Founded in a rugby town, the men who started up Hull City initially managed to use the local Rugby League ground as their home when they set out in 1904. Having missed the deadline to apply for the Football League, the new club had to play only friendlies for their first 'season' before going professional in 1905, by which time they had moved to a cricket ground.The Tigers spent much of their early years in the second and third tiers of English football, with only a few FA Cup runs giving them a glimpse of the big time, reaching the semi-final in 1930. They made history in 1970 when they became the first team to lose a penalty shoot-out in a cup competition when Manchester United beat them in the Watney Mann Invitation Cup.
Financial problems hindered the club's progress in the 1980s and 1990s, but back-to-back promotions in 2003/04 and 2004/05 set them back on track and 2007/08 saw Phil Brown lead Hull to the top tier in English football for the first time in their history with promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs.
