Rugby league honours: Anger at no knighthoods in 130 years

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

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

“It’s stunning 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 Soccer League, which governs the game.

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

The chief of a cross-party group of MPs who help rugby league has steered the “scandal” of the shortage of high 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 appropriate faculties, and did not combine in the appropriate social circles,” mentioned David Baines, chair of the all-party Parliamentary rugby league group.

“Effectively sufficient is sufficient. It is 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 Soccer League, mentioned: “Rugby league has an extended and proud historical past and is plagued by examples of gamers who’ve excelled within the sport and impressed future generations to play the sport.”

He says there’s something unsuitable 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. Amongst more moderen rugby knights was Sir Invoice 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.

Subsequent weekend will see the game’s showcase Problem Cup Ultimate 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 biggest sporting heroes”.

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

England star Kevin Sinfield has raised greater than £10m working 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 Fifties and Sixties, who’s now aged 90. A petition was launched earlier this yr 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 Soccer League.

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

A BBC evaluation earlier this yr revealed {that a} disproportionately low variety of high honours, akin to knighthoods and damehoods, have been going to folks from the north of England and dealing class backgrounds – which overlaps with the rugby league heartlands.

In the newest New 12 months Honours solely 6% of upper awards went to folks within the north of England and 4% to folks from working-class backgrounds.

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

“The federal government needs to make sure that the honours system displays the variety of UK society. Anybody can nominate somebody who has made an distinctive contribution to be recognised,” mentioned a authorities spokesman.