Betfred Super League club St Helens will visit Kingston Park on Sunday 5th February, when a “select” side takes on Newcastle Thunder in a special testimonial game for the North East club’s centre Joe Brown.
The current co-captain has been granted a testimonial fixture in recognition of 10 year’s service to rugby league and has used his contacts to set up the high profile fixture.
Kicking off at 3pm, it will be the headline attraction of a full day celebrating the Jamaican international’s career and the sport in general at Kingston Park, with a wealth of community activity complementing the match.
Starting with an acknowledgement of Brown’s tireless work in coaching at grassroots levels, the day begins with an Mini’s 9s festival, which will feature teams from across the region playing on the main Kingston Park Stadium pitch.
All participants will then stay on for the main event at 3pm, before the day draws to a close with a fixture between Gateshead Storm and a North East Select XIII.
The North East side will be made up of the best amateur players in the area, who have featured in the North East Origin series and will serve as part of Storm’s preparations for the 2017 NCL season.
The match is not included on the 2017 Thunder season ticket package, due to its status as a testimonial fixture, with ticket sales opening from 09:00 on Monday 5th December.
Supporters will be able to buy tickets for the East side of the ground at a price of £7 for adults and £3 for under 16s, while for those wishing to enjoy a pre match meal as part of the experience, tickets are priced at £15 for adults and £10 for under 16s for a one course lunch in the 1877 Bar.
Speaking about the announcement, Joe Brown said: “It’s really exciting to be granted a testimonial and I’m really looking forward to what will hopefully be a good day with a lot of support from the fans.
“I spoke to Craig Richards who I know pretty well from the Jamaican national set up and who works down at St Helens with the academy and the reserves and they have been really good and keen to come up.
“It should be a good day and I want it to be very family orientated. I’m big with family with my young kids and with the family who have supported me through my rugby league career. I want everyone to enjoy the day and have a really good time and enjoy a good spectacle on the field.”