Captain Lewie Coyle pledged his future to Hull City earlier this month when he signed a new contract. The family name is synonymous with sporting success, but to people in the city, the Coyles are known for much more than that.
“Two for four pounds English strawberries,” bellows Lewie, under the canopy of his family fruit stall in Hull city centre. It’s a familiar noise for those walking along King Edward Street, with their hoods and umbrellas up on a grey, rainy day.
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But not from Lewie, who assures me this is a one-off as he takes me around the city centre recalling his life and love of Hull.
“I’m 30 years of age and I’m more nervous doing it now then when I was 12 or 13,” he says.
“I used to hate doing this as a kid, my dad would get me to do it as my mates where walking past and I felt dead embarrassed.
“My old man’s fruit and veg stall is a big reason why I’m here today. That place gave us a living and a platform to bring me and my three brothers up.”
Chris Coyle, surrounded by his four sons, from left, Tommy, Rocco, Joe and Lewie [Family Handout]
Looking up to the sky, Lewie takes a breath: “Wherever he is now, I’m sure he looks down with immense pride and everything he did for me as a kid was for the right reasons.
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“He didn’t always show his emotion. He wasn’t the type to ever put his arm around us and tell us he loved us, but if he called you ‘son’ when you did something good it was a sign he loved us and was proud of us. It was the most powerful word.”
He pauses for a moment: “My brother, Joe, said that at his funeral.”
The Coyle and Sons stall, which has been running for more than 30 years, was set up by his father, Chris Coyle, who died in 2022.
“It’s not nice that the old man’s not stood behind it as he usually would be, which is tough at times, but between us all as a family, this stall will be here for as long as it can be,” he insists.
Three of the four Coyle brothers standing next to their dad, Chris, from left, Tommy, Lewie and Joe [Family Handout]
Lewie comes from a sporting background. His brother Tommy was a Commonwealth lightweight champion boxer, Joe is a PGA golf professional and the youngest of the four, Rocco, is following Lewie’s path and is in the Hull City under 21s.
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Between them, they have shown their support to the city by giving back.
Lewie runs the Lewie Coyle Football Academy, coaching hundreds of young boys and girls each week, while Tommy annually hands out free school uniforms as part of his charity work. He was recently given the freedom of the city.
As we continue our walk around the centre, Lewie cannot help but glance up at the grand City Hall building.
“Our Tom fought in there loads of times,” he remembers with pride.
“He used to sell it out. You used to be able to get about 1500 people in there.”
I asked him if it was nerve-wracking watching his brother fight in front of such a large audience?
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He replies: “I find it more nerve-wracking when one of my brothers is doing something, because I’m not in control of it. With football, it’s me, it’s me who’s in control. But, our Tom fighting, I can’t do anything to help him.”
We are stopped by supporters as we cross the road towards Whitefriargate and he poses for pictures, before asking some of the younger fans about City’s upcoming matches.
This meeting helps him reflect on his own childhood dream of becoming a footballer.
Although his ambition was to play for Hull City, his first break came as a youngster at Leeds United.
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“My dad would take me to football, back and forth up and down the motorway for years.
“I used to get the bus back from my school, we used to have to pack the fruit and veg stall up quickly to get to Leeds in time for training.”
Lewie credits his dad’s support as a young player learning his trade at Leeds United as a key factor behind more than 300 professional appearances [Family Handout]
As we pass the HMV store, he pauses again and cannot help but reminisce once more: “I loved buying CDs from HMV if my mum or dad gave me any pocket money.
“I used to always try and get Mighty Ducks on DVD. It’s an ice hockey film, it was me and my brothers’ favourite.
“That was back in the days before Apple Music… oh no, I’m showing my age.”
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Staring at some of the empty shops, Lewie adds: “I know how hard it is in this city.
“We all struggle at times. Again, life’s tough and especially here, there’s not always been an awful lot going on.”
Pointing towards Queen’s Gardens, he admits he has not “always been a saint”, getting in the occasional “spot of bother” growing up, but adds: “Hull has my heart, I’m a Hull boy through and through.
“I love my city and I would not want to finish my career anywhere else.
“I’m just a lad from Bilton and my dream came true.”
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