Athletics star turned coach Jenny Meadows joins the Rugby League Cares team as a trustee

Rugby League Cares and Sport Cares have announced the appointment of Jenny Meadows as a trustee as part of a reorganisation and expansion of the charities.

Meadows, a Wiganer and former multiple medal-winning middle-distance runner, has since become an award-winning athletics coach and was named Coach of the Year at the BBC’s 2024 Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Her election as a trustee follows the decisions of Sir Kevin Sinfield and Neville Smith to step down as trustees for personal reasons earlier this year. Sinfield, who joined the RL Cares Board in 2021, will continue his relationship with the charities as an ambassador.

Rugby League Cares will continue its player care work across the sport, including through a network of specialists at Super League clubs.

The Rugby League Benevolent Fund, founded in 2005, has also been renamed the Seriously Injured Players Fund to provide greater clarity over its purpose. It sits alongside the Brain Health Fund, which was established in 2023.

Sport Cares reflects the charity’s expansion into other sports and community and workplace settings, including partnerships with Movember’s Ahead of the Game programme and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Further announcements on Sport Cares are expected this autumn, including a special event at Speaker’s House in the House of Commons in November.

The charities have also strengthened their team with Sarah Rostron appointed Head of Personal and Professional Development, while Steve McCormack takes on the title of Director of Player Care.

Former Super League player James Clare has joined as Careers Advisor, while former Featherstone Rovers player Ian Hardman has joined the Sport Cares practitioners team.

Tim Adams MBE, chair of the Rugby League Charities’ Trustees, said: “We are thrilled and privileged to welcome Jenny Meadows to our Board.

“An outstanding athlete in her own right, her success since retirement in a number of fields - education, media and of course coaching, including recognition as Coach of the Year at the BBC’s 2024 Sports Personality Awards – is a perfect fit for our priority of player care, whether during or after their careers.

“Jenny is also a Wiganer, as she was quick to remind us at her first meeting, which means she is well aware of the special qualities of rugby league and its unique place in the communities in which it is established.

“We are hugely grateful to the dedication and commitment which Sir Kevin Sinfield and Neville Smith have shown to the charities as trustees – and we are delighted that Sir Kevin will maintain his relationship as an ambassador.”

Meadows added: “I am delighted to join the team of trustees for a cause that is close to my heart. I’ve devoted my life to sport and therefore understand the challenges athletes face at various stages of their careers and lives.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed by the work that Rugby League Cares and Sport Cares do and look forward to adding value to the groundbreaking projects that they support and deliver.”