We have felt truly blessed to witness the beautiful and deeply touching relationship between former Leeds Rhinos teammates Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow and their remarkable journey together as motor neurone disease champions.
Although Rob is sadly no longer able to walk or talk as a result of his condition, one that affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK, for the past few years Oldham lad Kevin Sinfield has completed numerous incredible feats of endurance in aid of MND research and it’s been so special to watch.
Whether it’s smashing out seven ultra-marathons in a week or running for 24 hours non-stop, he’s achieved so many astonishing things on his behalf and on Sunday, 14 May, the amazing Manc brought best mate Burrow along for his latest effort, where everyone was running in his name.
2023 saw the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, the first the city has seen for 20 years, where Kevin pushed Rob around for 26.2 miles alongside other former Leeds Rhinos. The moment they crossed the finish line was emotional, to say the least.
Kevin Sinfield emotionally carried his former Leeds Rhinos teammate Rob Burrow over the finish line at the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, having pushed his friend around the 26.2 miles in his wheelchair ❤️ pic.twitter.com/yqSIakPgYr
Kevin Sinfield carries Rob Burrow across the finish line.
We defy you to watch that without welling up.
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As you can see, our very own Kevin Sinfield thought it only fitting to lift Rob Burrow out of his specially designed wheelchair and carry him across the finish line of his own marathon. Absolute legend.
He literally helped him complete the marathon by giving him a kiss and a cuddle. If that doesn’t sum up how special their friendship is then we don’t know what does.
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More than 12,500 runners took part — nearly 5,000 more than was initially intended as so many simply wanted to come out and run in Rob’s honour — with 40% never even having run a marathon before, including his wife Lindsey who said, “the reason I am doing it will get me to the finish line”.
As for Sinfield, speaking after it was all said and done, the 42-year-old thanked everyone who turned up and helped “create something so incredible in Rob’s name”. It’s clear that their connection is one that has resonated with millions across the UK.
Prior to setting off, the Rhinos legend turned coach went on to say, “It doesn’t matter how long it takes. The longer it takes, the more time I get to spend with him… Today is a celebration of friendship”.
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All told, Sinfield has now raised over £8 million for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and other related charities, running countless miles in the process, so giving his best mate and inspiration a hug on the way over the finish line looked easy in comparison. A simply astounding man.
You can donate to the MNDA and do your bit to help people like Rob HERE.
Manchester United in talks with Disney over ‘multi-million-dollar documentaries’ deal
Danny Jones
Manchester United are said to be in talks with Disney over a potential deal to create a number of “multi-million-dollar documentaries”.
Just a week or so after the first trailer for their upcoming 99 series on Amazon Prime Video, which will follow their iconic treble-winning campaign – and only a couple weeks after Manchester City dropped their own over on Netflix – it looks like we’re getting more Manchester football media.
As per the report by The Athletic‘s Adam Crafton, the discussion between the footballing icons and entertainment giants centres around the proposal to make multiple documentaries about the club, with a specific focus on Sir Alex Ferguson and the legacy he left behind.
With Disney+ now the third biggest streaming service available, boasting more than 150 million subscribers according to the most recent estimates, and Man United still one of the most instantly recognisable brands on the planet, it goes without saying that the viewing figures would be huge.
NEW: Manchester United in multi-million dollar negotiations with @Disney over a deal to make documentaries. Initially with a view to create content about Sir Alex Ferguson’s era of success, including fresh extensive interview access to club’s former coach. https://t.co/VfKOlDdpH0
Man United and Disney are reportedly exploring a collaboration for multiple documentaries.
The article goes on to detail how the prospective documentaries would also ideally involve “substantial interview time with Ferguson”, the now 82-year-old former manager and footballing legend who won a total of 38 trophies in 26 years as the Man United boss.
Disney would reportedly also be given access to the club’s wealth of archive footage along with key ambassadors and figures from their rich sporting heritage, including former captain Bryan Robson, goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and more.
We’d be surprised if you didn’t see plenty of David Beckham, Gary Neville and other Class of ’92 members involved as well, sitting as arguably the most iconic and foremost serial winners in their history.
As the plans are still in their infancy, Ferguson and his former players would need to formally agree to be part of the documentaries and United would have their say over final edits.
It is said that the current deal on the table is “in the low seven figures” and is actually lower than the terms originally offered to the club when the idea was first floated a couple of years ago.
There is still no indication as to how many projects could be in the pipeline or when we might see the first released if/when a deal is agreed upon.
As for out on the pitch itself, it’s been a turbulent season for the Red Devils, to say the least, but they have still managed to secure a place in the FA Cup final for the second year running following a game they made difficult for themselves against Coventry City.
Set to be just the second Manchester derby final in history, kick-off has once again been moved to an earlier start time to aid with travel issues and potential crowd problems.
FA Cup final confirmed for 3pm kick-off time as Metropolitan Police stress safety for fans
Danny Jones
The start time for the 2023/24 FA Cup final has officially been confirmed with holders Manchester City and challengers Manchester United set to kick off at 3pm on Saturday, 25 May.
It’s a Manc final for the second year running and yet another Manchester Derby this year as City beat Chelsea on penalties to try and defend one of their trophies from last season and Man United did just about enough to scrape through against Coventry City this past weekend.
Logistics and travel arrangements for the conclusion of last year’s FA Cup proved problematic, with the Metropolitan Police stressing that they needed the schedule brought forward to try and help curb crowd trouble – the first time the final had been reverted back to a traditional 3pm start since 2011.
Kick-off times for the knockout tournament have varied for the last three finals, having taken place at 4:45 and 5:15pm in the two years prior to 2023’s first-ever all-Manchester final, but it looks as though the same rationale has been put in place once again.
The kick-off time for the FA Cup final has been confirmed for 3pm.
As per an official statement by the FA, the final has now been officially confirmed as 3pm BST which has been agreed with local authorities, members of the Safety Advisory Group and broadcasters, as well as with the clubs who must take the time needed for fans to travel to and from Wembley into consideration.
While pockets of fighting broke out before and after the game last year, it was deemed that this time would still be the best kick-off time for all parties involved and there will, of course, be an increased police presence in London for the game next month.
Although prioritising safety comes as welcome news, it’ll no doubt prove to be a blow to broadcasters who prefer later kick-offs when eyeing up peak audience numbers; the game is also set to clash with ITV’s coverage of the rugby as the Investec Champions Cup final is also due to start at 2:45pm.
With last season’s historic FA Cup final being the first time the two sides had met in the final in the entire history of the oldest competition in all of football, it rounded off a massive year of viewing figures for the tournament which has continued to hit record numbers in 2024.
The game will once again be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and ITV1; ITVX, UTV, as well as STV, and there will no doubt be huge screenings of the game all over Greater Manchester, where an increased police presence is also expected.
Danny Jones -
14th May 2023 
