Right To Play is delighted to announce legendary England rugby player - and rugby World Cup winner - Mike Tindall as an Athlete Ambassador.

Mike has been increasing his involvement with Right To Play ever since his first introduction to our work in 2015. He recently visited our programmes in Accra, Ghana, which had a profound effect on him.

“The visit to Ghana made me realise just how fortunate I’ve been to be able to pursue and realise my dreams. Unfortunately, due to circumstance, not all children have these opportunities”, Mike said. “Right To Play’s work is truly inspiring. Play is such a powerful influence in a child's life. It has the ability to improve education, open up lines of communication and foster the confidence and self-esteem a child needs to believe in a better future.”

The short film below captures some of the highlights from Mike’s visit to Ghana.

Mike recently took on a prominent role at our annual gala dinner, The Big Red Ball, where he led the live fundraising pledge alongside host Mark Durden-Smith and helped us reach an amazing £400,000+ fundraising total.

“I’m delighted Mike has come on board and is so passionate about what we are trying to achieve around the world. He is a fantastic advocate for the importance of play in educating children”, says Neil Child-Dyer, Partnerships Manager at Right To Play UK. “We are already working on some exciting plans for next year.”

Mike’s rugby career spanned 17 years, which included playing for the England rugby team from 2000 to 2011 where he was a core member of the 2003 Rugby World Cup winning squad. He later went on to captain his national team. Since his retirement from professional rugby in 2014, Mike has been a regular on talkSPORT and the BBC. Not being one to shy away from a challenge, in 2015 Mike became a finalist on both The Jump and Bear Grylls: Mission Survive.

Mike joins an elite group of athletes who seek to promote our work and raise our profile with the public and sports fans. For more information about Right To Play and Mike Tindall, please contact our Partnerships Manager, Neil Child-Dyer, on 0203 752 5649 or sports@righttoplay.com