Increasing numbers of players are rediscovering their links with the game via dedicated club past players associations, arresting a trend that had seen many fall into decline.
The associations are a brilliant way for players to catch up with old mates and roll back the years at a range of social get-togethers, from reunion dinners to golf days.
All players miss the camaraderie of the dressing room once they retire, and active past players associations do a brilliant job of rekindling those special bonds.
In early September, RL Cares Transition Manager Francis Stephenson defied the handicap of creaking knees and an awful swing to spend the afternoon with some of his old team-mates at the Wakefield Trinity past players association golf day.
Playing alongside your old mates and with players you followed when you were growing up, and sharing a few beers and stories with everyone is just fantastic. It's something all retired players would get a lot from.
Quote
"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something
you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning
of friendship, you really haven't learned anything"
- Muhammad Ali
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