FORMER glamour model Katie Price will appear at a groundbreaking Pride event being held in Keighley.

She will be a special guest at Keighley Cougars' Pride Party & Festival, at the Lawkholme ground on Sunday, July 14.

The extravaganza, celebrating the Pride movement's 50th anniversary, will take place ahead of the rugby league club's League One fixture against West Wales Raiders.

For the match, Cougars players will sport a specially-designed Pride kit chosen by supporters, in what is believed to be a first for the Rugby Football League in the UK.

Club co-owner Ryan O'Neill – son of Mick O'Neill, who helped lift the club to unprecedented heights during the 'Cougarmania' period of the 1990s and is now back at the helm – will be there with his Brazilian husband, Kaue Garcia.

"This will be a real celebration for our loyal supporters and volunteers and a party to put the club back on the map," said Ryan.

"We want to show that everyone is welcome at Cougar Park and share the passion we have for the club, which has been through some tough times.

"We plan to put the club at the heart of our Keighley community and our Rugby Football League family, making it as accessible, inclusive and fun as possible.

"Our aim is for the club to be the one to watch, the one challenging perceptions of the sport, and the one that sets the standards and gets everyone talking as Cougarmania did."

The initiative is welcomed by David Connor, equality and diversity lead at the Rugby Football League.

He said: "Rugby league has been breaking down social barriers for more than a hundred years and this is another important milestone.

"We pride ourselves on genuinely being a sport for all and Keighley is to be congratulated for actively demonstrating the inclusivity of our game.

"Equality of aspiration, access and opportunity is vital to the future of rugby league. Our sport needs to address all forms of inclusion and diversity – ethnicity, sex, gender, disabilities, sexual orientation – together and Keighley is making an important contribution to this."

Katie Price, who recently relaunched her music career, will headline the pre-match entertainment line-up at the Party & Festival with a performance of her new single Hurricane.

Ryan added: "The Pride festival will be another milestone in the history of our team, our town and our beloved sport.

"We're sending a clear message in support of the movement to kick discrimination out of sport and we're inviting like-minded people in our community and beyond to stand with us on the day."

The festival will start at 1pm, with the match kicking-off at 3pm.

Tickets for the festival are £10, concessions £5 and under-14s free. Visit cougarpark.co.uk/event-info/cougar-pride.

Included are a barbecue, food stalls and live music.

Tickets for the VIP bar, where guests can mingle with Katie Price, are £35.

And places are available to join her at a Sunday lunch in the president's suite, for £50.

Go to cougarmania.co.uk/eventsbooking, or contact the Cougars events team on info@cougarmania.co.uk or 01535 606044.

Cougars Pride shirts and socks can be bought at cougarmania.co.uk/merchandise.