Kevin Sinfield: Calls for Leicester Tigers coach to be knighted after raising £1.5m

There are calls for Leicester Tigers coach Kevin Sinfield to be included on the New Years Honours list after raising over £1.5m for charity.

The rugby star ran 101 miles from Leicester to Leeds in order to raise money for the MND Association, in honour of his friend and former Leeds Rhino teammate Rob Burrow.

Former Leicestershire resident and boxer Frank Bruno, was one of those calling for the knighthood, he tweeted: "I hope the people who hand out honours have been following what Kevin has done."

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham also says Kevin Sinfield should be honoured for his fundraising efforts.

He addressed Kevin in a BBC Breakfast interview: "What you've done for Rob, and anybody affected by Motor Neurone Disease, you've given people hope, and you've shown that friendship really means something deeply personal.

"To the powers that be in this country, I would say isn't it about time that the great sport of rugby league, the bonds that it builds between the people who play the game, is recognised?

"I think it is and I know a lot of people want to see and hear those immortal words 'Arise Sir Kevin'."

Former scrum-half Rob Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in December 2019.

He is one of an estimated 5,000 adults in the UK currently living with motor neurone disease.

The MND Association is a charity which aims to improve access to care for those people living with, or affected by, MND.

The incredible amount of money Kevin Sinfield has raised will be split between the MND Association and the Leeds Hospitals Charity which is planning a new care centre for motor neurone disease patients to be named after Burrow.

In response to calls for him to be knighted, Kevin Sinfield said: "It's really nice but we're a team, it was a huge team effort.

"The big driver is the Rob Burrow care centre in Leeds, the sooner we can get that up the better. We want Rob to be able to open that."