Yorkshire club bidding to build a legacy ahead of Rugby League World Cup

It isn’t only on the pitch where the Rugby League World Cup will create a legacy this autumn – just ask Drighlington ARLFC.

Courtesy of the tournament’s trailblazing CreatedBy social impact programme, the club, based in the heart of the village just south of Leeds, have transformed their facilities to become the centre of a community passionate about the sport.

Drighlington received a £145,000 grant from the programme, delivered in partnership with the Rugby Football League, (RFL), Sport England and Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), allowing them to build brand new changing rooms to complete a long-term renovation of their facilities.

Vice-chairman Carl Richards, who has been involved in various roles with the club for over 32 years, believes the investment has transformed not only rugby league but other sports and social activities in the area.

“It was a long time coming because the project first started 11 years ago,” said Richards.

“But it was only through the grant we were able to get our facilities finished. It was the final phase of the project, but we didn’t have the funding.

“It first came about when Leeds City Council closed the local community centre. Our old building was dilapidated and on the outskirts of the village.

“We moved to this new facility, in a better location, but didn’t have enough to finish the project with the changing rooms. That is where the grant changed things for us.”

And it isn’t just the Drighlington club teams who are feeling the benefits.

With the changing rooms now making the pitches accessible for all, Leeds Rhinos Physical Disability squad have also used the Moorland Road facility.

“They were struggling for pitches,” said Richards. “They couldn’t use their normal home ground, so their coach Dan Roberts asked us and of course we were happy to help.

“It is important they can use it anytime they need. We want it to make a difference to as many clubs as possible.”

The new changing rooms were a pivotal part of the development but could have taken up to four years to complete were it not for the CreatedBy programme.

Established in partnership with the Rugby Football League, the project has invested more than £21m into projects and facilities across the country and helped Drighlington become a cornerstone of the local community.

“The concept was always that we wouldn’t just be rugby league,” added Richards. “We wanted to be a multi-sport facility for the entire community. It just happens that this is a rugby village.

“Because we needed multi-use, now we have the local football club, a new running club that has formed directly because of this, a cycling club. Its purpose goes beyond rugby league.

“We even have christenings, birthdays, Zumba classes – all sorts hosted here now. The clubhouse is booked up every Saturday until Christmas.

“We now have women’s and girls’ teams at the club. That couldn’t have happened at the previous ground.”

The tournament itself kicks off in Newcastle on October 15, with Leeds hosting games at both Elland Road and Headingley Stadium.

The home of the Leeds Rhinos is the venue for England Women’s opening game against Brazil on November 1.

“We’ll be showing all the games in the clubhouse on a big screen and having a big event for the final which I’m sure will be packed,” Richards added.

“Everyone involved in the sport is hugely excited for the tournament and you can already see what it’ll do for league in this country.”

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets