Legend Chariots is helping Warriors stars to sleep

Martin Offiah enjoyed a remarkable rugby league career which established him as one of the greatest players of all time.

The former Wigan Warriors and Great Britain winger scored an astonishing 501 tries and is immortalised in a bronze statue outside Wembley Stadium.

Now, though, the Warriors club ambassador is aiming to create another legacy in the world of business by promoting the importance of sleep.

The 60-year-old is a brand ambassador for La Romantica Beds, a bed manufacturer based in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, who have developed a mattress range in his name.

The Offiah Activ mattress is now used by a number of Super League stars including Warriors favourites Bevan French, Jai Field and Junior Nsemba – and all his family too, including sons Tyler and Phoenix.

Tyler is a 20-year-old winger for rugby union giants Bath and 17-year-old Phoenix a promising young striker in Tottenham Hotspur’s Under-18 side.

The Offiah Activ range, which is stocked in Pall Mall Carpets in Wigan, was designed with active lifestyles in mind and its innovative new age carbon fibre yarn promotes deeper and more restorative sleep, greatly enhancing those marginal gains sports people look for.

Offiah told Wigan Today: “You spend so much money on your car or your television but your bed is where you spend more time than anywhere else.

“Unfortunately, we don’t give it enough thought. One of the most important things in life, apart from food and water, is sleep –especially with sportsmen.

“We talk about nutrition, training, rehabilitation and recovery with ice baths.

“But sleep is as important as anything and all the Wigan squad who need a new mattress tend to choose the Offiah Activ mattress from their local stockist. It’s selling like hot cakes.”

Offiah hopes the mattress will continue to grow in popularity and wants to follow in the footsteps of boxing icon George Foreman in creating a legacy beyond his sporting achievements.

The Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, also commonly referred to as simply the George Foreman grill, was promoted by the two-time world heavyweight boxing champion.

Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George Foreman grills have been sold worldwide and Offiah, who receives royalties on every mattress sold, is hoping for similar long-term success with the Offiah Activ mattress.

He added: “I have my statue outside Wembley Stadium through what I achieved in rugby league but I’m now building the Offiah brand beyond the sporting pitch.

“I’m also involved with Connected Kerb, an electrical vehicle charging company, and becoming involved with La Romantica Beds has been another fantastic opportunity for me.

“I’ve made some bad business decisions in the past, but you don’t give up – you keep going and this is my latest venture.

“My parents came to England from Nigeria in the 1950s and all their hard work helped to provide opportunities for me to succeed in life.

“My late father wrote a book called Understanding Your Emotions which I had republished.

“I turned 60 last year and had a big party to celebrate with loads of former team-mates and friends including Shaun Edwards, Andy Farrell and Mick Hucknall.

“It was a very special occasion and made me reflect on my life, but you can never stand still.

“Professional sport was my life for so long and now I’m watching my sons and supporting them in their respective careers while developing the Offiah brand through my business interests too. I enjoy it.”