Funds raised for amateur club legend who lost his battle with COVID-19

Funds are being raised for a family of a popular amateur club chairman who sadly lost his battle to COVID-19.

Dave Roberts, who had a long affiliation with Eastmoor Dragons, had contracted the virus and sadly passed away on 14th April.

A tribute written on a GoFundMe page is hoping to help raise funds for his wife Ann, who is battling her own illness, and their two children – Toby and Charlotte, the latter of whom is expecting her first child.

Roberts is described as an “Eastmoor Dragons legend” and a “grand master” of the club, after playing for the club during his formative years and then coaching in the youth ranks, as well as coaching at county level and with the BARLA Young Lions in a worldwide tour.

He would then become chairman of the Dragons, helping the club through a series of difficult patches and his role as chairman was said to be extended to whatever means possible.

The tribute adds that the effort he put into the club was “unspeakable” and pleas have been made to the wider Rugby League community to dig deep to assist his family in filling a huge void in their lives.

In a final resonant section of the post, it reads: “The thing is in Rugby League, it’s not just a game, it’s a way of life and a chosen family that comes together in a time of needs and stick together through the good and the bad.”

Roberts was, in the eyes of those who knew him, the epitome of that statement. Donations can be made using the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/eastmoor-dragons-legend-lives-on-help-his-family?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet.