York City Knights are proud to announce that our May 22nd double-header at the LNER Community Stadium on Sunday 22nd May will hope to raise awareness for Spinal Research’s ‘Tackling Paralysis’ campaign.
The Knights men’s players will wear a specially designed warm-up shirt for the match against local rivals and fellow play-off contenders Halifax, which will then be sold off online after the game, and a strictly limited number of replica shirts will also be available to buy from the Knights club shop.
There will also be a number of other rugby-related fundraising activities, including a very special Golden Gamble raffle, where the winner will get the chance to take part in a half-time crossbar challenge for a very special prize.
Part of a wider Spinal Research rugby campaign called Tackling Paralysis, the inspiration for this fixture is lifelong Knights fan and former Media Manager Gavin Wilson, who was paralysed from the neck down in a childhood cycling accident, aged just 14.
Rugby League is sadly no stranger to spinal injuries, with the likes of the inspirational Matt King OBE, Jimmy Gittins, Alex McKinnon and more recently Mose Masoe all suffering life-changing injuries to their spinal cords.
Jimmy Gittins will be a special guest at the game, and will talk to our hospitality guests in the LNER Lounge before the game about his experiences living with an SCI.
Funds raised through the fixture will be used to progress research into promising electrical spinal stimulation therapies which have been shown to improve functionality for people living with paralysis.
Supported by rugby union legend and Spinal Research Patron Jason Leonard, the Tackling Paralysis campaign aims to engage with both codes of the rugby community to support ground-breaking research into spinal cord injury, as Gavin Wilson explains:
“Every four hours someone in the UK is paralysed due to an injury to their spinal cord, including through contact sports like rugby. Spinal Research have supported many breakthroughs in understanding how to restore function over the last 40 years, and it’s exciting to see new treatments being developed through clinical pilots in the UK.
The Tackling Paralysis campaign will raise funds specifically to expand research into new electrical stimulation therapy. This has already shown to improve movement, sensation and other critical functions – all of which would be life changing for someone with an SCI.
“Thank you to York City Knights and all rugby league fans for helping Tackle Paralysis!”
To purchase tickets, and to find out more please visit the York Stadium Management Company Ticket Office HERE.
To find out more about Tackling Paralysis visit: spinal-research.org/rugby
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