We are delighted to announce that ahead of our upcoming game against Toulouse the South Stand will be officially renamed the ‘Mike Stephenson MBE Stand’.
As announced at last year’s 1973 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, the South Stand at FLAIR Stadium will be renamed the ‘Mike Stephenson MBE South Stand’ before the clash against Toulouse Olympique on Saturday 4th May.
Known as one of the most recognisable personalities in rugby league and one of the greatest players in the history of Dewsbury RLFC, ‘Stevo’ joined the club from Shaw Cross in 1966 and played 220 games over an eight-year-period.
Arguably his finest moment with Dewsbury came when he captained the side to victory in the 1973 Championship Final against Leeds at Odsal, a game in which he scored two tries and secured the Harry Sunderland Trophy.
He was also a Great Britain international and a member of the 1972 World Cup-winning squad who were victorious over Australia in Lyon, scoring the try that levelled the scores in the final and ultimately help to lift the trophy.
Following on from the 1973 success, Stevo departed for Australia and joined Penrith for what was at the time, a world-record fee and played for the New South Wales club for five seasons before finishing playing in 1978 and taking up a career working in the media.
To most fans of rugby league, Stevo is probably best known for his twenty-six-year association with Sky Sports and their coverage of Super League alongside Eddie Hemmings (with whom he currently hosts the Eddie & Stevo Podcast) cementing his legacy as one of the greatest personalities in the sport.
Stevo said “I feel truly honoured that the club are re-naming the stand after me, it’s one of the nicest things that I’ve been awarded in rugby league including the Championship and the World Cup.
I’d really like to thank all of those who have helped make this possible, but it’s worth saying that although it’s my name on the stand, I want all the supporters to remember every member of the team that won the league in 1973 when they see it.”
Rams Chairman, Mark Sawyer said “When I was first approached regarding the possibility of naming of the South Stand in honour of Stevo, I have to admit it came as a surprise. However, I immediately thought that this would be a fantastic way to honour one of our real heroes and the person that led us to that incredible Championship Final win over Leeds back in 1973.
While Stevo’s exploits are well known to our older supporters his name is also known to our younger ones as the face of Sky Sports coverage of rugby league for many seasons. He still actively follows the game live whenever we can and is a superb advocate for how a junior player from Shaw Cross can make it to captain their local club to glory, gain international honours, bring to the club the benefit of a what was then record transfer fee and to become such a widely known and respected media personality.
We are honoured as a club to be able to celebrate these achievements by naming the stand in his name and I would like to thank all those who have worked so hard behind the scenes to make this possible.”
Neil Fahey, former Rams Director and close friend said “I’m delighted that Dewsbury Rams have honoured Stevo by naming the stand in his honour. Mike is proud of his Dewsbury heritage and upbringing.
To become captain of his hometown team was a great achievement at such a young age, recognising his teammates as a group of talented, committed and professional players moulded into such a fine squad by their inspirational and visionary coach Tommy Smales.”
Ahead of kick-off against Toulouse, Stevo will be joined by some of his family, friends and former teammates for the official unveiling of the stand. Post-match there will also be a presentation and Q&A with Stevo in the Royal Suite with further details to be announced shortly.
We’ll have an article with the full interview with Stevo available early next week.
To celebrate the occasion, we have reduced entrance fee to just £10 for Adults and £2 for Under 18’s, prices will remain the same on the day, cash only at the turnstiles.
