Mark Aston ban: Supporters lobby for review of 'disproportionate' suspension of Sheffield Eagles legend

A COALITION of senior rugby league figures has formed an independent group to campaign for a review of the 18-month suspension meted out to Sheffield Eagles legend Mark Aston and a reform of the RFL's head injury protocols.

Aston, a Challenge Cup winner with the Eagles in 1998 who kept the club going through a nomadic existence over the past decade, was found guilty along with club physio Mick Heys by a Rugby Football League tribunal of allowing player Matty Marsh to appear for the team after a head injury without having received the necessary medical clearance.

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The bans were imposed by an independent Operational Rules Tribunal following an RFL compliance investigation. An RFL statement read: “The alleged breaches concerned the appearance of Matty Marsh for the Eagles in their Challenge Cup tie at Wigan Warriors on March 22, 13 days after he had suffered a head injury during a Championship fixture against Swinton Lions, and without having received the necessary medical clearance to return.”

Aston has been suspended from coaching in rugby league or holding any senior position within the sport until April 30, 2026.

Controversy: Sheffield Eagles head coach Mark Aston has been banned for 18 months by the RFL for breaking player welfare protocols but has received the backing of many in the league community.Controversy: Sheffield Eagles head coach Mark Aston has been banned for 18 months by the RFL for breaking player welfare protocols but has received the backing of many in the league community.
Controversy: Sheffield Eagles head coach Mark Aston has been banned for 18 months by the RFL for breaking player welfare protocols but has received the backing of many in the league community.

In a statement, Aston has professed his innocence and vowed to clear his name. He also said he would appeal, to which he has until next Thursday to do so. He has received support from many in the rugby league community including the coalition, which is led by former Sheffield Eagles chairman Ian Swire and includes a former RFL president, ex-club directors and major investors in the sport.

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The group is exploring numerous avenues to encourage the RFL to reconsider the ban, including approaching the Rugby League All-Party Parliamentary Group and launching a petition at www.change.org/mark-aston.

They claim it was a procedural error, with Aston understood to have been informed Marsh was able to play on the morning of the game, but that the correct paperwork was not then filed.

In a letter to The Yorkshire Post, Swire – one of the people along with Aston who helped resurrect the Eagles in 2000 and served as a director at the club until 2016 – laid out their argument.

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Mark Aston celebrates with a Sheffield Eagles fan after the 1895 Cup semi-final with York Knights (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)Mark Aston celebrates with a Sheffield Eagles fan after the 1895 Cup semi-final with York Knights (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)
Mark Aston celebrates with a Sheffield Eagles fan after the 1895 Cup semi-final with York Knights (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

He wrote: “Mark Aston is not just Sheffield Eagles' head coach – he's the heart and soul of rugby league in South Yorkshire and has dedicated his life to developing the sport in our region. Yet this decorated career now faces its darkest chapter over what essentially amounts to a procedural error in player welfare protocols.

“The crux of the matter involves timing discrepancies in medical documentation and communication between the team's physiotherapist and doctor. The physio had conducted the necessary head checks and deemed the player fit to play. The dispute isn't about whether these checks were properly performed – there is no indication to say that they weren’t – but rather about the precise timing and documentation of these assessments.”

For Swire, the case highlights a broader challenge facing the Eagles and their part-time brethren.

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He continues: “Unlike full-time professional teams, medical staff are often volunteers or minimally compensated, and players typically live and work considerable distances from training facilities. The player in question lived 70 miles away, making the rigid application of protocols designed for full-time clubs particularly challenging. The Rugby Football League (RFL) has argued that strict adherence to head injury protocols is essential, given the ongoing concerns about player welfare. No one disputes this.

Matty Marsh playing for Sheffield Eagles earlier this season.Matty Marsh playing for Sheffield Eagles earlier this season.
Matty Marsh playing for Sheffield Eagles earlier this season.

"However, the severity of Aston's punishment seems to suggest that the RFL is more interested in making an example of someone than in addressing the systemic challenges faced by part-time clubs in implementing these protocols.

“This suspension offers no consideration for Mark’s decades of service to rugby league, nor does it acknowledge the period he has already been stood down since July 2024.

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“The question we must ask is: does this punishment serve the sport's best interests? Does it make rugby league safer? Or does it merely demonstrate a heavy-handed approach that risks alienating the very people who have dedicated their lives to developing the game at grassroots level?

“The sport needs strong protocols to protect players, absolutely. But it also needs proportionate responses. This case calls for a serious discussion about how we can better support part-time clubs in implementing player welfare measures.”

Marsh, the player in question, wrote on social media in support of Aston: “Absolutely gutted. Gives everything for this club and its players. Only ever has the best interests of the lads and doesn’t deserve this. Bad day for rugby league.”

The RFL have cracked down on head contact including a strengthening of their protocols on players returning after a concussion. They are not commenting further.

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