SAINTS fan and club volunteer Mark Hurst has been acknowledged for his dedication to the Club, by being voted as Brut’s ‘Fan of Pride’ for St Helens.
A fan since a young age, Hurst started playing the sport as a child, progressing through the ages. However, he believes it’s the location that thrust the game on to him.
“I think it’s the area that introduced me to rugby league. The sport is so popular in St Helens, everyone lives for it, and it gave me the hunger and fire to play the game, but also to get behind St Helens.”
Once Hurst had stopped playing, he moved in to the volunteering role, one that has spread across all sports through a national programme, but also focused around the Rugby League World Cup, hosted in England later this year.
“I started working at St Helens a couple of years ago on match days, helping out which has been great. It’s fantastic to see the club behind the scenes and meet some of the players. But I applied for the volunteer programme for the Rugby League World Cup, ‘Team 13′, and I’m one of the lucky ones who will be a Team Leader and VIP Assistant for the tournament.”
Alex Walmsley, recently crowned Young Player of the Year at St Helens, was at Langtree Park to meet Hurst and congratulate him on the award. He said: “First and foremost, the fans are the club. Without the fans coming week in, week out, we wouldn’t be a club. Those who get involved and do that little bit extra keep us going. It’s a fantastic community – we have a chance to meet the fans at Forums when they can ask their questions, and they make the team feel at home.”
By winning Brut’s Fan of Pride Award for St Helens, Mark will enjoy a day out at the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in October, as well as some Brut product.
