Mark Aston responds to RFL U-turn with banned coach's appeal wish achieved

Mark Aston has expressed his delight after the Rugby Football League reversed on its stance to deny the coach's appeal to be heard by Sports Resolutions.

Aston has been handed an 18-month suspension after a tribunal found him guilty of breaching the RFL's welfare policy and medical standards. However, the long-serving Sheffield Eagles coach has vowed to clear his name and has wanted his case to be heard by the arbitration service, which specialises in sports-related disputes.

Initially, the RFL had refused to go down that route but in a sizable development, they have now changed their stance and allowed the case to be heard.

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Responding to the development, Aston told Rugby League Live: "I am delighted to hear the news that the RFL have now agreed that we can go to Sports Resolution to clear my name on appeal. Today is the first step in this, and I can't thank everyone for their support. It's been a very emotional journey so far, and all I want is to be out there with the boys and doing what I love, which is coaching."

Aston was suspended after fullback Matty Marsh played in a Challenge Cup game against Wigan despite not being signed off. But Aston has claimed he was unaware of this having not received the appropriate paperwork from the doctor, club physio or governing body.

Furthermore, Aston's supporters claim he was never copied into an email exchange alerting him to Marsh's condition and that the emails were not disclosed to the tribunal hearing because the RFL classed them as 'legal privileges', which has been contested.

On Friday, Love Rugby League published a letter sent by legendary coach John Kear, which had been signed by a number of high-profile coaches across the game.

The letter read: “The unprecedented 18-month ban imposed on one of our sport’s most dedicated servants – for what amounts to an administrative error in paperwork completion – raises serious questions about proportionality and natural justice. That this punishment exceeds sanctions given for violent conduct on the field only compounds our concerns.

“Most troubling is the RFL’s insistence on maintaining complete control over the appeals process, while refusing to allow independent scrutiny through Sport Resolutions – the same arbitration service trusted by virtually every other major UK sport, including the football, rugby union and tennis.

“We respectfully ask: what message does this send about our sport’s commitment to fairness and transparency?

“Mark Aston has given 37 years of service to rugby league. His contributions extend far beyond the field, from establishing wheelchair rugby teams to creating pathways for women and girls in our sport. To end such a career over paperwork, while denying access to truly independent arbitration, does not reflect the values our sport should represent.

“We therefore call upon the RFL to allow the Mark Aston case to be heard by Sport Resolutions.”

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