Sir Rodney to be given freedom of home city

Sir Rodney is to be offered the Freedom of the City in recognition of his services to Wakefield, sport, business and charity.

The leader of Wakefield Council, Coun Peter Box, will submit a formal resolution to the council at a meeting on July 18. He said: “Sir Rodney has played a huge role in many aspects of life in the district – in rugby league, in business, in the arts and through raising millions of pounds for charity and good causes.”

Sir Rodney was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 1996 for services to sport and was Yorkshireman of the Year in 2008.

Sir Rodney said: “This is a great honour. To be recognised by your own city is special and I thank the members of council for the honour they want to bestow on me.”

He is a former chairman of Wakefield Trinity and was a chairman of the Rugby Football League for nine years from 1993 to 2002.

Outside the city he has been chairman of both Sport England and UK Sport and he served as chairman of Wembley National Stadium, the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and the World Snooker Association. He continues his involvement in sport nationally as the vice-chairman of the Wembley National Stadium Trust.

He led a campaign to buy and re-open Wakefield’s Theatre Royal and Opera House which was successfully achieved in 1986. Sir Rodney is also a highly respected businessman in the city and he has led campaigns which have raised an estimated £40m for a number of charities and good causes.