Rugby Football League Hall of Fame explained
The Rugby League Hall of Fame honours the leading players of the sport of rugby league. It was established by the sport's governing body in the UK, the Rugby Football League, in 1988.[1] Players must have been retired for at least five years to be eligible; they must also have played at least ten years within the British game. Players are chosen for induction to the hall of fame by a panel consisting of sports writers, broadcasters and officials.[2]
Inductions to the hall of fame have been sporadic. Nine players were inducted when the hall was opened in 1988 and one more was added the following year. In 1995 the members of the hall of fame appeared on postage stamps released as part of Britain's centenary celebrations.[3] There were no new inductees until 2000, when three more players were introduced as part of the buildup to the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. A further four players were inducted in 2005, and four more in 2013 during the fourteenth World Cup.
The Hall of Fame is located at the George Hotel in Huddersfield, where a group of northern clubs met in 1895 and resolved to leave the Rugby Football Union to form their own body, which led to the development of the separate codes of rugby league and rugby union.[4]
Hall of Fame members
| width=5% | Inducted | width=20% | Player name | width=20% | Position | width=55% | Club(s) |
|---|
| 1988 | Billy Batten | | Hull |
| 1988 |  Brian Bevan | | Warrington |
| 1988 | Billy Boston | | Wigan, Blackpool Borough |
| 1988 | Alex Murphy | | St. Helens, Leigh, Warrington |
| 1988 | Jonty Parkin | | Wakefield Trinity, Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 1988 | Gus Risman | | Salford, Workington Town |
| 1988 | Albert Rosenfeld | | Huddersfield, Wakefield Trinity, Bradford Northern, Easts |
| 1988 | Jim Sullivan | | Wigan |
| 1988 | Harold Wagstaff | | Huddersfield |
| 1989 | Neil Fox | | Wakefield Trinity, Bradford Northern, Hull Kingston Rovers, York, Huddersfield |
| 2000 | Vince Karalius | | St. Helens, Widnes |
| 2000 | Roger Millward | | Castleford, Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 2000 |  Tom van Vollenhoven | | St. Helens |
| 2005 | Eric Ashton | | Wigan |
| 2005 | Douglas Clark | | Huddersfield |
| 2005 | Ellery Hanley | | Bradford Northern, Wigan, Leeds, Balmain, Western Suburbs |
| 2005 | Martin Hodgson | | Swinton |
| 2013 | Lewis Jones | | Leeds |
| 2013 | Martin Offiah | | Widnes, Wigan, Eastern Suburbs, St George Dragons, London Broncos, Salford City Reds |
| 2013 | Garry Schofield | , | Hull FC, Leeds, Balmain, Western Suburbs, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Bramley |
| 2013 | Mick Sullivan | | Huddersfield, Wigan, St. Helens, York, Dewsbury |
| 2014 | Willie Horne | | Oldham, Barrow |
| 2014 | Mal Reilly | | Castleford, Manly-Warringah |
| 2015 | Shaun Edwards | , | Wigan, Balmain, London, Bradford |
| 2015 | Albert Goldthorpe | , | Hunslet |
| 2018 | Johnny Whiteley | | Hull, Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 2018 | Derek Turner | | Hull Kingston Rovers, Oldham, Wakefield Trinity |
| 2018 | Andy Gregory | | Widnes, Warrington, Wigan, Leeds, Salford |
| 2022 | Andy Farrell | | Wigan |
| 2022 | Adrian Morley | | Leeds, Sydney, Bradford, Warrington Wolves, Swinton Lions, Salford Red Devils |
| 2022 | Clive Sullivan | | Hull FC, Hull KR, Oldham, Doncaster |
| 2022 | David Watkins | | Salford, Swinton, Cardiff | |
Women's Hall of Fame
In 2022, a Women’s Rugby League Hall of Fame was established with three inaugural inductees.[5]
See also
External links
53.648°N -1.7833°W
Notes and References
- Web site: Barrow legend Willie Horne inducted into RL Hall of Fame. North-West Evening Mail. 15 January 2015. 20 October 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150321013253/http://www.nwemail.co.uk/raiders/news/barrow-legend-willie-horne-inducted-into-rl-hall-of-fame-1.1168885. 21 March 2015.
- Web site: Martin Offiah among legends to join Rugby League Hall of Fame. Daily Mirror. 31 October 2013.
- News: Carr . Richard . Britain marks centennial of the Rugby League . Sun Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale . 6 . 1995-10-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121024083736/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sun_sentinel/access/18368542.html?dids=18368542:18368542&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+01,+1995&author=RICHARD+CARR+Stamp+Columnist&pub=South+Florida+Sun+-+Sentinel&desc=BRITAIN+MARKS+CENTENNIAL+OF+THE+RUGBY+LEAGUE&pqatl=google . dead . 24 October 2012 . 2009-12-13.
- Web site: Huddersfield's historic George Hotel has new owners. Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Linda. Whitwam. 14 February 2012. 13 January 2015.
- Web site: Historic RL Hall of Fame recognition for Dobek, McIntosh and Milburn . Rugby-League.com . 21 September 2022 . 25 October 2023.
