Ellis Genge has Australia on his mind and Bristol in his heart. He is about to take on the Wallabies but first there is something he wants the world to know.
It relates to his home, the community that shaped him, the place where growing up he too often found himself in trouble.
“Rugby saved me”
“The worst of it? Take your pick,” says the council estate kid who became England rugby captain. “I got arrested numerous times, excluded from school, you name it.
“Rugby saved me. It saved me from prison time. It saved me from just throwing my life away really.”
Why Genge is opening his heart three days before packing down against a two-time World Cup-winning nation is because he recognises the time is now to help others in the way others helped him when he was most in need.
“Winning is the main thing, that is the nature of what we do,” he says. “But you have to appreciate as well that there are bigger things going on in the world than a rugby match.”
I’m incredibly proud to launch The Genge Fund, dedicated to empowering underprivileged children in Bristol by opening doors to sports and educational opportunities.
To learn more, head to our Instagram page: https://t.co/6Ld1ptIVav pic.twitter.com/wauMcZcaO8
— Gengey (@EllisGenge) November 6, 2024
So today the 29-year-old launches a Foundation, in his name, primarily aimed at addressing the challenges faced by many young people in Bristol, his city.. limited opportunities, the lure of crime, and social inequality.
It has been a while in the creation. In 2022 he sat down with Marvin Rees, then Mayor of Bristol, who hails from a similar neighbourhood. They talked about the exclusion system in education in the city and the potential for incorporating rugby to help foster discipline, friendship, cohesion and leadership.
Two years on Genge is in a position to do something meaningful about it. The Genge Fund is dedicated to providing equal opportunities to children in sport and education. Mind you, he has to pinch himself to believe it is happening.
“I never aspired to do anything like this, I couldn’t even have dreamed this,” he says, thinking back to a time when, to borrow a confession from his past, “I used to do some things I probably won’t ever speak about”.
That, he argues, makes him uniquely placed to understand the challenges facing young Bristolians today and gives him both the insight and the desire to help plot a path for them out of difficulty.
“I know I can relate to these kids because I’m a living example of what they’re going through,” says Genge. “I’ve done it, I’ve been excluded, I know their experiences.
“I went down to the Youth Club the other day and the way the kids related to me, I was overwhelmed. The stories, hearing what they go through, them just talking to me and telling me what they’ve been doing lately. I thought, ‘f***ing hell, it’s literally me’.”
England team: Steve Borthwick makes midfield switch and two bench changes ahead of ‘massive challenge’ against Wallabies
Inspired by Siya Kolisi
By his own admission, rugby opened his eyes to worlds he never knew existed; showed him that regardless of the cards you are dealt it is possible to play a winning hand.
He draws particular inspiration from Siya Kolisi, the shining example of an individual born with nothing who grew out of abject poverty to not only skipper South Africa to back-to-back World Cup wins but inspire an entire continent.
“Siya is incredible, a living example of what everyone in sport, let alone rugby, should aspire to be and do,” says Genge. “What he does is amazing. Amazing for rugby, even more brilliant for the people where he’s from.
“I genuinely don’t think 90 per cent of kids from my area are aware of what rugby can give them. Not just rugby, sports in general.
“They’re more aware of football, of course, but I honestly don’t think they understand the impact that the people you meet in rugby – the characters, the Rugby Family – can have. That’s where I want to take this.”
The aim of the fund is to transform lives by providing guidance and support from experienced role models. To empower young people to reach their full potential by using rugby-inspired values to emphasise teamwork, discipline and respect.
Fine words, but talk is easy. Can Genge really bring about the “massive change” he believes that he can. And is he in it for the long haul.
“Look, change doesn’t happen without people reaching out and trying to actively make it work,” he says. “Everyone talks about dreams and goals. It’s about people going outside of their comfort zone to actually implement a plan.
“That’s what we’ve done. We’ve sat down, spoken about what’s important to me and what I think is needed to make a difference.
“I’ve got no interest in being in and out. I’m not doing this to profit or anything like that or to make a name for myself. I’d happily do it anonymously.
“We decided that using my name would have more of an impact on the kids where I’m from but I don’t want to rub my ego and say look at me, look how proud I am of what I’ve achieved. What I’m proud of is the work that we can do.”
England team v Australia: Winners and losers as Steve Borthwick backs ‘underwhelming’ halfbacks while standout star is a ‘victim’ of tactical switch
Facing the Wallabies and Springboks
To start with Genge will host a gala fund-raising dinner in Bristol on December 5. He is actively seeking partnerships with individuals, organisations, and businesses to support his mission.
Before even that is the not-so-insignificant matter of facing Australia, followed by world champions South Africa.
England are coming off the back of a defeat by New Zealand made more painful by the fact that, for all their good work, it was ultimately self-inflicted with those two late missed shots at the target.
“I honestly believe we’re in a good spot,” Genge says. “That New Zealand game would have been a completely different story had just one of those kicks gone over.
“I’m not going to shy away from it, you have to win and we didn’t. You can’t keep saying ifs and buts, but as a group we are encouraged with how we played, how we performed. We wore our hearts on our sleeve.
“But, yes, now we need to get the W.”
For further information and to purchase tickets, please email [email protected].
READ MORE: David Campese: Replicating Springboks’ ‘masterful’ tactics will expose ‘perplexing’ England as Wallabies great previews Twickenham showdown
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
