VIDEO: Hull KR scrum down with Erasure to record ‘A Little Respect’ ahead of cup final

Proceeds from the song, which features vocals from the club’s first-team squad as well as the original backing track from the band, will be split between Freddie’s Friends, Downright Special and the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Organised jointly by Hull KR, Erasure, their management, BMG Records and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the charity single is expected to prove popular with Robins supporters celebrating a first Challenge Cup Final appearance in almost 30 years after they adopted the song as the East Yorkshire club’s second anthem in recent weeks.

Social media footage of Rovers fans singing along to the tune - originally a top 10 hit in 1988 - after the recent semi-final victory over Warrington Wolves first attracted Erasure lead singer Andy Bell’s attention to the club.

That connection is now set to strengthen on the road to Wembley after the players recorded a charity version at local studio Fruit Trade Music and the song has already reached 33 in the download charts.

Rovers play Leeds Rhinos in the final on August 29 as they seek to win the famous trophy for the first time since 1980 and only the second time in their history.

Bell said: “When I saw the video of the Hull KR fans singing the song together and the club contacted me to ask if they could re-release it for charity, it was an easy decision.

“It’s fantastic to see what the song means to those fans and I couldn’t believe how many of them were singing along who wouldn’t have even been born when the song was originally released.

“The proceeds are going to three fantastic causes so I hope people get behind it and download the track. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Cup Final result on August 29th and wish everyone at the club the best of luck.”

It is available to download now for just 99p from iTunes by clicking here. It will also be available on Google Play shortly.

Rovers will also be producing 100 limited-edition vinyl copies and these will be available to order online in the near future atwww.hullkr.co.uk/shop priced at £15.

All vinyl copies will be available to collect after the Challenge Cup final and £5 from each copy sold will be donated to the charities.

Representatives of the charities joined the players and coaching staff in the studio this week to record the song and the track’s official music video.

Hull KR CEO Mike Smith said: “We’ve seen over the past couple of weeks how our supporters have really taken this song to their hearts, especially during the celebrations after our semi-final victory.

“When Andy Bell uploaded his own tribute video to the club after the game, everything went one step further and the song has gone on to encapsulate a very special moment for the club on this season’s run to Wembley.

“Red, Red Robin will always be the traditional anthem associated with Hull Kingston Rovers and that will never change but we also wanted to celebrate a special connection between Erasure’s song and our club this season.

“Recording a special edition of the track before the Challenge Cup Final with all the proceeds going to charity seemed like the perfect option.

“It’s taken a lot of hard work to get the necessary permission for this project and our thanks go out to Erasure’s management team, BMG Records and Sony/ATV Music Publishing for their support, as well as our players and the people at Fruit Trade Music for getting involved.

“It’s now down to our supporters and music fans to play their part in helping to raise money for three very worthy causes by downloading the track.

“Given the excitement around the club for the Challenge Cup Final and their love for this song, I’m sure the charity single will prove very popular.”

Proceeds from the new edition of “A Little Respect” will be split between the Terrence Higgins Trust, a charity nominated by Bell which supports people with HIV, and Hull KR’s joint Charities of the Year for 2015 Downright Special and Freddie’s Friends.