British And Irish Lions Prop Ellis Genge Is Ready For Business

On May 8, England international Ellis Genge achieved a dream. The Bristol Bears loose-head prop earned his first selection for the famed British and Irish Lions team. He will be part of the 38-man squad touring Australia this summer. Despite 71 caps and two Rugby World Cup (2019 and 2023) appearances for England, Genge is one of 26 newcomers to the British and Irish Lions squad. Off the field, Genge is fulfilling another dream: founding businesses that provide services in his community and prepare him for life after rugby.

In the coming months, Genge will be opening a coffee shop, 129, in Tickenham on the outskirts of Bristol. Genge enjoys a coffee, but unlike some of his England teammates, he is not an expert barista, although he says he does “try his hand at coffee” when he’s away with the national team. The café will serve customers making the commute into or out of Bristol. It will sit next to the local driving range, and once the shop is up and running, Genge plans to build a pilates studio in the same building, offering exercise and drinks to a wider clientele.

Genge was born in Bristol in the 90s. After a brief stint with the Leicester Tigers, which included a Gallagher Premiership title, he returned to Bristol in 2022. The son of a plumber and a secretary, he grew up on the Knowle West Council Estate, a working-class part of town with drugs and violence, but a strong community feeling. Genge credits his neighborhood for his work ethic, saying that he realized early on “hard work is your currency.” That work ethic has transformed into an entrepreneurial spirit in recent years: Genge has opened a gym and a groundwork company in Bristol, and now his coffee shop is on the way.

Knowle West’s proclivity for drugs and violence put a young Genge in stressful situations. Over time, that stress led to a buildup of aggression, which Genge admits he struggled to suppress at times. At age twelve, Genge began playing rugby and found an outlet for his aggression. It greatly influenced his playing style, making him into a strong and willing ball carrier and punishing tackler. His aggression and work ethic have made him one of the best props in the world and earned him a spot in the 2022 World Rugby Team of the Year. Since 2020, Genge has been putting that same energy into his businesses, which he says help take his mind off of rugby.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Genge had several conversations with professional development officers at Leicester Tigers, his club at the time. He says they were always pushing players to develop skills beyond rugby, largely because rugby players do not get paid similarly to NBA, NFL, or professional soccer players. Following those conversations, he decided to set up Syncollective, a new gym focused on community and created for people who don’t fit in.

To outsiders, the gym may have seemed like a distraction, but Genge calls himself “ a punchy character who likes to take risks.” He was undaunted by managing a business while playing professional rugby. So much so that a few years later, once the gym was up and running comfortably, Genge opened a second business called Paving Fields.

The professional groundwork and paving company is headquartered in Bristol and provides highway maintenance, small and medium-sized vehicle projects, residential paving, and drainage across southwest England. Genge co-founded it with his lifelong friend Jed Fields, who spent the previous twelve years of his life mastering the craft.

As in rugby, Genge isn’t satisfied with a role on the sidelines. The England prop wants to be hands-on and is about to embark on his digger’s license, which will train him to properly operate excavation equipment. In his words, he doesn’t “just want to collect dust” after his playing days are over.

Aside from three businesses and a professional rugby career, Genge has found time to do a property management course (during the Autumn Nations Series), play snooker twice a week, and learn golf. He admits getting into the latter because it is where business occurs. Genge is also a father of three, which he credits for making him more patient and giving him more self-confidence, and a strong community advocate, running a charity called the Genge Fund that gives underprivileged children access to sports and education.

Genge has a full plate, but he would be the first to note that his family plays a key role in helping him achieve his goals. As a child, Genge says his mother was “a beacon of safety” and someone he could seek advice from. Now, his wife, Meg, looks after their kids and finds ways to give Ellis space to develop professionally. It also helps that Genge is “a bit of a glorified insomniac.” He thrives on 5 or 6 hours of sleep and is a curious person, always trying to learn new skills.

At age 30, Genge is still at the peak of his rugby powers. He is going on his first Lions tour this summer, and if all goes well, he will likely be playing in Australia again in two years at the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Ahead of the Lions squad announcement, he said, “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t on my mind,” but added that while he was “nervous as ever,” rugby doesn’t define him. With three businesses, a foundation, and a growing family, Ellis Genge is much more than a loosehead prop. He’s an amazing rugby player who is as dominating off the field as he is on it.