The Rugby Football League Royal Patron, the Princess of Wales, has paid a visit to a Super League club to learn more about their outreach programmes.
It’s not every day that you get to meet a member of royalty but those at Wakefield Trinity did on Tuesday as the Princess of Wales attended the club and their community foundation to look at the impact that the sport can have in such communities.
Rugby League is a sport that is embedded into communities and that’s evident at Wakefield where the number of programmes within the community brings in people of all ages.
The Princess of Wales joined the In Touch session that sees elderly people tackle social isolation, whilst meeting those at the foundation including legendary player Neil Fox as she took part in a heritage quiz.
Her Royal Highness also met with young people who had been supported by the Inspiring Future’s programme, which offers suffers to avoid anti-social behaviour and youth crime. The Princess of Wales also took part in a skills session before meeting captain’s Mike McMeeken and Kaitlin Varley.
Rugby Football League figure speaks on impact of royal visit
Speaking on the experience, Trinity skipper McMeeken said: “It was great to meet her Royal Highness and to chat about Wakefield Trinity and all the great things the club and the Foundation do. She was really keen to hear about the club both on and off the field and now she has a Wakefield Trinity shirt she is an honorary member of the club!”
Marc Lovering, the Director of Performance and Development at the RFL said: “It was an honour to welcome our Royal Patron, the Princess of Wales, at Wakefield Trinity today to highlight the valuable role Rugby League plays in our local communities both on and off the pitch.”
“The Princess was really interested in hearing about the positive social impact of the sport. The programmes showcased today by Wakefield Trinity Foundation address some of the challenges our communities face including social isolation, anti-social behaviour and youth crime. It was brilliant to see her engaging with all the different people involved with the Foundation.”
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