Kevin Sinfield: Leeds Rhinos legend's Headingley mural unveiled

A mural of Leeds Rhinos rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield has been painted on a building in the city after fans raised money for the artwork.

Located in Ash Road, the mural is near Headingley Rugby Stadium where Sinfield played for Leeds Rhinos for 18 years.

He recently raised more than £2.7m, running seven marathons in seven days in honour of team-mate Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND in 2019.

The mural, commissioned by Leeds Street Gallery, was painted by James Archer.

The artwork was the idea of avid Rhinos fan Dan Whitley, who set up a fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the work.

Inspired by the sports murals around Leeds - such as those of Marcelo Bielsa and boxer Josh Warrington - the fundraisers approached Leeds Street Gallery, leading to the artwork being created.

Sinfield, 41, originally from Oldham, Greater Manchester, is the only captain to have led a team to win three consecutive Super League titles.

He won 26 caps for England, who he captained, and 14 caps for Great Britain.

He is now the defence coach for Leicester Tigers and was awarded an OBE in 2021 for services to rugby league and charity fundraising.

Leeds Street Gallery, which helped make the mural a reality, sets up street art sites for artists to use around Leeds and provides opportunities for local artists to promote their work.

It also promotes the benefits of a colourful city, holding workshops for local schools.

Jack Ellis, from the organisation, said: "Even if you are not a rugby league fan, Kevin Sinfield's charitable achievements recently for his pal Rob Burrow are nothing short of amazing.

"This was a great project to be involved in - and we hope the people of Leeds love this mural for years to come."

He added: "We are really proud of the artwork James Archer has done to recreate Kevin Sinfield - and a big part of what we do is to showcase the talent from the local area.

"Murals like this are often created by well-established artists not from the region, so we like to give a chance to the ones we think deserve a shot at the big-ticket jobs."

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