back to the original directors who formed Hull City in 1904.

His involvement in helping organise the Huddersfield protest was his first of any kind with a fans’ organisation and it made him realise how under-represented Hull City fans were.

Geoff previously worked in a bank locally and then undertook managerial roles in the North-east and the Midlands, finally specialising in Employee Share Plans for 25 years. He left full-time employment in mid 2015. Now being semi-retired he devotes time to HCST. Those close to him say he is obsessed with football, though he prefers to call it passionate.

First game: City 3 v Grimsby Town 3 13th March 1965.

All-time favourite player: Ian Ashbee.

Mark Bateman

mark.bateman@hullcityst.com

Mark is 52 years old, and has been supporting Hull City for 45 years.

His first game was way back in 1977 against Sheffield United.

Mark has lived in the local area for most of his life and is currently a season ticket holder in E3 at present.

He carried out his apprenticeship at BAe Systems, in Brough Brough and is still working in the Aerospace industry.

Rachel Gay

rachel.gay@hullcityst.com

Rachel has played football since being in primary school, and went on to play for, and captain, Hull City Ladies when she was in her 20s.

When it was time for her to hang up her boots, she decided to take her coaching badges. This enabled her to take up the role of Head Coach and then the Manager of Hull City Ladies, during which time she led the team to two promotions, taking them to the third tier of Women’s Football in the 2017/18 season.

In 2020, after ten years coaching and managing the club, she decided to take a step back from her on field role to focus on family life.

Rachel is still the co-owner of the club, alongside Managing Director Danny Johnson, and plays an active role in helping the club move forward.

Rachel’s role on the Board is to liaise between the Trust and the Ladies Club, as well as provide the Board with insight into the women’s game in the Hull area and nationally.

Chris Smith

chris.smith@hullcityst.com

Born in the Raich Carter era and christened with his middle name as a third generation member of the Tiger Nation. Enjoyed a period as a perimeter advertising contractor to many of the current Premier League Clubs back in the 1980’s followed by several years service in local government as an elected member and chief officer.

Now in his second spell on the board to focus on delivering the Anlaby Road Tribute project.