Wakefield Trinity Community Foundation’s Wheelchair Rugby League side make history on Saturday as they took on Sheffield Eagles in an excellent game at St Thomas A Becket.

After two years in the making, 12 players wrote their name in Wakefield Trinity folklore, competing against Sheffield Eagles in the club’s first-ever match.

It wasn’t too long ago that it was the Eagles who started their Wheelchair journey, competing against Rochdale Hornets in 2021. Now, the club boast over 15 players and looked to help Trinity start their development journey, picking up their first win in the process.

With excitement building and the nerves hitting home, Wakefield showed their worth throughout the game. Made up of players who had never sat in a chair at the start of 2023, the programme’s meteoric rise showed throughout the contest.

The debuts of the day didn’t stop coming, though as we registered our first and second ever as a Wheelchair RL side. Great play to gain metres close to the Sheffield line saw Trinity pounce. Sid Ramsey fed it along the line as Kate Haigh picked up the ball expertly to touch down.

The scoring didn’t stop there for Trinity, however, and in the second half, the club doubled their tally for the afternoon. Further incredible play in centre-field saw the ball worked out to the left, eventually being touched down in the corner.

This was just the start of our new adventure, with the team already showing glimpses of quality ahead of our matches in the development league across 2023.

Speaking on the event as a whole, Rugby League & Inclusion Officer, Charlie Doherty, said, “We are extremely pleased to have put on our first-ever Wheelchair RL match.

“This event has been a long time coming and to see so many people come to represent our side, wearing the Red, White & Blue strip is an extremely proud moment for the club. I am looking forward to seeing what 2023 holds.”

For more information on our Wheelchair RL programme, please email charlie.doherty@wakefieldtrinity.com.

A massive thank you to our sponsors, Medequip UK, Limetree Mortgage Solutions, Centurion Traffic Management, Millpark Construction, Nujum Sports, Community Integrated Care & Farrar Bamforth for making this possible.