YORK City Knights are celebrating New Year with their own honours list - naming three men who are to be inducted into the Legends of York Rugby League line-up.

The trio - John Stabler, Roger Dixon and the late Pete Warters - will be inducted at the Knights' sportsman's dinner at the Park Inn, York, on January 29, which features Leeds Rhinos legends Jamie Peacock and Jamie Jones-Buchanan.

Stabler is a former chairman and mainstay of the old York Wasps club, who remains a keen supporter of the Knights.

A life-long York fan, he was a director of the old club from 1986 to 1997, during which time they moved out to Huntington Stadium after being forced to sell their old Clarence Street ground.

He returned to the board in 2001 after they faced a winding-up order and, although he was unable to save them, he resumed as a sponsor following the formation of the Knights.

Dixon was one of the founders of the Knights following the demise of the Wasps in 2002 and played a huge role in bringing professional rugby league back to York in time for the 2003 season.

A solicitor by trade, he was the new club's first chairman and remained its popular figurehead until the end of the 2008 campaign.

Warters, who passed away in June 2014, aged 80, supported both the professional club and community game for many years to such an extent he became known as "Mr York Rugby League".

Having played amateur rugby for Heworth and professionally for York and Hull, Warters went on to found York Acorn ARLC alongside Tony Winn in 1973. He also coached the team, later becoming club chairman, and coached a York & District representative side to two national titles in the 1980s.

Warthers - grandfather of Peter Fox, an England international, Jonny Liddell, Fox's former Knights team-mate, and Acorn captain Tom Hill, an amateur international - also sat on the York ARL management board for many years and was a former director of York Rugby League Club and later an honorary vice-president of the Knights.

The York Legends roll of honour itself forms a part of the Knights Foundation's "York and Proud Heritage Programme", a Heritage Lottery-funded project designed to record, recognise and celebrate the history of professional and community rugby league in York over the last 150 years.

The list was started last year, with the first 20 inductees named during the Knights' end-of-season awards night in October.

They were Spen Allison, Garry Atkins, Jim Bone, Danny Brough, Mark Cain, Mick Cook, Dave Dunkerley, Stu Evans, Steve Ferris, Kevin Harkin, Rich Hayes, Geoff Hunter, Paul McDermott, Geoff Pryce, Mick Ramsden, Scott Rhodes, Danny Sheehan, Gary Smith, Graham Steadman and Chris Thorman.

A club statement said: "We introduced the Legends as a great way to recognise the influence individuals have had on rugby league in York on the pitch but also off it.

"The Foundation is proud to acknowledge the fantastic impact these people made on the sport in York and look forward to inducting them to the Legends as part of the Knights sportsman's dinner on January 29." individuals have had on the game in York.

Tickets for the dinner are available from the Knights office priced at £35 each. For details or to reserve a place, phone 01904 767404.