Sinfield knighted as Donald, Scarratt, Murphy made OBEs
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- Kevin Sinfield has been knighted for his rugby league career and MND fundraising, becoming only the second rugby league knight in over 130 years after Sir Billy Boston, having raised over £11m for the cause since 2020 in memory of his friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow, who died in 2024.
- Sinfield's next challenge, the '7 in 7: The Grand Finale', will see him run an ultra marathon every day for seven days from September 28 at Hull KR, finishing at Old Trafford ahead of the Super League Grand Final on October 3.
- Luke Donald, Shaun Murphy and Emily Scarratt have all been made OBEs; Murphy lost the World Snooker Championship final to Wu Yize in a last-frame decider just over a month ago.
- Six England Lionesses who helped retain their European title (Michelle Agyemang, Jess Carter, Hannah Hampton, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo) and Lee Carsley have been made MBEs.
- Former Arsenal chairman David Dein has been made OBE for services to football and charity work with The Twinning Project, while 87-year-old former Wakefield Trinity great Neil Fox has been made CBE for services to rugby league.
Why it matters: Sinfield's knighthood caps a fundraising drive that has raised £11m for MND since 2020, with the honour coming as he prepares a seven-day ultra marathon hitting all 12 Super League clubs in the week before the Grand Final. Rob Burrow's widow Lindsey publicly endorsed the award, while separate honours recognised figures across golf, snooker, women's rugby and football.
