On Sunday 29th April, a group from LASSN went to Headingley Stadium to watch Leeds Rhinos face top of the table Warrington Wolves in a match celebrating 30 years since the start of the Rugby Super League.
Leeds won 26–22 in a fantastic back-and-forth game. Warrington started well, but Leeds stayed in it as the lead kept changing. A tense final quarter saw Leeds edge ahead and hold on, with the crowd right behind them.
We were there thanks to a LASSN volunteer who is a big Rhinos fan, introducing us to staff there that very generously donated hospitality seats. That one conversation meant nine households could go together—many for their first live rugby league game, here or anywhere.
And people really got into it, standing, cheering and swept up in the rhythm of the game. One man was dancing at the end, beaming and shouting, “I won, I won!”
Another participant said:
“I feel freedom. I felt like I wasn’t discriminated against and was just like a citizen here. When they scored, along with the music and the drums, the twinkling lights and the fireworks, I felt so happy.”
There’s something powerful about days like this. When we sit together, follow the same match, feel the same buzz when a try is scored. For a while, everything else drops away. We can share something simple and real—and that’s often where a sense of belonging begins.
Thank you to Leeds Rhinos—and to our amazing volunteer who made it happen.
