Leeds Rhinos news: Kevin Sinfield mural unveiled
A mural for Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield has been unveiled near Headingley Stadium.
The mural is is located on Ash Road, near Headingley, the home of the Rhinos.
Sinfield recently raised more than £2.7 million for charity in honour of former team-mate Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND in 2019.
Sinfield recently completed his ‘Extra Mile’ challenge, running 101 miles in 24 hours from Leicester to Leeds.
The legend was presented his OBE by the Duke of Cambridge during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle earlier this year.
He made more than 500 appearances for Leeds, leading them to seven Super League championships and two Challenge Cups as captain. He won 26 caps for England and 14 for Great Britain.
The mural, commissioned by Leeds Street Gallery, was painted by James Archer. It was fundraised by fans.
A new mural has been unveiled in Headingley paying tribute to Kevin Sinfield OBE, we caught up with those involved in making it happen pic.twitter.com/kJW2THLyM4
— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) March 7, 2022
Background story
Jack Ellis of Leeds Street Gallery said: “We’re just a group of guys who love street art. All local to Leeds and we just wanted to see a bit more art around the city. We’re all predominately fans of the graffiti form of street art. We just felt that there wasn’t enough places in Leeds for people to paint.
“We went about networking with the council and local businesses in order to get these spaces for artists to paint. In doing that, what we like to do is nurture the local homegrown talent by providing them a place to paint, but to also give people like James Archer opportunities to do massive murals like this of local legends.”
Richie Myler hails Kevin Sinfield
Leeds full-back Richie Myler, who is currently recovering from injury, added: “Everyone meets here before the game. Everyone comes to restaurants around here. It’s good that it’s a good central point for him and it’s huge, I didn’t think how good it was going to be. It’s a really good thing.”
He continued: “He’s been inspirational to everybody. You can see the passion and the drive from him is real and it’s such a genuine love for his mate that he’s gone out there and done all those things.
“I think that’s why the rugby league community and the community in general have rallied around him. I think you can see how much it means to him and this is just a small token of gesture of man he is and the legacy he’s leaving.”
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