Written by Mike Carter, Hull KR Shirts
Kris Welham’s testimonial shirt is here! After its initial release in July, the stock has now arrived and orders are being fulfilled. There is some slight changes to the shirt, to the one which was initially revealed, so I have decided to update the article to reflect these.
The shirt sponsors have now been confirmed. PBS takes the main front of shirt sponsor position, and it doesn’t look out of place at all, which is a big plus. On the sleeves, Apave and Gateway accompany the colours of Featherstone Rovers and Bradford Bulls on the shirts cuffs. On the reverse of the shirt, Commercial Scaffolding’s branding can be found between the 5 gold stars, representing the 5 professional clubs that Kris played for, and his iconic squad number, 3. Also on the back of the shirt, O’Neills icon branding has been added above the 5 stars.
There has been some other minor changes, too. The collar is now a v-neck, which looks really sleek, and the MNDA and O’Neills branding have switched positions.
Kris’ testimonial shirt can be purchased via his website, here and are priced at £45 for juniors and £59.99 for adults, with £5 from each sale being donated to the MDNA charity.
Continue reading for the original article – this was published on Tuesday 22nd July 2025.
It has been confirmed that Kris Welham has been awarded a testimonial in 2026 for his services to Rugby League. A career which saw him start out with the Robins, after coming through the development system at Hull KR which saw him make his debut on 6th August 2006 against Leigh Centurions (at Hilton Park) in National League One, alongside his brother, Liam. On that day, Kris and Liam became Robins #1080 & #1081 respectively, as they earned their Hull KR heritage numbers.
Kris made 191 appearances for Hull KR, scoring 102 tries (and kicking 2 goals). 10 years on from his departure at Hull KR, he still remains the Robins’ top try scorer in the Super League era. After he left Hull KR at the end of the 2015 season, Kris went on to further represent Bradford Bulls, Featherstone Rovers, Salford Red Devils and Sheffield Eagles, making over 440 career appearances to date – including over 100 appearances each for Hull KR, Salford Red Devils and Sheffield Eagles. Welham also had the distinct honour of pulling on the England jersey in 2011 as he represented the Knights in their inaugural game against France – ironically, it was also in Leigh, the same town as his Hull KR debut 5 years prior.
I don’t think it can be denied the impact that Kris has had on the sport. He has always been a popular figure no matter which club he represented. In fact, this testimonial could have happened 10 years ago (whilst Kris was still at Hull KR), but the stars didn’t align back then; however, they do now.
Charity Partner
Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) has been selected by Kris as his charity of choice to support for his testimonial year. As mentioned on Kris Welham’s Testimonial Year facebook page – A number of charities were considered, but they decided, with the emotional ties that the sport of Rugby League has with MND, it was felt that this would be the perfect charity for them to partner with.
O’neills × Kris Welham
Composing part of Kris Welham’s celebrations, the design of the testimonial shirt has been revealed. The shirt has been manufactured by O’Neills, the Irish sports brand that also produces shirts for St Helens and Warrington in the Super League. It should be noted that the design is subject to change with the addition of a main front of shirt sponsor to be potentially added.
The shirt features components of the 5 clubs which Kris has represented over his illustrious career. The shirt’s main colour and the front of the shirt design have been chosen to represent the three clubs best known for the colours red and/or white that Kris played for – this being Hull KR, Salford Red Devils and Sheffield Eagles.
The design features two bold red vertical stripes with points at the end. The design elements continue with two symmetrical diagonal red lines shooting off the stripes. Underneath those are two further vertical stripes, this time they have varying widths, which change direction towards the hips for their lower quarter.
On both sleeves is unique detailing that represents the other two clubs that Kris has represented in his almost 20-year playing career. The right sleeve features a navy blue cuff with a white band for Featherstone Rovers, with the cuff on the left sleeve showing amber, red and black – the tri-colours of the Bradford Bulls.
The O’Neills maker marker is placed centrally on the chest, to allow for the MNDA logo to appear on the right side of the chest as worn, in its organic colourway. On the left side of the chest, above the heart, is the Kris Welham testimonial crest/logo. This has naturally been designed with Kris’s career in mind.
The logo is a red shield with a pointed peak. There is a white band going through the middle where the ‘word’ Welham appears as ‘W3LHAM’, a more than subtle nod at the fact that Kris has played centre (often in the number 3 shirt) for the majority of his career. Below this is ‘Kris Welham Testimonial 2026’. The finishing touch is provided by 5 stars – one for each of Kris’s five clubs, which also appear on the reverse of the shirt.
The reverse of the shirt has a few unique elements too. The cuff design is 360°, so the tributes to Bradford Bulls and Featherstone Rovers are still visible. At the top of the shirt, there are once more 5 stars – which on this occasion are gold!
At the bottom, in a fairly faint dye-sublimated addition, are Kris’ playing stats – now sadly these won’t be 100% up to date, due to the production element to the garments, however, these were correct at the time of printing.
The most noticeable feature on the back of the shirt is the number 3, which has been applied to the back of the shirt with a red dye. This is a light-hearted reference to Kris Welham’s hair colour – you know, the colour we used to sing about on the terraces!
How can I get my hands on one?
The shirt is already up and available for pre-order in sizes Small-XXL. This can be done by following this link to support one of our own in his well-earned testimonial. Shirts are priced at £59.99 with £5.00 from each sale being donated to the MNDA.
The first event has also been confirmed, which is a testimonial launch dinner with ‘The King’ Wally Lewis. The event is on Sunday, 14th December (the official launch day) with tickets limited to 600 at the Double Tree by Hilton on Ferensway. More information can be found, here.
Before I close, I’d just like to finish this piece with a message for Kris. Thank you for the many years you’ve dedicated to a Sport which I love. It was an absolute pleasure to follow your career at Hull KR, and I wish you and your family all the very best for your testimonial year. You truly deserve it. As we say in East Hull, once a Robin, always a Robin.
You can keep up with all the latest information from Kris and his Testimonial, including all events, merchandise and sponsors, via a dedicated website, here.
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