A muddy building site next to a retail park on a grey, wet Thursday is not the place you’d expect to find one of English rugby’s most high-profile players. But Ellis Genge is certainly no ordinary sportsman and his club, Bristol Bears, undoubtedly like to do things differently.
‘If you walk 400 metres back that way, you’ll see my childhood house,’ said Genge, gesturing over his shoulder after swapping the white England shirt he wore in front of 80,000 people at Twickenham last month for a new look of hard hat and high-vis jacket.
‘Mental, isn’t it? It is a bit emotional to be here. I love it. Home will always be home.’
The Knowle West area of Bristol is where Genge grew up. And it is there, next to neighbouring borough Hartcliffe, where the England prop this week officially launched his first venture with the charity fund that bears his name.
The Genge Fund was set-up by the 29-year-old – who is a proud Bristolian – to provide equal opportunities for children from the city in sport and education. Genge defied a lack of those chances in his own life to make it to rugby’s highest level and captain his country.
Now, it’s his turn to give back.
Ellis Genge, centre, attended the ground-breaking event as work begins on a community centre
The new community centre is the first project launched by the England prop’s foundation
Genge wants to help provide equal opportunities for children in Bristol in sport and education
That is why ahead of his team’s crunch European tie with Irish heavyweights Leinster on Sunday, Genge spent this week at the groundworks of what will soon be an £11million youth facility in one of Bristol’s poorest areas. He also held a glittering gala dinner to raise much-needed funds.
‘My goal is to help people from Knowle West, Hartcliffe and the whole of south Bristol to achieve something in life,’ Genge told Mail Sport.
‘The average life expectancy of a child who grows up in this area is 10 years less than in other parts of Bristol.
‘It’s frightening. That alone pulls on the heartstrings. It’s tough. You can get a bit of grief in the world of rugby if you start talking about serious and heartfelt things.
‘The boys can start having a laugh and a joke. But it’s important. You can see that yourself by coming down here. Hopefully, we can uncover some diamonds in the rough like me.
‘It would be brilliant if we could get more professional rugby players from this area. But it doesn’t have to be about that. It’s about giving children a chance to play all sorts of sports.
‘Not every kid who plays rugby is going to become a professional. But what they can do is learn from the values rugby holds – respect, community, camaraderie.
‘Those sorts of things can be transferred out of rugby into whatever these children go on to do in life.’
Genge wants to support young people in Knowle West area of Bristol where he grew up
The £11million youth facility is being constructed in one of Britsol’s poorest areas
Genge admits his foundation’s work is inspired by similar efforts by South Africa’s iconic double World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi, pictured
In an era where the pressures of professionalism often see sportsmen and women constrained by the environments in which they work, it was more than refreshing to see a player of Genge’s status talk freely and openly in a non-rugby setting.
Genge has admitted his foundation work is inspired by that of similar undertakings carried out by South Africa’s iconic double World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi.
The creation of Bristol’s 224 Youth Zone site, a short walk from where Genge grew up, will involve the player’s charity arm working supporting in an ambassadorial and financial sense.
At its launch, it was described as a ‘symbol of hope, opportunity and determination’ and a ‘beacon of positivity to close the gap in Bristol society.’
‘I won’t be able to fund this whole project alone,’ Genge said with a smile. ‘It’s expensive!’
In the past, Genge has admitted to doing ‘things I probably won’t ever speak about’ in his early years. He was excluded from school. In his own words, rugby saved Genge.
He has been honest by saying that were it not for sport, he would have ended up in prison.
When Genge surprisingly left Leicester after winning the Premiership title in 2022, he revealed his return to Bristol was about more than just rugby.
Two years on, he is part of a Bears side thriving on the field and making a difference off it.
Genge returned to Bristol Bears in 2022 and is part of a side thriving on the field
The creation of the Bristol’s 224 Youth Zone is part of his efforts to make a difference off the field
Genge, an England vice-captain, said being part of the project ‘means the world to me’
Genge is part of a Bristol side in red-hot form and are currently joint-top of the Premiership
Genge, an England vice-captain who moved to 66 Test caps by being an ever present for the national side this autumn, starts for Bristol against a star-studded Leinster side which is packed full of Ireland internationals and has New Zealand superstar Jordie Barrett primed for a debut from the bench. Leinster will be Genge’s 50th game for his home city club.
‘I wasn’t joking about what I said when I came back,’ he said.
‘I get choked up watching young kids here and how they’re trying to do stuff with their lives to better the community. It hits me in the heart. That was me, but when I was growing up the community I was in was very different. We were doing stuff that wasn’t right.
‘To see what the children of this area are up to today is amazing for me. This is what I’ve wanted to do and hopefully I can have a little impact on what’s going to be a massive project. I’m very passionate about this, so I’ll be down as much as I can.
‘I’m a local lad and being a part of something like this means the world to me. It’s a massive, massive honour. I was a bit reserved about bridging the gap between Hartcliffe and Knowle.
‘I didn’t know if it could be done! But we’re one step further now to doing that.’
Genge and Bristol are in red-hot form. Pat Lam’s side are joint-top of the Premiership ahead of their European opener. Their attacking game has been impressive this season to date.
Bristol’s mantra is ‘inspiring our community through rugby success.’ On Thursday, Mail Sport joined Genge and other Bears players as they spread some Christmas cheer.
It came in the same week Bristol confirmed the signing of USA superstar Ilona Maher – the most-followed rugby player in the world – for their women’s side.
‘Is Ilona coming?’ a staff nurse asked Bristol’s players as they handed out presents at the city’s Royal Hospital for Children.
Bears hooker Harry Thacker organised a team whip round to buy gifts. Players also lent support at a foodbank next to Ashton Gate and visited a hospice.
Genge said he is ‘choked up watching young kids’ in the area try to do things with their lives
Harry Thacker for Bristol players to buy and hand out gifts at the Royal Hospital for Children
Bristol Bears stars handed out the gifts as part of the club’s Community Day ahead of Christmas
Oscar Lennon, Jimmy Halliwell, Richard Lane, Toby Fricker, Noah Heward and Sam Worsley lent their support at a food bank located next to Ashton Gate
‘It’s a really nice day, but also a tough day because there is a lot going on in the hospital,’ Thacker said.
‘It’s a tough place to be around Christmas time, so hopefully us coming in with a few presents freshens things up and helps the families. It puts a lot into perspective for the players, especially the younger ones. Everything we do at the club is geared around inspiring the community and things like this go a long way to doing that.
‘We’ve done well in the first part of the season. There is still a long way to go, but we’re where we want to be. It doesn’t get any easier now. We’ve spoken about where we want to be as a club and these are the games we really want to be playing in.
‘It’s time to show we can do what we do at the highest level. I’ve been here a long time now. We’ve been in the Champions Cup before and people have said we’re going to win it, but I don’t think we’ve ever been in as good a position to take on a team like Leinster as we are right now. We’ve got momentum and we’re playing a nice brand of rugby. It’s really exciting.’
