Why rugby league deserves top honours too
3 min read
After 130 years, rugby league has finally received the recognition it deserves with its first knighthood.
That this honour goes to Billy Boston makes it all the more fitting — a trailblazer who has spent his entire life breaking barriers and refusing to accept the status quo.
As Chair of the Rugby Football League APPG, we have worked closely with the Rugby Football League, the Speaker Lindsay Hoyle and the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy on getting Billy the recognition he deserves.
His story is one of triumph over adversity that extends far beyond the rugby pitch.
Throughout his illustrious career, he faced down racial and class prejudice with dignity and determination, becoming not just a sporting icon but a symbol of what can be achieved when talent meets unwavering resolve. His success on the field was matched by his impact off it, where he built a lasting legacy in communities across the nation and helped reshape our sporting landscape.
As one of the first Black players to achieve stardom in British rugby league, Boston confronted racism head-on during an era when such prejudice was both overt and institutionalised. He was overlooked by rugby union because of the colour of his skin, yet he never allowed these barriers to diminish his performance or his spirit. Instead, he used his platform to challenge stereotypes and pave the way for future generations of Black athletes in rugby league and beyond.
His courage in the face of racial adversity transformed him from a gifted player scoring try after try for his country into a pioneering figure who helped change perceptions about rugby league.
The scandal isn't just that it took over a century for rugby league to produce a knight — it's that a sport with such deep working-class roots and such rich contributions to British culture has been overlooked for so long. Rugby league has always been the game of the people, played in the heartlands of industrial Britain, like my constituency St Helens North, by those who knew the value of hard work and community spirit. That ethos deserves recognition at the highest levels.
This knighthood represents more than individual achievement. It acknowledges an entire sport that has been undervalued despite producing countless heroes who have inspired generations. From the mill towns of Yorkshire to the mining communities of Wales, rugby league has been a source of pride and identity for communities that have often felt forgotten by the establishment. That has changed under this Labour government.
Sir Billy Boston MBE has led the way throughout his life, and now he does so again by opening a door that should never have been closed in the first place. His knighthood is not just a personal triumph but a victory for every player who has pulled on a rugby league jersey, every fan who has stood on the terraces, and every community that has found strength in this remarkable game.
The fight doesn't end here. Rugby league boasts numerous worthy candidates who deserve similar recognition for their contributions to sport and society. This knighthood must be the beginning, not the end, of proper acknowledgment for a game that has given so much to British culture.
David Baines is the Labour MP for St Helens North and the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rugby League.
