Bristolian England Rugby star named city’s International Ambassador

Bristolian England Rugby star named city’s International Ambassador

Posted on: 15 Dec 2022

England international and Bristol Bears prop Ellis Genge has this week been appointed International Ambassador by Bristol City Council.

 

The role will see Genge, who grew up in Knowle West and went to John Cabot Academy, working with the Council to promote sporting opportunities around the world as well as in Bristol.

 

The Bristol Ambassador programme supports the city’s International Strategy, ‘Bristol Global City’. Find out more here.

 

 

A Bristolian through and through, Genge was raised in the Knowle West council estate, attending Knowle West Primary School and playing for Old Redcliffians in Bristol when he was young.

 

Genge graduated from Bristol’s academy and played regularly for England during this period, however, it was not until he moved to Leicester Tigers in 2016 that he broke into the England setup. He quickly became an international regular and went on to captain Leicester, where he made 111 appearances.

 

In 2022 it was confirmed that Genge would be returning to Bears, telling The Times: “a magnetic force pulled me back to Bristol”. Thanks to his aggressive, combative style he has earned the nickname ‘Baby Rhino’. 

Genge has always supported his local community back in South Bristol, working closely with local youth mentoring service Youth Moves and regularly helping out in charity kitchens around the city.

 

Launched in 2018, the International Ambassador programme sees experts from different Bristol sectors with an international profile use their expertise and relationships to increase the city’s cultural, political and economic presence worldwide.

 

Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees, said: “Ellis is an international sportsman with a profile on the global stage. He is also a Bristol-born champion, working to promote sporting opportunities around the world and in our city.

 

“He will be an important International Ambassador, raising the profile of Bristol abroad and inspiring our young people to get involved in sport and grow up as ‘global citizens’.”

More information about the ambassador programme and Bristol Global City can be found here.

Read more:

 

Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.