Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow: The friendship behind a remarkable fundraising campaign

When Kevin Sinfield was asked how Rob Burrow would have reacted to his knighthood, he offered an answer that recognised both the significance of the occasion and the friendship behind it.

“I think he’d be laughing,” he told the Press Association, in comments published by ITV News.

Sinfield received the honour from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, recognising his contribution to rugby league, rugby union and the motor neurone disease community.

The ceremony followed years of fundraising inspired by his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate, who was diagnosed with MND in December 2019 and died in June 2024.

Our report on Sinfield’s knighthood covers the presentation. The wider story stretches from their shared success at Headingley to research funding, family support and a specialist centre bearing Burrow’s name.

It also explains why the campaign continues after the loss of the friend who inspired it.

Arise, Sir Kevin 🌹

Sir Kevin Sinfield received his knighthood at Windsor Castle today for his incredible MND fundraising efforts. So far, he has raised over £13 million for various MND charities in memory of his former @leedsrhinos teammate and close friend Rob Burrow.

The… pic.twitter.com/PfKeyh2Iql

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 7, 2026

A friendship built through rugby

Long before the running challenges, Sinfield and Burrow were central figures in an exceptional Leeds team.

Sinfield made 521 appearances for the club and scored 3,967 points. As captain, he led Leeds to seven Super League titles, with his final appearance coming in the treble-winning season of 2015.

Those achievements established his place in the club’s history before his fundraising began.

Burrow shared in all seven of those Grand Final victories. Their connection grew through years of training, selection, setbacks and the demands of sustaining success.

For supporters who followed that team, the friendship had a familiar setting. They had watched the pair contribute to the same victories and represent the same club over many seasons.

That history became important when Burrow’s diagnosis changed their lives beyond rugby. The people who had supported them as players now had another reason to come together.

The number seven, Burrow’s shirt number, became a recurring feature of Sinfield’s challenges. It gave each demanding distance a direct link to his friend.

How Kevin Sinfield’s running campaign began

In December 2020, Sinfield and his team ran seven marathons in seven days.

By the following autumn, the MND Association reported that the challenge had raised more than £2.7 million. The response established that a fundraising effort rooted in one friendship could reach a much wider community.

Sinfield then attempted a different test of endurance: 101 miles from Leicester to Leeds within 24 hours.

He completed the journey in November 2021, arriving at Headingley, where Burrow was among those waiting to greet him.

The route connected two parts of Sinfield’s sporting life. He had joined Leicester Tigers’ coaching staff, while Leeds remained the club where he and Burrow had shared their playing careers.

The distances attracted attention. The repeated commitment gave the campaign continuity.

Each new challenge offered supporters another opportunity to contribute and brought families affected by MND into the public conversation. Sinfield and his team kept returning to the cause after the initial response.

The marathon they finished together

One of the clearest expressions of their friendship came at the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May 2023.

Sinfield pushed Burrow around the 26.2-mile course in a specially adapted wheelchair. Near the finish, he lifted his friend and carried him across the line.

They completed the course in four hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds.

“It was only right that we went over together,” Sinfield told ITV Calendar.

He also joked about ensuring Burrow did not record a faster time by crossing ahead of him in the chair.

That humour is part of the account worth preserving. Alongside the fundraising and the physical effort, this remained a friendship between former team-mates who could still joke about beating one another.

The marathon gave people far beyond rugby league a way to understand that relationship. It also provided an event in which thousands of other runners could take part.

What the fundraising has supported

The practical results of the campaign deserve as much attention as the distances.

In a September update before the final annual challenge, the MND Association said Sinfield’s challenges had raised more than £11 million for six MND charities.

That was a dated total, published before the latest challenge, rather than a final figure for the entire campaign.

Of the £6.6 million received by the association, it said more than £3.3 million had been invested in research.

More than £1 million had supported people living with MND and their families through support funds and services for children and young people. A further £458,000 had helped establish its Research Nurse Network, intended to improve access to clinical trials.

Those figures show the range of needs the fundraising addresses.

Research seeks better treatments. Families also need practical support while living with the disease, and help accessing research opportunities where appropriate.

The campaign has contributed to both.

A centre carrying Burrow’s name

The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease opened at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds in November 2025.

A £6.8 million appeal led by Leeds Hospitals Charity made the centre possible, with support from Sinfield and the wider community.

Its development represents a collective achievement involving fundraisers, donors, healthcare staff and families. Burrow’s name connects that work to the person whose experience helped bring it to public attention.

In August, the MND Association announced that MND-SMART had opened to recruitment at the centre.

It was the first clinical trial launched there.

The platform tests potential treatments, allowing several drugs to be assessed through a shared trial structure. Opening recruitment in Leeds gives eligible people in the region another opportunity to participate.

That development does not promise a successful treatment. It does demonstrate how the campaign’s legacy is becoming part of ongoing care and research.

The work continues

Sinfield completed his latest seven-day challenge at Old Trafford on Saturday, before Wednesday’s investiture.

Although this was the final instalment of his annual series, he has already discussed further fundraising.

At Windsor, he said he would like to organise a run in Australia and New Zealand next year, with an emphasis on international collaboration and support for families.

Those plans are still developing. His intention to continue is clear.

The knighthood recognises what Sinfield has achieved, but the campaign remains active in places far removed from the ceremony: research projects, support services and appointments at the centre in Leeds.

For the families using those services, the lasting measure of the friendship is the help it continues to make possible.