The 2021 Rugby League World Cup is coming to Leeds this month, and with eight games to be played between Saturday 15 October and Friday 11 November, there's going to be plenty to get involved in around the city.
From the headline games to how to buy tickets, here's what you need to know about the upcoming RLWC21 events across Leeds.
Fixtures in Leeds
The following Men's Rugby League World Cup games will be held in Leeds:
Australia v Fiji on Saturday 15 October, 7.30pm @ Headingley Stadium
Jamaica v Ireland on Sunday 16 October, 5pm @ Headingley Stadium
New Zealand v Ireland on Friday 28 October, 7.30pm @ Headingley Stadium
Semi Final on Friday 11 November, 7.45pm @ Elland Road
Image: Rugby World Cup 2021
The following Women's Rugby League World Cup games will be held in Leeds:
England v Brazil on Tuesday 1 November, 2.30pm @ Headingley Stadium
Papua New Guinea v Canada on Tuesday 1 November, 5pm @ Headingley Stadium
Canada v Brazil on Wednesday 9 November, 5pm @ Headingley Stadium
England v Papua New Guinea on Wednesday 9 November @ Headingley Stadium
How to get tickets to the games
Tickets are available from just £10 for the Men's, Women's and Disabled tournaments, with tickets for under 16s coming in at just £2.21 each.
Leeds city council warned that the inaugural Leeds game Australia v Fiji on Saturday 15 October, 7.30pm at Headingley Stadium is almost sold out, so those looking to grab tickets to the event are advised to act quickly before the tickets sell out completely.
All tickets can be purchased on the RLWC21 website here.
Leeds Rhinos
Image: Rugby League World Cup 2021
The matches will affect Leeds Rhinos matches as a result. The club has put out the following statement regarding the RLWC21:
"Only five RLWC2021 fixtures (four match-days) have been affected during the rescheduling of 61 matches staged at 21 iconic venues, across 18 host towns and cities. These changes involve the switching of two fixtures between existing venues in Leeds and Hull and the relocation of fixtures from Anfield Stadium and M&S Bank Arena."
Leeds Rhinos v New Zealand- Bartercard International Challenge
The Bartercard International Challenge will see Leeds Rhinos play the New Zealand game ahead of the World Cup matches later this month.
The highly anticipated match will take place on Saturday 8 October 2022 from 6pm at Headingley Stadium.
The club has announced that Rob Burrow will be the guest of honour at the game, Leeds Rhinos have commented that "the game will have special significance for Burrow as his greatest achievement on the international stage came against New Zealand when he was Man of the Series for Great Britain against the Kiwis in 2007."
Image: Leeds Rhinos
You can grab tickets for the Bartercard International Challenge here.
Kevin Sinfield's Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge
In the past year, the Leeds Rhinos player has completed a 101 mile run in 24 hours; ran 10k with Rob Burrow and in 2020, the sportsman ran seven marathons in seven days, raising over £2.7 million for charity. Now Sinfield has announced that he plans to run from Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, spanning across seven days during the Rugby World Cup.
The ‘Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge’ will see the former Leeds Rhinos captain to run over 60 km each day in order to reach the destination in time, and will travel through Melrose, Newcastle, York, Bradford, Middlesborough and Leeds before arriving in Manchester.
Image: Leicester Tigers
The idea is that Sinfield will reach Old Trafford at half-time during the men’s rugby league World Cup final on Saturday 19 November, having set off six days prior on Sunday 13 November 2022.
An independent wine bar in Leeds city centre was broken into over the weekend.
And do you know what the sneaky thief stole? An empty bottle.
Latitude Wine Bar on The Calls issued a statement about the break in over the weekend, they said: "Some unscrupulous ______________ (insert expletives in the comments) decided to smash our window last night to grab a magnum of chartreuse out of our window.
"Obviously it was a dummy bottle, so more fool them, but it also makes this criminal damage more pointless. DON'T THEY KNOW HOW MUCH GLASS COSTS!?
"Well, this puts a real dampener on the month so if any one feels like popping in to buy a bottle in the shop or a glass in the bar or heading online to place an order this weekend it would really help to support an independent wine merchant and bar.
Images: Latitude Wine Bar
"Thank you to one of our customers who found the abandoned dummy bottle and returned it to us today. Legend! Santé and happy Friyay!"
So not only did the thief smash the window to steal an empty bottle, but they didn't even take it home with them.
In classic Leeds fashion, fellow indies flocked to the comments to support Latitude with many promising to pop in over the weekend for a glass or two.
One comment read: "Do you need a sign in your window saying “this is a dummy bottle you dummy”" whilst another said "Damned spit buckets! I’m sure we’ll be in soon, keep your chins up fam."
So if you've been meaning to pop in for a glass of the good stuff, there's no better time than the present.
The UK’s oldest nightclub is in Halifax – and now they’re campaigning for a blue plaque
Thomas Melia
An all-new fundraiser has been set up which aims to crown the UK's oldest nightclub with its very own blue plaque.
Situated in Halifax, Acapulco Club, has been providing clubbers and night out lovers with live music and entertainment for 65 years.
Alongside offering 75p drinks to any guests before 11pm and a whole host of DJs playing out beats and bangers on their mezzanine-floor decks, Acapulco has created lots of happy memories too.
This West Yorkshire cultural hub attracted lots of media attention back in 2022 when the club auctioned off pieces of its spiral carpet for just £20.
Now, this Halifax nightlife institution is giving itself a massive pat on the back by setting up a fundraiser for its very own blue plaque.
Working alongside Halifax BID and Halifax Civic Trust, this living piece of Halifax history is recognising its contributions to this West Yorkshire town and clubbing culture.
Commonly referred to as "Acca", the club prides itself on "Welcoming dancers before man landed on the Moon, before the M62 motorway transformed our region, and before colour television arrived in British homes."
The cost of a blue plaque is £650 and any excess funds that are raised will be donated to Halifax Street Angels - a local charity which works alongside the night-time economy to keep partygoers safe.
Acapulco is encouraging anyone who has visited the nightclub over its 65 year period to donate and also provide any memories or photos they have shared within this venue.
Some of the famous faces that have graced this legendary clubbing hotspot include Katie Price and her son Harvey, Joey Essex, as well as an array of Love Island and Big Brother stars.
The Acapulco Club has even welcomed 80's pop royalty courtesy of a visit from George Michael... the tribute act of course.
Anyone wanting to find out more information or make a donation to the recent fundraiser set up to honour the UK's oldest nightclub Acapulco with a blue plaque can do so HERE.
Sophie Smith -
5th October 2022 
