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Eagles Wheelchair Duo earn England call-up

21/05/2024

One of the most eye-catching and awe-inspiring sports on the planet takes centre stage at York Sport Centre this Sunday (26 May) as England Wheelchair Rugby League presents ‘The Future of England’, with the best of the nation’s emerging talent set to face off at The Arena, York Sport Centre, on Sunday afternoon (KO 2.45pm).

Two of the Sheffield Eagles Wheelchair players – Chris Haynes and Stephen Reilly – will feature in the event having been part of two previous training and development sessions, alongside youngster Will Brooks who has not been selected to play in the game due to him being Under 16. The pair are two of only three players not involved in Super League clubs.

“It’s been a great privilege to have been part of the England Development Programme and to be selected for this game” said Chris Haynes. “I have had the opportunity to learn a lot and train at a high intensity. There is certainly a lot to work on going forward, but it has also been a chance to reflect on how much we have improved here at Sheffield Eagles over the past two seasons. I’m so glad that I chose to get involved in Wheelchair Rugby League, it's given me the opportunity to keep playing the sport that I love after my injury and the camaraderie at our club has been amazing for me, and everyone’s been so complimentary and excited for me to be part of the England Development Programme”.

Haynes team mate Stephen Reilly is equally as thrilled with his selection.

“It is an honour to be recognised by Tom Coyd and the England team” he added. “I remember when Andrea Dobson first invited me to come down to a wheelchair session, and in the back of my head I was laughing thinking it wouldn’t be as good as the running game, but I was completely wrong. I was hooked after the first session.

“Looking back on when I helped out at the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup 2022 Semi-Finals in Sheffield, I felt inspired to become the best player I could be at this entertaining sport.

“Being selected to play in the Future of England event is an incredible honour that means everything to me, and holds a lot of value not just as a player but a person.”

The Future of England game will take place after a free-to-enter Youth Wheelchair RL festival at 10am, and a curtain-raiser between York RLFC and Bradford Bulls which kicks off at 12.45pm.

England Wheelchair Rugby League Head Coach, Tom Coyd, is in the process of unearthing the next generation of talent to take on the world and has selected two teams for the occasion.

“We’ve run a number of development sessions for England’s emerging talent – now it’s time for the players chosen to exhibit what they've learned and to showcase their undoubted talent with National Performance Squad places up for grabs” said Coyd. “I want to give these guys a chance to play in a fantastic facility, with plenty of people watching, to see how they perform at the next level, under scrutiny and in pressure situations when judgement is everything. Because that's what elite sport is. And there’s more to the day than England Wheelchair. Players aged 15 and under have been invited to take part in the morning’s youth festival and York will be taking on the Bradford Bulls in a curtain-raiser, so there's plenty for all the family to enjoy.”

 

Green Team


Yellow Team

 

Tickets for this Bank Holiday Weekend bonanza are available online now, priced from just £3 (concessions) and £5 (adults) at tickettailor.com/events/yorksport1. There is free admission for carers attending with a person with additional needs.