East Riding of Yorkshire Council is delighted to announce that the Rugby League World Cup Trophy is coming to Beverley, on Tuesday, 9 April, and will be on display at Beverley Leisure Complex, home to Beverley’s own rugby league club, Beverley ARLFC, from 4.30-6pm.
The famous trophy is currently touring the UK in the build up to the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, which takes place in England and Wales, from 28 October to 30 November, and its visit to Beverley will provide an opportunity for rugby enthusiasts and sports fans across the East Riding to see the trophy, which has a fascinating past.
Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “There are lots of rugby league fans across the East Riding who we hope will take advantage of this opportunity to see a piece of sporting history. We are also excited that three of the World Cup matches will be played in Hull later this year. This will be a chance for the East Riding to showcase all it has to offer to visitors from around the globe who will be travelling to our area.”
Guy Adams, coach of Beverley ARLFC, said: “We are delighted that the Rugby League World Cup trophy will be coming to Beverley and are excited that it will be on display on our home turf.
“We are confident that, as a keen rugby league town, people will come out in force to view the trophy and this event should kick-start the atmosphere generated by the World Cup later this year.
“Rugby League is thriving in the town, with the open-age team making significant strides in the Hull and District Division One competition and the youth sides displaying fantastic performances week-in week-out. Beverley ARLFC are committed to developing the young players of the future, and are confident that a number of players coming through the ranks with the Braves youth set-up will have the potential to get their hands on the World Cup trophy in years to come.”
The RLWC trophy was commissioned by the French Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII president Paul Barrière at a cost of eight million francs and then donated to the International Rugby League Board to be used for the inaugural competition in 1954 and then presented to the winners of the next four tournaments.
While competing in the 1970 tournament, the reigning champions, Australia, put the trophy on display at a hotel in Bradford. The trophy was stolen six days before the final and remained unseen for the next 20 years. In 1990, a Bradford resident found the trophy amongst rubbish dumped in a ditch near the Bradford and Bingley Rugby League Club and returned it to Rugby Football League officials to much fanfare.
The trophy was brought back into use for the 2000 World Cup and continues to be the prize that all 14 Rugby League World Cup nations compete for. It is therefore an honour for Beverley to be one of 29 communities to host the trophy while it tours the UK.
Rugby League World Cup excitement will return to East Yorkshire in the autumn when three matches will be played in Hull. Craven Park will host two matches, Papua New Guinea’s Group B fixtures against France on Sunday, 27 October and Samoa on Monday, 4 November, and the KC Stadium will be the setting for England’s bout against Fiji on Saturday, 9 November.
For information about tickets and the tournament, visit www.rlwc2013.com/worldcup
The Rugby League World Cup Trophy will on view on 9 April in the reception area of Beverley Leisure Complex, in Flemingate, Beverley.
