Former Hull FC youngster seals Championship switch for 2026
Jude Ferreira in action for London Broncos in 2022
Ex-Hull FC young gun Jude Ferreira has joined Championship outfit Newcastle Thunder from Super League side York ahead of 2026, becoming the latest in a growing line of players to follow that same path.
York and Newcastle, along with NRL heavyweights Penrith Panthers, are involved in a three-year partnership.
As part of the agreement, emerging players in the North East are given a route into Super League with York, while the Knights can send their fringe players to Newcastle to get game time at Championship level.
Over this winter, Bailey Antrobus, Sam Cook and Joe Law have already made a permanent move to Thunder from York as part of the agreement, and centre Ferreira has joined that list.
Elsewhere, Leo Tennison was snapped up by Newcastle following his release from Super League champions Hull KR, and it’s believed that move has also been engineered with a view to him forming part of York’s squad eventually.
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Former Hull FC youngster Jude Ferreira seals Championship switch for 2026
Wales representative Ferreira, who came through the youth ranks at Hull but departed without ever playing a first-team game, spent a sole season at York.
Joining the Knights ahead of the 2025 campaign, he went on to score one try in three appearances across all competitions for Mark Applegarth’s side.
Helping York to the Championship League Leaders’ Shield, that sole try came for the 24-year-old in a 36-12 win over Barrow Raiders in March, and was the 25th of his career at senior level.
He also scored two in a loan stint at London Broncos in 2022, and 22 during Hunslet’s promotion-winning League 1 campaign in 2024.
With 41 senior appearances now on Ferreira’s CV, Newcastle head coach Graham Steadman hailed his arrival in the North East, saying: “Jude has got the right mindset to fit into our 2026 squad and offers some strike from the outside-backs.
“Once fully recovered from injury, we’re confident he’ll add real competition and quality to our squad, and I am looking forward to working with him.”
