GIANTS PAY TRIBUTE TO SHUTTLEWORTH

The Betfred Super league game versus York marked a significant milestone for one popular and respected face at the club and the wider game of Rugby League.

Pre-game Giants life member Neil Shuttleworth presented the match ball to referee James Vella to mark 80 years of supporting the claret and gold. 

Neil vividly remembers the game in 1946 (his first) where the claret and gold beat Swinton 76 to 3 and has been hooked ever since, In the difficult late 80s and early 90s Neil was instrumental in rescuing the club from near certain oblivion and indeed without his interventions and work the club may never have reached the Super League as they did in later years and winning the league leaders shield in 2013. 

Giants Managing Director paid tribute to a man he describes as a true “Rugby League Fartowner”.  

“Neil is a quite remarkable man in terms of his dedication to the Huddersfield club but also to the wider game. He was in fact the first ever member of what’s now called the Match Review Panel and was heavily involved in its development and all disciplinary matters in the later 90s and early 200’s as the game really transitioned into the full time sporting landscape after the inception of Super League some 30 years ago. 

"Neil has always been a great sounding board for me personally with his immense knowledge of the game and at all times held with rigorous impartiality the important virtues of the disciplinary processes within the game. 

"When he stepped down from the panel he had more time to assist the Giants behind the scenes which he continues to do wherever possible and again with the wider interests of the game at heart. I have always found that if we have a problem then a phone call to Neil is a good place to start in solving the issue  and I sincerely hope that he enjoyed the day against York and that one day his dedication will be fully acknowledged by every Rugby league supporter and I personally look forward to sharing his company at many games more.”