England's Wheelchair World Cup impact still resonating with Hull FC team one of fastest growing

The image of England's Tom Halliwell going over for the winning try against France in the 2022 Rugby League World Cup final is still fresh in the memory. The sheer and utter ecstasy of a career-defining play and a Watergate moment for a discipline that was rugby league's best-kept secret for so long.

However, that secret is no more, and the wheelchair form of the game, which sees five-a-side teams compete against each other on a smaller-sized court, is thriving. With television cameras and media coverage, the sport has more eyes on it than ever before, and for Hull FC, the impact of England's greatest hour is there to see.

Now an established Super League club, the Black and Whites have grown and grown over the last decade. They hosted the Princess of Wales in an event that drew in widespread national media attention. They have current international players, elite facilities, and play their home games in front of a couple hundred fans at the Allam Sports Centre. From the days of a tired sports hall with a dozen people watching, it really is night and day, and this is just the start—with participation still on the up and the sport motivated to draw in and captivate more fans, with an expanding Super League competition coming to the fore in 2025.

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"It's definitely helped—we're competing in Super League, and there's more opportunity there," Mike Swainger, the heart and soul of Hull FC Wheelchair Rugby League, told Hull Live. "That's not only for players, but for fans to come and watch the games.

"We've never really had that before, whereas now we're getting nearly 200 people coming to watch our home games. It's still popular, and it's growing; we get new players or different partners to come out and try out sessions. We do sessions with local businesses as well, and they use them for their team-building days. Just last week, I had people coming across from Sweden and Belgium to come and give it a go. We're all about opportunity, and it's up to us to continue the legacy of the World Cup.

"The RFL are helping to drive it. There are certain criteria and standards now that are required before you submit your application to Super League. We've just sent ours off. It helps our profile too, being on Sky Sports, the BBC, and the Sportsman, plus social media, but it's going to be a bigger competition next year. It's going from five teams up to eight, so there's going to be more competition, but that's the progress from the World Cup, if you like: more teams and more participation.

"There are also plans to increase the sport and make sure it keeps progressing. There's a development plan in place, not just for wheelchair, but for PDRL and LDRL as well. We're in a good place."

Looking to kick on, Swainger is one of the wheelchair league's greatest advocates. Launching the Hull team, he put together a club, with the city now competing at the top level in what is a fast-paced version of the game that includes both disabled and non-disabled players, with tackles made by removing tags on the shoulder and skill as good as any. For indoor sports, this is as good as it gets, with the impact of recent events clear to see.

"We have a junior wheelchair side, and we run development sessions, reserves training sessions, and Super League training sessions," Swainger continued. "We have four training sessions a week, and we're looking at an average of around 40 players playing a five-a-side sport, so for me, it's quite challenging to make sure that everybody plays.

"Last year, we competed in junior festivals, and we had the reserves fixtures before the main Super League games. We've had development festivals as well, and everyone seems to be happy. There's a pathway there, and they can push on through the systems. Again, there's opportunity. Next year, we're looking at women-only sessions. It is an inclusive sport, but we want to be as inclusive as we can.

"Of course, it's been a long process for us to get here, but it's about the patience and the commitment of the players, learning together, understanding the game as a collective, and how we can challenge other teams. Last season, competitively, we did that; the results don't show that, but as a team, we competed in 90% of our games, I'd say.

"We pushed Leeds close, whereas in previous seasons, we'd have been on the good end of a hiding. We are there or thereabouts now, and hopefully next season we can push on."

The Black and Whites will look to do just that next year with one of their stars, Tristan Norfolk, making his England debut against Spain last month—a just reward for a 'rapid' rise over the last few years.

"Tristan is a great story," Swainger added. "When he first started, he was faster pushing himself in the chair backwards than forwards, but he's progressed at a rapid rate. His levels keep rising, and the bar keeps rising. He keeps challenging himself, and that's a credit to him. If you've got the dedication to the sport, you can go far in it.

"It's the same for players like Josh Edwards. Tristan is always challenging Josh. They're good friends on and off the pitch. Josh is learning a lot from Tristan, and the way that Tristan plays, you see a lot of those traits in Josh, which is good to see. It's good for our team, and they have a positive impact. There is that same pathway there for Josh as well, and there will be further opportunities for him down the line. That's what it's all about—the next generation, and we're keen to help bring them through at Hull FC.

"England also did a women's and junior pathway this season, and we had three representatives from Hull FC, Joshua Mackenzie, Anna Mackenzie and Belle Blakestone. playing for the England juniors, which was great. There's a pathway for them as well. I was invited down to coach the juniors, and I really enjoyed that. It's good to see that everyone is included; it doesn't matter what level or what age you're at; there's a pathway there to crack on with and succeed."

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