The funeral of former England and Wales rugby league coach and renowned broadcaster John Kear has taken place.
Friends, relatives and former players gathered in Penistone, South Yorkshire, earlier for the service at St John’s Church.
Castleford-born Kear, who died on 1 June, earned widespread recognition during his career, including masterminding Sheffield Eagles’ shock 1998 Challenge Cup final victory over Wigan.
Former Eagles player Mark Aston, who was part of the title-winning side, said: “Everything about John was just perfect, his smile, his knowledge of rugby league, you can see that by the tributes put out there for John.”
He described Kear as a father figure to his players.
“We talk about what he did on the field, but there were things off the field that he did, and how close everybody was to him,” he said.
“When times were tough he was still positive, that’s how he was as a coach… he made people believe in the game, he made people believe in what they were doing.”
He described him as a “top man” who would be “well and truly missed”.
Tim Adams, former chairman of Sheffield Eagles, said Kear was an “inspiration for us all”.
“We were good friends. He was an extraordinary bloke, very meticulous, his planning was unbelievable.
“He was a wonderful motivator of people, he didn’t only motivate the players… but he also motivated the people in the club, the staff, the board of directors.”