18 November 2023 , 10:00
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Still aged only 30, ex-England international Reece Lyne knows he’s good enough to carry on running around in Super League.
But the experienced centre joined Championship part-timers Doncaster when he recently left relegated Wakefield because he wants to plough more time into his big passion: helping disadvantaged children. Lyne has set up a house in Hull where he’ll help teenage kids who’ve been in care get ready for adult life. He explained: “It’s exciting. I’m just waiting for it to go through the OFSTED process.
“It’s a single occupancy residency, looking at 16 years plus and then maybe a bit younger, although it’s mainly down to demand. It’s all about getting them ready for that next stage in their life and organised with things which we may class as basic - learning how to manage money, applying for college, things like that - so once they get to adult age they’re independent enough to do it on their own.
"There’s such a need for it. The councils have a list of kids who they’re looking to place and there’s just not enough places as there’s so many. That’s where we want to help.”
Hull-born Lyne had a turbulent childhood himself and has looked to give back throughout his rugby career. When ex-Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams was RFL president, he gave the player a special award for his voluntary work with young offenders. Lyne added: “I’ve always dived into stuff during my whole career, whether it be with young offenders in Hull or going to mentor at Wetherby prison.
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“It’s always been a passion of mine to work with young kids. I want to be a positive male role model in their life. The opportunity to now do this is great.”
Reece Lyne, on his England debut against France in 2018And after a decade and more than 200 top-flight games for Wakefield, he knew it was time to move on - and also, to the surprise of many, forget about Super League. Lyne said: “The past couple of years I have found it tough. I’ve not really enjoyed it. I definitely needed to leave Wakefield. And I mean that in the best way as the club means so much to me. I don’t take it lightly.
“But I do think it was for the best for both parties. I wish them all the best. It looks like they’re in good hands with a new owner. With me, having this work on the side, I really wanted to crack on with it. I was looking for something different. I still genuinely believe I can play Super League. But I’ve been doing it since I was 16 and gave it my all. I’ll continue to do that with Donny. But I just felt I needed something different to rugby to focus on.”