Ellis Genge eager to start new players’ union
England and Leicester Tigers loosehead prop Ellis Genge has confirmed that he is determined to establish a new players’ union in his country.
The 25-year-old said the idea of a new union came after feeling some people were badly advised when they were asked to accept pay cuts amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Genge insists his proposed new organisation would complement rather than rival the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA).
The RPA represents more than 1200 past and present professional players, both male and female, but Genge claims his new group would have an advantage because “we wouldn’t have to answer to a governing body.”
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He said on the BBC Sport website: “We are not making a new RPA. I think they do really good stuff with welfare in rugby and they look after people really well.
“But I do feel that people were poorly advised. People were advised from the off to sign the contracts without reading them, almost. Commercially, I didn’t think everyone was being represented very well.
“So I am trying to put together a players’ union. It is not to replace the RPA or to combat the RFU. Honestly, it is nothing of the sort.
“It is just so people can get really good advice from trusted professionals in those specific fields: around commercial and legal.”
