Frank Foster
rugby league player
- April 25, 1940
- December 20, 2019
- 79 years
About Frank Foster
Frank Foster, 79, English rugby league player and coach.
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Full Biography
|Frank Foster (25 April 1940 – 20 December 2019) born in Maryport was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Cumberland, and at club level for Workington Town, Hull Kingston Rovers, Bradford Northern, Barrow and Oldham, as a loose forward and coached at club level for Barrow and Whitehaven.
Playing career
Workington Town
Foster started his professional career with Workington Town, who signed him in 1958. He played for the club until 1965, when he was signed by Hull Kingston Rovers for a fee of £6,500.
Hull Kingston Rovers
Frank Foster played at second-row in Hull Kingston Rovers' 25–12 victory over Featherstone Rovers in the 1966 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley, Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1966, and played as an interchange replacing John Hickson) in the 8–7 victory over Hull F.C. in the 1967 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley on Saturday 14 October 1967.
Later career
In 1968, Foster was sold to Bradford Northern for a fee of £5,000, with Geoff Wriglesworth and Terry Clawson transferring from Bradford to Hull KR as part of the deal. A year later, Foster was signed by Barrow for a transfer fee of £6,000. He finished his playing career with Oldham.
Representative honours
Frank Foster won a cap for Great Britain while at Hull Kingston Rovers in 1967, against Australia.
Frank Foster represented Cumberland on 8 occasions.
Coaching career
1973 saw Barrow appoint their former player, Foster as coach. He built a side which won the Second Division championship in 1975/76, and reached a John Player Trophy Final in 1981, only to lose 5–12 to Warrington. Phil Hogan was transferred to Hull Kingston Rovers in 1978 for a then world record fee of £33,000. Barrow fluctuated between divisions and Foster was eventually replaced by Tommy Dawes in April 1983. The same year Foster was appointed coach at Whitehaven where he remained in charge until the summer of 1985.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Foster_(rugby_league)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 5, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Frank Foster's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what town was Frank Foster born?
- A.Maryportcorrect
- B.Bradford
- C.Workington
- D.Whitehaven
Frank Foster was born in Maryport on 25 April 1940.
Source: biographical introduction
2.During which decades did Frank Foster play professional rugby league football?
- A.1960s and 1970scorrect
- B.1970s and 1980s
- C.1950s and 1960s
- D.1950s and 1980s
Frank Foster played professional rugby league football in the 1960s and 1970s.
Source: biographical introduction
3.At which position did Frank Foster typically play during his professional career?
- A.Loose forwardcorrect
- B.Fullback
- C.Prop
- D.Scrum-half
Frank Foster played as a loose forward throughout his professional career.
Source: biographical introduction
4.Which professional rugby league club did Frank Foster first join in 1958?
- A.Bradford Northern
- B.Hull Kingston Rovers
- C.Oldham
- D.Workington Towncorrect
Frank Foster started his professional career with Workington Town, who signed him in 1958.
Source: playing career, Workington Town section
5.For what transfer fee was Frank Foster signed by Hull Kingston Rovers in 1965?
- A.£6,000
- B.£6,500correct
- C.£7,000
- D.£5,000
Frank Foster was signed by Hull Kingston Rovers in 1965 for a fee of £6,500.
Source: playing career, Workington Town section
6.How many times did Frank Foster represent Cumberland?
- A.10 occasions
- B.12 occasions
- C.8 occasionscorrect
- D.5 occasions
Frank Foster represented the Cumberland team on a total of 8 occasions.
Source: representative honours section
7.Against which nation did Frank Foster win his Great Britain cap in 1967?
- A.Australiacorrect
- B.South Africa
- C.New Zealand
- D.France
Frank Foster won a cap for Great Britain in 1967 while playing against Australia.
Source: representative honours section
8.Which team did Frank Foster play for immediately after leaving Bradford Northern?
- A.Workington Town
- B.Oldham
- C.Barrowcorrect
- D.Whitehaven
After being sold to Bradford Northern in 1968, Frank Foster was signed by Barrow one year later.
Source: playing career, later career section
9.Who were the two players transferred to Hull Kingston Rovers as part of the deal for Frank Foster in 1968?
- A.John Hickson and Geoff Wriglesworth
- B.Terry Clawson and John Hickson
- C.Geoff Wriglesworth and Terry Clawsoncorrect
- D.Phil Hogan and Tommy Dawes
Geoff Wriglesworth and Terry Clawson transferred from Bradford to Hull KR as part of the deal for Frank Foster.
Source: playing career, later career section
10.In which city did Frank Foster play in the 1966 Yorkshire Cup Final?
- A.Leedscorrect
- B.Workington
- C.Bradford
- D.Hull
Frank Foster played in the 1966 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley, which is located in Leeds.
Source: playing career, Hull Kingston Rovers section
11.In what year did the Barrow side coached by Frank Foster win the Second Division championship?
- A.1978/79
- B.1975/76correct
- C.1980/81
- D.1973/74
Frank Foster coached Barrow to a Second Division championship victory in the 1975/76 season.
Source: coaching career section
12.Who replaced Frank Foster as the coach of Barrow in April 1983?
- A.Geoff Wriglesworth
- B.Tommy Dawescorrect
- C.Phil Hogan
- D.John Hickson
Frank Foster was replaced by Tommy Dawes as coach of Barrow in April 1983.
Source: coaching career section
13.For which team did Frank Foster serve as coach until the summer of 1985?
- A.Whitehavencorrect
- B.Oldham
- C.Workington Town
- D.Bradford Northern
Frank Foster was appointed coach at Whitehaven in 1983 and remained there until the summer of 1985.
Source: coaching career section
14.In what year did Frank Foster die?
- A.2019correct
- B.2017
- C.2021
- D.2015
Frank Foster passed away on 20 December 2019.
Source: biographical introduction
15.For which club did Phil Hogan transfer to Hull Kingston Rovers for a record fee in 1978?
- A.Oldham
- B.Whitehaven
- C.Barrowcorrect
- D.Bradford Northern
Phil Hogan was transferred from Barrow to Hull Kingston Rovers in 1978 for a then world record fee of £33,000.
Source: coaching career section
16.At which club did Frank Foster finish his professional playing career?
- A.Whitehaven
- B.Hull Kingston Rovers
- C.Oldhamcorrect
- D.Barrow
Frank Foster finished his professional playing career with the club Oldham.
Source: playing career, later career section
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