Kevin Sinfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kevin Sinfield
CBE

Sinfield in 2011
Personal information
Born	(1980-09-12) 12 September 1980 (age 44) Oldham, Greater Manchester, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	201 lb; 14 st 5 lb (91 kg)
Playing information
Rugby league
Position	Loose forward, Stand-off, Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1997–2015 Leeds Rhinos 521 86 1792 39 3967 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2000–2013 England 29 5 91 0 202 2001 Lancashire 4 0 0 0 0 2001–2007 Great Britain 14 1 15 0 34
Rugby union
Position	Fly-half
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2015–2016 Yorkshire Carnegie 18 0 43 0 122
Coaching information
Rugby league
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2018 Leeds Rhinos 12 6 1 5 50
Rugby union
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2021–2022 Leicester Tigers (defence coach) 2022– England (defence coach) Total 0 0 0 0
As of 14 October 2018
Children	Jack Sinfield
Relatives	Ian Sinfield (brother)

Kevin Sinfield (born 12 September 1980) is a famous English rugby coach and former player. He is currently a skills and kicking coach for the England national rugby union team.

Kevin played his entire professional rugby league career for the Leeds Rhinos. He was one of the most successful players in Super League history. He captained the team to win seven Super League championships and two Challenge Cups. He also won many individual awards, like the Golden Boot in 2012. He holds records for being the highest points-scorer in Super League history. He is also the third-highest points-scorer in British rugby league history.

After retiring from playing, Kevin became well-known for his amazing fundraising efforts. He has raised millions of pounds for charities that help people with motor neurone disease (MND).

Early Life and Education

Kevin Sinfield was born in Oldham, England. He went to Saddleworth School, where he was the head boy. He also studied at Oldham Sixth Form College.

Playing Career Highlights

Rugby League Years

Kevin started playing rugby at Waterhead ARLFC. He signed with Leeds Rhinos in August 1997 when he was just 16 years old. He made his first team debut against the Sheffield Eagles.

Early Success (1990s-2000s)

The year 1999 was a big one for Kevin, as he played in 21 games. In 2000, he joined the England squad for the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. He scored three tries in a big win against Russia. He also played for Great Britain in the Ashes matches against Australia.

In 2004, Kevin helped Leeds win the 2004 Super League Grand Final. He kicked four goals in their victory against Bradford. In 2005, Leeds won the 2005 World Club Challenge. Kevin was captain and scored many points in their win. Even though Leeds lost the 2005 Challenge Cup Final, Kevin won the Lance Todd Trophy for being the best player in the match.

Captaincy and Championships (2007-2009)

In 2007, Kevin became the first Leeds player to score points in every game of a Super League season. He did this again in 2011. In 2008, he celebrated his testimonial season. He helped Leeds beat Melbourne 11–4. During this season, he set a club record by scoring points in 63 games in a row. He also scored his 2,000th point for Leeds.

Leeds won the 2008 Super League Grand Final against St Helens. It was the first time Leeds had won two titles in a row. Kevin was also chosen for the England squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. In 2009, Kevin became only the second player to score 1,000 goals for Leeds. He won the Harry Sunderland Trophy for his great performance in the 2009 Super League Grand Final. Leeds beat St Helens, and Kevin became the first player to captain four championship-winning teams.

Later Years and Retirement (2010s)

Kevin played in the 2010 Challenge Cup Final and 2011 Challenge Cup Final, but Leeds lost both. However, at the end of 2011, he led Leeds to another championship win. This meant he had captained five championship-winning teams.

In 2012, Kevin became the all-time top points scorer for Leeds. He led Leeds to another Grand Final victory against Warrington. He was named Man-of-the-Match and won his second Harry Sunderland Trophy. In 2013, Kevin won the Golden Boot award. This award goes to the best player in the world. He was only the fourth English player to win it.

Sinfield holds the record for being the highest-scoring kicker in Super League history.

In 2014, Kevin captained Leeds to win the 2014 Challenge Cup Final. This was the last major trophy he had not won. On 31 March 2015, Kevin announced he would retire from rugby league. His last game was the 2015 Super League Grand Final. He captained Leeds to victory, helping the club win the treble for the first time ever.

Rugby Union Career

After rugby league, Kevin joined Yorkshire Carnegie, a rugby union club. He played 18 games for them in the 2015–2016 season. He scored 122 points before deciding to retire from playing completely in April 2016.

Coaching and Management

In August 2016, Kevin joined the Rugby Football League (RFL). He worked as the Rugby Director, helping to improve the England national team. In July 2018, he returned to Leeds Rhinos as their first-ever Director of Rugby.

Later, in 2021, Kevin became the defence coach for the rugby union club Leicester Tigers. He helped them win the 2021–22 Premiership Rugby title. In December 2022, he moved to become the defence coach for the England national rugby union team.

Charity Fundraising Efforts

Sinfield at Old Trafford on 19 November 2022, after completing his seven ultramarathons in seven days challenge for motor neurone disease awareness.

Kevin Sinfield is also famous for his amazing charity work. In November 2020, he ran seven marathons in seven days. He did this to raise money for his former teammate Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). He hoped to raise £77,777, but he ended up raising over £2 million! He said it was "the most special week" of his life.

In October 2021, Kevin did another big fundraiser. He ran about 101 miles (163 km) between two rugby stadiums in under 24 hours. This was called the "Extra Mile Challenge." He raised over £2 million for the MND Association. He promised he would keep fundraising until a cure for MND is found.

In September 2022, Kevin took on his third challenge. He ran seven ultramarathons in seven days. He started in Edinburgh and finished at Old Trafford in Manchester. He did this to raise money for Rob Burrow and other people with MND.

For his fifth challenge, called "Running Home for Christmas," Kevin ran at least seven 7km blocks daily for seven days. This event started in Liverpool and visited several UK cities. He has raised almost £10 million for MND causes through all his challenges.

Personal Life

Kevin Sinfield has received several special awards for his work. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2014. He became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2021 for his charity work. In 2024, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his efforts to raise awareness for motor neurone disease.

In 2022, Kevin and Rob Burrow were given the Freedom of the City of Leeds. This was to honor their work for the MND community. Kevin was also the first rugby league player to be nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2015. He finished in second place.

Kevin supports the football team Oldham Athletic. His son, Jack Sinfield, is also a professional rugby league player for Leeds Rhinos. Kevin has also written an autobiography called The Extra Mile: My Autobiography.

Records and Statistics

Kevin Sinfield holds many records in rugby league.

• He is the all-time leading points scorer for Leeds Rhinos with 3,967 points.
• He played the third-highest number of games (521) for Leeds.
• He is the third-highest points scorer in British rugby league history with 4,231 points.
• He is the Super League's record points scorer.

Honours and Awards

Player Awards

Rugby League

• Super League:
  • Champions (7 times): 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015
• World Club Challenge:
  • Champions (3 times): 2005, 2008, 2012
• League Leader's Shield:
  • Champions (3 times): 2004, 2009, 2015
• Challenge Cup:
  • Champions (2 times): 2014, 2015

Rugby Union

• British and Irish Cup:
  • Runners up (1 time): 2015-16

Coaching Awards

Rugby Union

• Premiership:
  • Champions (1 time): 2021-22 (with Leicester Tigers)

Individual Awards

• Rugby League World Golden Boot: 2012
• Harry Sunderland Trophy (best player in Grand Final): 2009, 2012
• Lance Todd Trophy (best player in Challenge Cup Final): 2005
• Super League Dream Team (selected as one of the best players): 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year:
  • Second Place: 2015
  • Special Award: 2022
• RLWBA Merit Award: 2015

Orders and Recognitions

• Order of the British Empire:
  • MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire): 2014 (for services to rugby league)
  • OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire): 2021 (for services to rugby league and charity)
  • CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire): 2024 (for services to motor neurone disease awareness)