Rugby Football League Hall of Fame

Douglas Clark was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Rugby League Hall of Fame honours the leading players of the sport of rugby league. It was established by the sport's governing body in the UK, the Rugby Football League, in 1988.[1] Players must have been retired for at least five years to be eligible; they must also have played at least ten years within the British game. Players are chosen for induction to the hall of fame by a panel consisting of sports writers, broadcasters and officials.[2]

Inductions to the hall of fame have been sporadic. Nine players were inducted when the hall was opened in 1988 and one more was added the following year. In 1995 the members of the hall of fame appeared on postage stamps released as part of Britain's centenary celebrations.[3] There were no new inductees until 2000, when three more players were introduced as part of the buildup to the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. A further four players were inducted in 2005, and four more in 2013 during the fourteenth World Cup.

The Hall of Fame is located at the George Hotel in Huddersfield, where a group of northern clubs met in 1895 and resolved to leave the Rugby Football Union to form their own body, which led to the development of the separate codes of rugby league and rugby union.[4]

2022 saw the first female inductees of the Hall of Fame.[5]

  1. ^ "Barrow legend Willie Horne inducted into RL Hall of Fame". North-West Evening Mail. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Martin Offiah among legends to join Rugby League Hall of Fame". Daily Mirror. 31 October 2013.
  3. ^ Carr, Richard (1 October 1995). "Britain marks centennial of the Rugby League". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. p. 6. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  4. ^ Whitwam, Linda (14 February 2012). "Huddersfield's historic George Hotel has new owners". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Historic RL Hall of Fame recognition for Dobek, McIntosh and Milburn". Rugby-League.com. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2023.