Rugby league honours: Anger at no knighthoods in 130 years-OxBig News Network

Rugby league authorities say their gamers have been “poorly handled” by the honours system, as stress grows for a primary knighthood or damehood for the game.

The sport has gone 130 years with out such an honour.

“It is shocking and disappointing that the related authorities have nonetheless not deemed anybody worthy of a knighthood or damehood for his or her providers to rugby league,” mentioned a spokesperson for the Rugby Football League, which governs the game.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, added his voice, telling BBC News the shortage of rugby league knighthoods “can’t be proper” when different sports activities, together with rugby union, have had such honours “fairly frequently”.

The chief of a cross-party group of MPs who help rugby league has steered the “scandal” of the shortage of prime honours for stars of the game was linked to snobbery and sophistication prejudice.

“This, I think, is as a result of they arrive from working class backgrounds, did not go to the precise colleges, and did not combine in the precise social circles,” mentioned David Baines, chair of the all-party Parliamentary rugby league group.

“Well sufficient is sufficient. It’s 2025, and myself and different MPs are clear it is time for issues to vary.”

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who’s a former president of the Rugby Football League, mentioned: “Rugby league has an extended and proud historical past and is affected by examples of gamers who’ve excelled within the sport and impressed future generations to play the sport.”

He says there’s something incorrect when the game “can’t boast one single participant, over its 130-year historical past, who has acquired a knighthood”.

“I wish to see rugby league given the popularity it deserves and hope this shall be addressed within the close to future,” mentioned the Speaker.

In distinction, rugby union, typically seen as having extra center class roots, has been getting knighthoods for greater than 100 years. Among newer rugby knights was Sir Bill Beaumont, awarded “for providers to rugby union soccer” in 2018.

There have been many different sporting knighthoods and damehoods, together with in athletics, yachting, soccer, golf, tennis, horse racing, biking and rowing.

Next weekend will see the game’s showcase Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.

And talking on behalf of the MPs’ rugby league group, Mr Baines mentioned the shortage of such an honour for rugby league was an unfairness to “a few of Britain’s best sporting heroes”.

That included “legends of the sport who overcame racial and sophistication prejudice similar to Billy Boston and Clive Sullivan, to fashionable heroes on and off the pitch like Kevin Sinfield,” mentioned Mr Baines.

England star Kevin Sinfield has raised greater than £10m operating for causes associated to motor neurone illness, in reminiscence of his late teammate Rob Burrow.

Billy Boston was a celebrated Welsh-born rugby league participant from the Nineteen Fifties and Sixties, who’s now aged 90. A petition was launched earlier this 12 months to award him a knighthood.

“We do consider rugby league has traditionally been poorly handled by way of recognition in numerous methods, together with honours lists,” mentioned a spokesman for the Rugby Football League.

There have been honours, similar to CBEs and OBEs, however no knighthoods. The Prince of Wales personally gave Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow their CBEs last year on the floor in Leeds the place they used to play.

A BBC analysis earlier this year revealed {that a} disproportionately low variety of prime honours, similar to knighthoods and damehoods, had been going to folks from the north of England and dealing class backgrounds – which overlaps with the rugby league heartlands.

In the latest New Year Honours solely 6% of upper awards went to folks within the north of England and 4% to folks from working-class backgrounds.

The authorities has recognised there are issues with under-representation within the honours and an impartial chair is being recruited to enhance range and outreach.

“The authorities desires to make sure that the honours system displays the range of UK society. Anyone can nominate somebody who has made an distinctive contribution to be recognised,” mentioned a authorities spokesman.