Stephen Jones, the head of Wheelchair Rugby League in Wales, has been honoured as part of The National Lottery’s 30th Birthday celebrations.
He is one of seven sporting game changers to be recognised.
His work is now celebrated publicly outside the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in the final part of seven verses, that together form a tribute crafted by Scottish poet Robert Montgomery.
The verses shown in Cardiff, officially unveiled at the Stadium yesterday (Wednesday), recognises Jones’s ground breaking efforts to make wheelchair rugby league more accessible.
At Crusaders, he has helped to launch the career of 15 international players, and gives many others a chance to play sport where they’ve not been able to in the past.
He has thanked the National Lottery for playing their part in the club’s success. Their funding has provided essential equipment like sports wheelchairs.
Jones said: “I fell in love with wheelchair rugby league purely because it’s so diverse. Anyone can play. It’s totally inclusive at the moment. We’ve got an 11-year-old and a 70-year-old.
“We’ve got a trans player, we’ve got amputees, we’ve got people like my son, who has epilepsy. I’m so passionate that we need sports for disabled people and with the help of National Lottery funding we’ve been able to move the dial on that significantly.”
Brian Davies OBE, Chief Executive, Sport Wales, said: “The National Lottery’s 30th Birthday is a significant milestone, and an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved over the past three decades.
“At Sport Wales we want to see a healthier and more active nation and would like every young person to have a great start in life so they can go on to enjoy a lifetime in sport. National Lottery funding has had a game changing impact on sport in Wales, helping us to create Olympic, Paralympic and world champions across many different disciplines.
“Stephen Jones is an inspirational game changer within rugby league in Wales and we congratulate him on this honour. Stephen and the rest of the Game Changers epitomise the power of sport and we are proud to honour their remarkable achievements, so beautifully reflected in Robert Montgomery’s poem.”
With Wales Rugby League, he coached our wheelchair international side to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2022 and also to a number of Celtic Cup wins.
