Selby Times - July 2025

This month, I want to use my column to speak a bit about our brilliant local sports clubs and their contribution to our community. We all know that sport can bring people together like nothing else, and we’ve all experienced the highs and lows of following a team or club. I had some personal highlights this month, seeing my beloved Hull KR win the Challenge Cup at Wembley for the first time in 45 years. In the stands at Wembley, young and old came together to celebrate KR’s historic victory. Some of the crowd had been there the last time KR tasted success, and many others had seen the club go from being a Rugby League powerhouse to falling to the Championship, before rising back to the top. Being there with my grandad was really special, and it got me thinking about the importance of our local sports teams in making up the fabric of our community here in Selby.

We're blessed in our part of Yorkshire to have brilliant clubs in a wide variety of sports, for all ages and genders. As well as bringing people together, providing a place for people to feel part of their community, they also play an important role in making us all healthier through their promotion of exercise and physical activity. Of all the things I've liked about my role as Selby's MP, one of the best things is visiting some of our incredible sports clubs and doing my best to raise their profile. When it comes to sports clubs, we're spoilt for choice.

In the past month, I've been along to join one of Stacey Lilla's personal training fitness sessions - seeing some of the great work that she has been doing with new and expecting mums in the Selby area. Their classes help them with both their physical and mental wellbeing, pre and post-natal. As well as putting me through my paces, it was great to speak to Stacey about how she feels the NHS can better support new and expecting mums across our area.

I also went along to Selby Boxing Academy. I really think that boxing gyms are too often overlooked and undervalued for what they bring to a community. They teach so much more than just how to box - instilling the values of discipline, respect and hard work into young people and giving them a space where they can go and focus on something that's not social media or the pressures of growing up in a fast-changing and unstable world.

These sorts of things don't happen by themselves, they come about through the hard work of volunteers. Clubs are always looking for new trustees and volunteers, but are also always welcoming new joiners to give the sport a go. So if you or someone you know wants to get involved then please do get in touch with them.

We’re well into the summer months now, which means the cricket season is in full flow. A couple of weeks ago, I put my cap on and got involved with the Thorpe Willoughby Cricket Club All Stars Programme. I was bowled over by the talent of the kids there and how the Club is introducing boys and girls to cricket in a way that's accessible, fun and inclusive.

I’m also in regular communication with Selby Town FC to see how I can support them with their community work and the development of their facilities, which have come on leaps and bounds in recent years. The Robins’ preseason has just started, and I want to wish them the best of luck for the season ahead. With Dave Haddock at the helm and Harry Clapham banging in the goals, I’m sure the Robins will keep up their progress from last year.

Whilst we're on the topic of football, teams across the Selby area have recently received support from government to upgrade their multi-sport facilities. In time, we'll see new investment in the facilities at Malt Shovel FC, Thorpe United, Barlby Raiders and Hemingbrough United, helping these grassroots clubs to grow. I'm always pleased when I hear the Prime Minister talk about his conviction that access to sporting and cultural activities should not be the preserve of the privileged few, and should be accessible to all children, including those from working class backgrounds. Under this government, I'm confident that we're heading in the right direction.

This week in Parliament, we passed the Football Governance Bill. This is a significant landmark in putting the beautiful game onto a sustainable footing. The Bill recognises that football clubs are vital to our communities, no matter how big or small the team is. The legislation will make sure that clubs are helped right the way through the football pyramid to thrive - establishing the independent football regulator and introducing a new set of rules which are designed to empower fans and keep clubs at the heart of their communities. In a game that's increasingly dominated by wealth and vulnerable to unscrupulous investors, it's more important than ever that government steps up to the plate to allow our national game to flourish.

In Westminster, work continues to deliver the reform and investment that the NHS needs, and I'm continuing to push hard on my key local campaigns following the excellent news about the Selby SEN school last month. I hope that I've set out how my experiences at home in Selby continue to inform the work that I take on in Westminster. It's a privilege and responsibility in equal measure to continue to bang the drum for the great things we've got going on locally, and, whether mentioned in this piece or not, I'd like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who plays their part in making our local sports scene such a brilliant success.

As ever, if you have any questions about this or indeed any other issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me on keir.mather.mp@parliament.uk