Published: 3rd June 2025
On Thursday 29th May, over 100 children participated in the Ronan Costello Rugby League festival playing on the pitch of the John Smith’s Stadium!
Set centre stage in the spectacular setting – junior community clubs in age ranges U7 to U9s united for a memorable experience competing in small sided fixtures in memory of Ronan Costello, with the added excitement of playing on the surface as the Huddersfield Giants first team!
The junior community festival is a legacy created in memory of Ronan Costello, who sadly lost his life while playing for the Huddersfield Giants Academy in a fixture v Salford Red Devils. The festival was first launched in 2017, now into 2025, Ronan’s memory continues to live on as the Trust hosted the tournament at The John Smith’s Stadium for the first time.
Set before the Giants v Leopards game, community clubs were watched on by the Costello family, players family and friends, including appearances from Giants players and club staff members.
The celebrations of the festival rolled into the Giants fixture, with passionate words from Director of Rugby Andy Kelly, presentation, awards, a meal and a half time pitch parade. Nichola, Ronan’s mum and First Teamers Matty English and Darius Carter presented the awards to community club participants.
Rebecca Colwell, Sports Development Manager commented on the RC13 Festival: “WOW! The festival has been a huge success, we were delighted to create such a memorable experience for our junior community clubs this year playing at The John Smith’s Stadium. The Ronan Costello festival is a pivotal and large community event within the Trust and we are delighted to keep Ronan’s legacy firmly in our thoughts. The feedback has been really positive and we are already really excited to bring the festival again in 2026, 10 years on since Ronan’s passing.”
A heartfelt message from Nichola and Martin were shared within the festival:
“We would like to thank everyone for coming and for those who continue to support the legacy of our son Ronan, by attending todays festival.
Ronan sadly lost his life playing the game he loved and we feel proud to be part of such a personal and important event. An event which encourages children to come together within our community, play rugby and remember Ronan and what he stood for.
Ronan was a talented lad who played rugby with pride, was full of ambition and determination. He had community spirit, was positive and dedicated to this incredible sport.
Thank you for keeping our son’s memory alive. #RC13″
If you are interested to find out more about our community projects, please email sports@hgct.co.uk
