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]
2022 saw the first female inductees of the Hall of Fame.[5]
Hall of Fame
Players
Source[6]
| width=5% | Inducted | width=20% | Player | width=20% | Position | width=55% | Club(s) |
|---|
| 1988 | Harold Wagstaff | | Huddersfield |
| 1988 | Jim Sullivan | | Wigan |
| 1988 |  Albert Rosenfeld | | Huddersfield, Wakefield Trinity, Bradford Northern, Easts |
| 1988 | Gus Risman | | Salford, Workington Town |
| 1988 | Jonty Parkin | | Wakefield Trinity, Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 1988 | Alex Murphy | | St. Helens, Leigh, Warrington |
| 1988 | Billy Boston | | Wigan, Blackpool Borough |
| 1988 | Brian Bevan | | Warrington |
| 1988 | Billy Batten | | Hull |
| 1989 | Neil Fox | | Wakefield Trinity, Bradford Northern, Hull Kingston Rovers, York, Huddersfield |
| 2000 | Roger Millward | | Castleford, Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 2000 |  Tom van Vollenhoven | | St. Helens |
| 2000 | Vince Karalius | | St. Helens, Widnes |
| 2005 | Martin Hodgson | | Swinton |
| 2005 | Ellery Hanley | | Bradford Northern, Wigan, Leeds, Balmain, Western Suburbs |
| 2005 | Douglas Clark | | Huddersfield |
| 2005 | Eric Ashton | | Wigan |
| 2013[7] | Lewis Jones | | Leeds |
| 2013 | Martin Offiah | | Widnes, Wigan, Eastern Suburbs, St George Dragons, London Broncos, Salford City Reds |
| 2013 | Mick Sullivan | | Huddersfield, Wigan, St. Helens, York, Dewsbury |
| 2013 | Garry Schofield | , | Hull FC, Leeds, Balmain, Western Suburbs, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Bramley |
| 2014 | Mal Reilly | | Castleford, Manly-Warringah |
| 2014 | Willie Horne | | Oldham, Barrow |
| 2015[8] | Shaun Edwards | , | Wigan, Balmain, London, Bradford |
| 2015 | Albert Goldthorpe | , | Hunslet |
| 2018[9] | Johnny Whiteley | | Hull, Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 2018 | Derek Turner | | Hull Kingston Rovers, Oldham, Wakefield Trinity |
| 2018 | Andy Gregory | | Widnes, Warrington, Wigan, Leeds, Salford |
| 2022[10] | David Watkins | | Salford, Swinton, Cardiff |
| 2022 | Clive Sullivan | | Hull FC, Hull KR, Oldham, Doncaster |
| 2022 | Adrian Morley | | Leeds, Sydney, Bradford, Warrington Wolves, Swinton Lions, Salford Red Devils |
| 2022 | Andy Farrell | | Wigan |
| 2022 | Sally Milburn | | Barrow, Askam |
| 2022 | | | Bradford, Dudley Hill |
| 2022 | | | Wakefield Panthers, Townville, Featherstone Rovers |
| 2024[11] | | , | Bramley, Salford, Oldham, York |
| 2024 | | ,,, | Halifax, St Helens |
| 2024[12] | | | |
| 2024 | | | |
| 2024 | | ,, | Warrington, St Helens |
| 2024 | | , | Bradford, Leeds, Hull KR | |
Teams
The 2024 player inductions also saw teams inducted for the first time. Teams to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame are:
See also
- Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
External links
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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.
- Web site: History & Heritage . 2024-09-24 . www.rugby-league.com.
- Web site: New members of Hall of Fame inducted at RL Cares Dinner. therfl.co.uk. Rugby Football League. 5 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131211092801/http://www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/29168/new-members-of-hall-of. 11 December 2013.
- https://www.skysports.com/amp/rugby-league/news/12196/10064821/shaun-edwards-inducted-into-rugby-league-hall-of-fame
- Web site: Bugby . Tony . 2018-11-01 . Derek 'Rocky' Turner added to rugby league's hall of fame . 2024-09-24 . Saddleworth Independent . en-GB.
- Web site: 2022-09-21 . Four legends to be inducted into Rugby League Hall of Fame . 2024-09-24 . Love Rugby League . en.
- Web site: Lomas and Prescott to be inducted into RL Hall of Fame . 2024-09-24 . www.rugby-league.com . en.
- Web site: Peacock, Banks, Sculthorpe and Land to be elevated into Rugby League Hall of Fame . 2024-09-24 . www.rugby-league.com . en.
- Web site: Ashes-winning Great Britain Women’s team to be inducted into Rugby League Hall of Fame . 2024-09-24 . www.rugby-league.com . en.
- https://www.skysports.com/amp/rugby-league/news/12196/13213848/rugby-league-hall-of-fame-1996-great-britain-lionesses-become-the-first-team-to-be-inducted-into-hall-of-fame
