Rugby league clubs are the beating heart of their community and must survive | Jonathan Liew

27 April 2020 05:55
If a rugby league club suffers its town can often suffer with it and the coronavirus crisis is hitting the sport hardThis is going to sound like the setup to a surreal joke, but nevertheless: last week, a young man from St Helens called Harry Roberts was lying in bed when he looked up and saw the comedian Johnny Vegas standing at his bedroom window, bearing a box of face masks.As it turned out, Roberts – a 19-year-old St Helens fan who suffers from cerebral palsy and quadriplegia – had been the unwitting beneficiary of a visit from the Steve Prescott Foundation, the charity set up by the late Saints player, which over the last decade has become one of rugby league’s best known philanthropic enterprises. During the coronavirus crisis it has been delivering food and protective equipment to households in St Helens, and as a proud Saints fan at a temporary loose end, Vegas has been cheerfully mucking in. Related: 'Referees need supporting too': life in lockdown for rugby league officials | Aaron Bower Related: Hull KR owner warns rugby league could 'cease to exist' as a full-time sport Continue readingread full article

Source: TheGuardian