Rugby League cares, now it’s time for fans to show they do too

So from day one it was tough. It was a bewildering time. I was told I would never walk again and you just don’t know what to do or where to turn. You worry about your family.

The Rugby League Benevolent Fund approached me more or less straight away and they were just a fantastic help.

They provided so much support and advice. They paid for my family to come and visit me in Pinderfields Hospital and they helped me with my rehab. They were always there, supporting and advising.

Although the doctors had said I wouldn’t walk again, I was determined that wouldn’t be the case. I proved them wrong and the Benevolent Fund’s support was a massive part of that.

I needed to get back to work and for that I had to retrain. They advised and helped me go back to university in Huddersfield to study for a journalism degree.

And after three years, I graduated. It was a very proud day walking up, on crutches, to collect my certificate.

Because of all that the Benevolent Fund has done for me, I want to put something back. It was a great honour when I was asked to become an Ambassador of the new Rugby League Cares charity.

Rugby League Cares is the new umbrella charity for rugby league that aims to look after and protect the game’s past, present and future – or Our Heritage, Our Heroes and Our Hopes, as it’s been branded.

I’m ambassador for the “Our Heroes” strand of Rugby League Cares. The Benevolent Fund becomes part of that.

“Our Heroes” will continue to help and support those who’ve suffered life-changing injuries on the field. But it’s also there to help others who are part of the rugby league family who are suffering hardship. They help financially and socially.

Ray French is the new ambassador for the “Our Heritage” part of Rugby League Cares.

That part of the charity will help to protect the game’s history. There are plans for a new permanent display of the game’s history which sound very exciting.

Kevin Sinfield is ambassador for the “Our Hopes” strand. That part of Rugby League Cares is all about supporting grass roots rugby league, helping to encourage more kids to play.

It’s a World Cup year, obviously, so the sport has a great opportunity to introduce more people to our great game. Rugby League Cares will play a big part in that and Kev is a tremendous role model. By uniting these aims into one charity, it means there is much more access to major sponsorship and corporate support.

Engage, ISC, the RFL, the NHS and Comic Relief are already on board providing help and support and because of that it means that every penny raised can go straight to our many good causes.

But we want you to come and join us. It’s a cliché to talk about the rugby league family. But that’s just what we have in our game. We pull together and help each other out. I think that’s unique to rugby league.

So I’d ask everyone to have a look at the website at www.rugbyleaguecares.org and join us.

It only costs £2 a month, so please sign up in the certain knowledge that you’ll be making a very big difference to a lot of areas in rugby league.

From personal experience I can tell you, you can’t believe how much of a difference you can make.