Rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield is to be knighted in the King's Birthday Honours List following his extraordinary fundraising efforts for motor neurone disease charities in memory of his late teammate Rob Burrow. The honour recognises his marathon of challenges, including multiple ultra‑marathons, which have raised over £11 million and helped establish the Rob Burrow Centre for MND.
Rugby league icon Kevin Sinfield is poised to receive a knighthood in the upcoming King's Birthday Honours List , a recognition that follows years of extraordinary fundraising efforts in tribute to his late teammate Rob Burrow .
Since Burrow's diagnosis with motor neurone disease (MND) in December 2019, Sinfield, 45, has raised over £11 million for MND charities through a series of gruelling physical challenges. Their deep bond, forged during their time as inseparable Leeds Rhinos teammates, has become central to a campaign that has captured the nation's hearts and brought unprecedented attention to the disease.
Sinfield, now an England Rugby Union coach, will embark on his seventh and final ultra‑marathon challenge in September, running a marathon a day for a week across all 12 Betfred Super League stadiums. This final effort aims to push total fundraising past the £12 million mark and will include daily miles run alongside people affected by MND, further highlighting the disease's human impact.
The emotional pinnacle of their journey came in 2023 when Sinfield pushed Burrow in an adapted buggy for the entire Leeds Marathon and then carried him over the finish line, a moment that epitomised their brotherhood and determination. Although Burrow passed away in June 2024 at the age of 41, his spirit remains the driving force behind Sinfield's mission.
Both men were appointed CBEs in the 2023 New Year Honours, a surprise ceremony at Headingley Stadium presented by Prince William, and the impending knighthood for Sinfield is seen as a culmination of their shared fight against MND.
The upcoming week‑long challenge will trace a carefully planned route: starting in Hull, day one leads to York, day two includes York Knights and a passage past York Minster, day three covers Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity with a journey near Burrow's home in Pontefract, day four visits Headingley, Bradford Bulls, and Huddersfield Giants, day five crosses the Pennines for Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards, and the final day begins in St Helens, includes Warrington Wolves, and ends at Old Trafford ahead of the Super League Grand Final.
This is not Sinfield's first 7‑in‑7; in 2025 he battled torrential rain and flooded roads, even resorting to bin bags over his shoes to keep dry, and completed 185 miles across the UK and Ireland, smashing a £777,777 target. He described that effort as a battle won but stressed a war remains to be fought against MND. The number seven, Burrow's legendary jersey number, has become synonymous with their cause.
Their work has also spurred the creation of the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, a specialised facility for patient care and research, which opened in 2025. While MND has affected other rugby figures-Doddie Weir, who died in 2022, and Lewis Moody, diagnosed in 2025-no causal link to head injuries has been established.
The King's Birthday Honours List, to be published this weekend, will officially mark Sinfield's elevation to knighthood, a testament to resolve forged in friendship and a relentless campaign for a cure
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Kevin Sinfield to Receive Knighthood After Raising £11 Million for MND in Memory of Rob BurrowRugby legend Kevin Sinfield is set to be knighted in the King's Birthday Honours List for his incredible fundraising efforts for motor neurone disease (MND) charities, inspired by his late Leeds Rhinos teammate Rob Burrow.
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