{"id":501227,"date":"2026-03-29T04:39:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T04:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/501227\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T04:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T04:39:13","slug":"rfl-inducts-four-new-members-into-hall-of-fame-including-ex-great-britain-international-and-40-year-wigan-warriors-servant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/501227\/","title":{"rendered":"RFL inducts four new members into Hall of Fame including ex-Great Britain international and 40-year Wigan Warriors servant"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The RFL have confirmed the next four people to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with icons of Wigan Warriors and the broadcasting world included.<\/p>\n

Starting in 2003, a total of 58 people from across the rugby league world have been inducted into the prestigious Roll of Honour so far, and now numbers 59-62 have etched their name into the history books.<\/p>\n

The likes of Bev Risman OBE, Johnny Whiteley MBE and Ray French MBE are just some of the incredible names to have been given this honour in the past, with the last inductee being Sam Horner of the Leeds Rhinos Foundation for his work in developing the next generation of rugby league players.<\/p>\n

Set to be officially inducted during the RFL President\u2019s Ball in Leeds today, the day will see Paul Sykes, Mandy Johnston, Trevor Hunt and Gerry Kershaw all rightfully earn their place in as one of the sport\u2019s legendary figures.<\/p>\n

Sykes, who is still an active player at the age of 44 with Dewsbury Rams, is currently featuring in his 28th consecutive season, a new record which eclipses Hall of Famer Gus Risman\u2019s previous best.<\/p>\n

Debuting for Bradford in 1999, the goal-kicker is a former Great Britain and England international and was part of the nation\u2019s travelling World Cup side in 2008.<\/p>\n

Johnston, who has been such an integral part of the Wigan Warriors staff for over four decades, started as a programme and raffle ticket seller in 1985 but is now the secretary of Chairman Chris Brookes, and her hard work and dedication to the club remains unmatched.<\/p>\n

Former RFL President Hunt, pictured on the right alongside John Kear in the photo at the top of the article, is also included after over half a century of working within the sport. A player at Leigh Miners Rangers, a journalist at BBC Radio Manchester, a NCL administrator and the chair of the RL Writers and Broadcasters Association, he has held various roles within the sport and is another fitting recipient.<\/p>\n

Last but not least, former referee Kershaw is inducted after a 32-year career as a match official. The 82-year-old officiated the 1981 Challenge Cup Final between Widnes and Hull KR, and since 2013 has has overseen the delivery and management of all match commissioners and timekeepers in another impressive case of dedicated longevity in rugby league.<\/p>\n

Luke Robinson sacked, Hull KR and why it could actually be Warrington Wolves\u2019 year? \u2013 click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The RFL have confirmed the next four people to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with icons…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501228,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-501227","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}