As a lifelong Rugby League fan, I went to a Rugby League Masters festival for the first time as the Hull Warriors hosted the East Yorkshire Regional on the 17th May.

Rugby League Masters is a social version of the sport which is for men over the age of 35 and women over the age of 30 and it can be played by anyone regardless of their level of previous Rugby League experience.

Masters players play a modified version of rugby league which allows all players to get the enjoyment, fitness benefits and social aspects which is the aim of the sport.

At the East Yorkshire Regional festival all three aims of the sport were plain to see as teams from Hull, Cottingham, Beverley, Huddersfield and Stanningley featured across the range of matches throughout the day.

Players from across all the teams filled in when other teams were short on numbers as the spirit of masters allowed all the players to have an enjoyable day both on and off the pitch.

Masters is played much the same as the professional game as there are always 13 players on the field and the pitch measured 100 metres in length and 60/68 metres wide.

However, the main difference in the playing of Masters Rugby League is that each player wears a different coloured pair of shorts which depends on their age and dictates how that player can tackle and can be tackled.

At the festival in Hull there were people ranging from 35 to over 60 playing as the sport is one of the many versions of rugby league which is important for the sport of rugby league’s diversity and inclusion.

Masters festivals also give players a chance to continue their rugby career whilst not putting too much strain on their bodies this is because anyone over 60 plays non-contact rugby whilst people between 50-59 play limited contact.

As both the masters and the women’s game continues to develop throughout the country the RFL released their first ever Women’s Masters Rugby League stand-alone festival calendar for 2025.

For the 2025 season, there will be an unprecedented five women’s festivals ranging from April to October whilst there will be men’s festivals from March to October across Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria the North-East and the South.

The true spirit of Masters Rugby League was showcased at the festival in Hull on 17th May as all players present at the event took part in a minutes silence and applause for one of their fellow players who had recently passed away.

The rest of the afternoon saw some true moments of rugby league class as the entertaining matches brought members of the community together as many long time players faced off against each other for different teams throughout the festival.

All in all the festival was a great afternoon of rugby league for any fan of any format of the sport and I would fully recommend anyone to attend a masters event.