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Crowds gather as funeral held for Sir Billy Boston

the inside of Wigan Warriors' stadium. At the bottom is the funeral. There is a table with trophies. In the middile is a coffin. On the right are two clergy sat on charis. A Man is giving a speach.

Jenny Coleman and Haider SaleemNorth West

10 September 2026, 06:21 BST

Updated 30 minutes ago

Friends, family and players past and present have gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of rugby league legend Sir Billy Boston.

Boston, who was the first player in rugby league’s 130-year history to receive a knighthood, died last month aged 92.

His funeral is taking at Wigan Warriors’ Brick Community Stadium, with mourners including many of the club’s players.

Before the service, a cortege travelled through Wigan, external on its route towards the stadium in the Greater Mancheser town. A private burial ceremony was set to follow.

A statue of Billy Boston holding a rugby ball. He had a red and white scarf around his neck. Flowers surround the base.

A hand written note left at the bottom of the statue which reads 'A legend RIP Billy Thank you for the wonderful memories'.

At the request of the Boston family, people attending are being encouraged to wear traditional funeral attire, but items of Wigan Warriors’ cherry red can be worn such as scarves, ties and headwear.

People are welcome to pay their respects to the funeral cortege, which will follow a route through Wigan.

A bald man smiles to the camera. He is wearng a coat and Wigan jersey. Behind him is a statue of Billy Boston holding a rugby ball. He had a red and white scarf around his neck. Flowers surround the base.

Bryan Cocker, from Chorley, Lancashire, said he never saw him play, and that remained one of his “greatest regrets”, even at the age of 77.

“I’ve seen snippets of him and I mean I’ve watched some greats at Wigan, I’ve seen some fantastic players but my only wish is that I could have seen Billy Boston play,” he said.

A lady with white hair and sunglasses smiles to the camera. She is wearing a blue denim jacket. Behind her is a statue of Billy Boston holding a rugby ball. He had a red and white scarf around his neck. Flowers surround the base.

An emotional Patrica Roby from Wigan, Aspull, recalled Boston running down the wing at Central Park, The Warriors homeground.

“He was really, really loved in Wigan,” she said.

Sir Billy Boston is wearing a navy suit and light blue shirt and red and white tie. He is wearing an insignia and holding both hands up and smiling at the camera.

Born in Cardiff in 1934, Boston grew up playing union but was overlooked by his home club. He came to the attention of rugby league scouts while on national service in the north of England, signing for Wigan in 1953 as a 19-year-old.

He was picked for the 1954 Great Britain side and was the first black British player to tour Australia and New Zealand.

He reached the 100-try milestone in just 68 matches and claimed 478 tries in 488 games for Wigan, helping them win three Challenge Cups and the Championship.

In all, Boston scored 571 tries in his career – a total surpassed only by Australian legend Brian Bevan in top-class rugby league – and is one of the truly great British rugby league players.