Trevor Foster

Trevor Foster turned his back on a promising rugby union career at home town club Newport in 1938 when he took Bradford Northern’s offer of a £400 signing-on fee and headed ‘North’. Rugby union’s loss was certainly rugby league’s gain as he developed into a legendary figure for Northern, Wales and Great Britain.

Apart from a brief spell as first team coach at Leeds in the early 1960s, he spent an almost unbroken 67-year period at Bradford as a player, a member of the ground staff, first team coach, manager, director, youth development coach, and president of the supporters’ club as well as of the players’ association.

He made his debut with Bradford Northern against Hull on October 29 1938. He went on to 432 appearances for the club, scoring 130 tries, with his final appearance coming at the age of 40 on 20 April, 1955. He played in four Challenge Cup finals for Bradford, and took part in the Wembley final victories over Leeds in 1947 and Halifax in 1949, scoring a try on each occasion. He also played in six Yorkshire Cup winning teams and played in two Championships final in 1948 and 1952.

He won 16 caps for Wales, leading his country seven times, and toured with the 1946 British ‘Indomitables’ to Australia and New Zealand. Foster was one of 11 Welsh players on the tour and turned out in a game in New Zealand that featured nine of them. He played in one Test on that tour against the Kiwis and played in two Ashes Test wins over Ausrtalia at home in the 1948/49 season.

In 1964, returning from Leeds, he helped to re-form Bradford Northern after the club had gone bankrupt the previous year. Working with Joe Phillips he helped get the club back on its feet and was able to see the then Bradford Bulls become World Cub Champions in 2002 and 2004. He was appointed MBE in 2001 for his charitable work in the Bradford area.

Trevor John French Foster (Rugby Union and League player and coach) Born in Newport on 3 December, 1914; Died in Bradford on 2 April, 2005