Haringey rugby club chair recognised in New Year Honours

Helen Rayfield has been chair of the local rugby club Haringey Rhinos for nearly ten years

A local Haringey rugby club chair has been recognised in the New Year Honours list for services to rugby union football and the Haringey community.

Helen Rayfield received the British Empire Medal (BEM) last month for her work as chair of Haringey Rhinos, a club which she has been involved with for over 20 years.

In 2011, she set up the club’s youth programme, which provides free rugby coaching to young people aged 11–17. To keep this running, Helen told HCP she fundraises roughly £10,000 a year, which allows the club to offer rugby boots, travel expenses to away games and more for free.

She said: “There’s absolutely no cost to any of the kids taking part.

“It’s all about encouraging young kids to play in Haringey for free.”

In 2015, she became chair of Haringey Rhinos, working with partners to develop grassroots sports in Haringey. In September 2016, Haringey Rhinos set up U13s and U15s girls teams to meet demand in the borough, with an additional U18s girls team in 2017. The club now has over 60 players regularly competing and, in 2018, 14 girls were selected to play for Middlesex County. The club’s coaches and support staff are volunteers. Helen is also a trustee of the Haringey Sports Development Trust, a freelance bid consultant, and board member of the charitable organisation Haringey Giving.

She said: “I’m delighted to be recognised in the New Year Honours list for my services to rugby union and the wider Haringey community. I’d like to thank the Haringey Rhinos family for all their support and ongoing commitment to making Haringey Rhinos such a great community rugby club.”

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.