Hull City Tigresses building from the ground up as they cast controversy aside

In a largely miserable season for women's football in Yorkshire, the Tigresses consolidated the previous year's promotion into National League North, only to be beset by off-field controversy.

Then-chairman Daniel Johnson asked the Football Association (FA) to relegate his club after he was accused of financial misdemeanours and other misconduct currently being investigated. It is rare for a third-tier women's club to make national headlines, but that sort of publicity that could easily scare off players and sponsors. Despite their name, Hull are not affiliated with the Championship men's club.

But with Johnson gone as chairman, Costello is back for a third spell - his first as an administrator - and Hull-born Carol Thomas - the first England player to win 50 women's caps - has also returned. The team are back playing in the East Riding, in North Ferriby, and hope to concentrate fully on being a football club.

A big part is providing more opportunities for young talent to follow the likes of Thomas and Manchester City and England's Jess Park.

"Apart from the things that have occurred historically in relation to finance, actually it's quite stable," insists Costello, a two-time former manager of the club.

"The first team are going to be playing at tier three again next year, which is a very good standard.

"But in addition to that, the club is actually pushing on and enhancing our youth pathway.

"Last year we had a pathway which was only in accordance with the Emerging Talent Centre, which is funded for under-nines to under-12. We're actually going to pay for it ourselves up to under-16. Our under-13s to under-16s will now play competitive football, some in boys' leagues. And then we're going to fund a development squad.

"Instead of girls trying to break into the first team where it's nigh on impossible for a 16-year-old to be playing tier-three football unless they are exceptional, we're going to have a development squad in the reserve league."

With plenty of youth development on his CV, it is no surprise Costello sees that as important, and he wants to do it in tandem with, not competition with, grassroots football.

"If we want sustainability, we do need to develop our own players within the city," he insists.

"There's a lot of good stuff going on at grassroots level, there's good teams, a good league for the girls, but we want to take them at that foundation phase in conjunction with their grassroots team so they come to us for further training, not that you can't play for your local team anymore. We've got UEFA-qualified coaches.

"There is another Jess Park in Hull that we've got to find and if they are too good for Hull City Ladies, we sell them.

"If you're developing a Jessica Park, she's going to go off into Women's Super League, so if we want to retain a player of that quality, we have to be probably in the next tier up.

"There is a lot of ambition for Hall City Ladies to eventually get into tier two.

"It's the 12 biggest city in the United Kingdom, it will have players that could be developed to play at a very high level. We've just got to make sure we can get those players but it's just so difficult when it's only one team promoted.

"A lot of it will be down to funding, which is one of the things we're looking at now. We need more money.

"With the allegations about the financial state of the club we're fortunate a lot of the sponsors who sponsored us last year have put considerable sums in - tens, 20,000s of pounds.

"They can see something is going to happen here and they want to be part of it. We need more." But the 60-year-old is not limiting himself to that.

"I've been tasked to sort out the medical side because we had eight ACL injuries last year," he says.

"We need to make them athletes first so they're resilient to falling, jumping, landing incorrectly, turning, pushing off on one foot.

"I talk as if I'm the only person doing any work here, but I am surrounded by good people. Chris Hames, the first-team manager, is superb. Alex Robinson, the club secretary, superb. The ETC manager, Mike Walsh - these people have got Hull City Ladies at their heart.

"This is probably the most difficult job I've had. Only one part is trying to remove this negativity.

"A lot of people rang me on my very first day and said get Carol Thomas back. She was club ambassador but with everything that went on, she stepped down. So one of the first things we said was right, the old regime's gone, Carol, you're back.

"People want us to play in Hull. We've listened, we're coming back to the East Riding.

"Hopefully that will encourage more people to come, so we get more gate receipts. Without money, you can't do anything.

"I wanted to finish with Brid(lington Town, men) at the end of 2023-24, I was talked into coming back when I wanted to retire for the third time.

"When it all went south in August, I said, that's it for me

"But I was starting to miss being around football.

"I am quite a hyperactive person. I do need that challenge, I do need to be invigorated."