The Men of League Foundation is an Australian

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

charity founded on 11 July 2002 by retired rugby league players Max Brown,

Ron Coote Ron Coote AM (born 1944) is an Australian former representative rugby league player whose club career was played with South Sydney and the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, with both of whom he won premierships. He is considered one of the nation's fi ...

and Jim Hall. The purpose of the foundation is to provide funding and assistance to men, women and children from the rugby league community who have fallen on hard times.

History

The concept for the foundation came about when Coote was visiting his daughter in hospital and by chance, ran into former

St. George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...

captain

Doug McRitchie Douglas Allan McRitchie (1923–1998) was an Australian rugby league player who played in the 1940s and 1950s. A New South Wales state and Australia national representative centre, he played his club football in Sydney for the St. George club ...

, who was in the late stages of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

. Coote told author

Alan Whiticker Alan James Whiticker (born 1958) is an Australian non-fiction author and publisher, with over 50 published books on history, sport, biography, true crime and lifestyle. Whiticker writes primarily on matters pertaining to the history of the spo ...

that after seeing McRitchie alone in his hospital bed, he wondered why some of his teammates weren't with him or if they even knew of his illness. Following this encounter, Coote decided to create an organisation which brought former players back to the game and created a support network for the rugby league community in Australia. The name ''Men of League'' was given to the foundation by Narelle Hughes, wife of former

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilita ...

player

Graeme Hughes Graeme Christopher Hughes (born 6 December 1955) is an Australian sportsman turned broadcaster. He is the last man to have played both rugby league and cricket for New South Wales. His father Noel Hughes played cricket for Worcestershire County ...

, who had used the name for a calendar she had published for a number of years. Following its inception, the foundation has provided help and assistance to hundreds of rugby league players around Australia.

References

External links

* 2002 establishments in Australia Foundations based in Australia Non-profit organisations based in New South Wales Organizations established in 2002 Rugby league in Australia Rugby league organisations Sports foundations {{nonprofit-org-stub

History

See also

References

External links