14 Jul 2015
Put your best foot forward and walk into history
#RLWalk120
Rugby League fans young and old still have time to sign up to take part in the Founders Walk and help raise funds for a sporting good cause of their choice.
Organised in conjunction with Rugby League Cares, the walk celebrates Rugby League’s 120-year anniversary with a six-day trek starting in Hull on Sunday (July 19) and finishing in St Helens on Friday July 24, taking in the 22 home grounds of the sport’s founding clubs in between.
Walkers can sign up to do the whole walk, a full day or just a small section in their local area and are encouraged to get friends, family and colleagues to sponsor them on their historic journey.
Rugby League was founded at a meeting at the George Hotel in Huddersfield on August 29, 1895 when clubs broke away from the Rugby Football Union, which refused to sanction ‘broken time’ payments to players who had to take time off work on a Saturday to play.
Just four of the founding clubs still play at, or on the site of their original home: Batley Bulldogs, Leeds Rhinos, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Widnes Vikings, and the walk will take in Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, Headingley Carnegie Stadium, Belle Vue and Select Security Stadium along the way.
The route will also visit the locations of long-lost grounds such as Wheaters Field, the home of Broughton Rangers; Fletcher Street in Warrington; Huddersfield’s Fartown; Hunslet Parkside; and Valley Parade in Bradford, the home of Manningham, a Northern Union club which switched codes in 1899 to become Bradford City.
Later this year the RFL will unveil a blue heritage plaque at each of the 22 sites and the walk is a wonderful opportunity to for the young and not-so-young to step into history and fundraise for their local community club or charity along the way.
Many of the legs of the walk will feature ‘celebrity’ appearances from the sport’s players, coaches and administrators, giving fans the chance to rub shoulders with their heroes
Further information on the route on each of the six days, plus details of how to sign up for the Founders Walk, can be found by visiting the Rugby League Cares website
Brief details of the Founders Walk are below:
Day One (Sunday July 19) is an eight-mile stroll around Hull, starting from the Walton Street car park and taking in The Boulevard before ending at the KC Stadium. (1.30pm start)
Day Two (Monday July 20) starts at Fartown in Huddersfield and passes through Brighouse, Batley and Dewsbury before reaching Wakefield Trinity at the end of the 20-mile stage. (9.30am start)
Day Three (Tuesday July 21) covers 24.5 miles between Hunslet and Halifax, taking in Headingley, Manningham, Bradford Park Avenue and Illingworth on the way. (9.30am start)
Day Four (Wednesday July 22) is 22 miles starting at Rochdale and ending at Edgeley Park via Oldham. (9.30am start)
Day Five (Thursday July 23) is when weary legs will be tested over 22.5 miles between Wheater Street in Broughton and the DW Stadium in Wigan. (9.30am start)
Day Six (Friday July 24) sees the walk conclude with a 23-mile stage between Fletcher Street in Warrington and Langtree Park in St Helens. (9.30am start)
