The Rugby Players Association (RPA) has today announced that Gloucester Rugby's Lewis Ludlow is the worthy recipient of this season's second RPA Vodafone Business Gain Line Award.

The RPA Vodafone Business Gain Line Award was created to support current and former players of the game in their off the field business ventures.

At just 27 years old, the Gloucester Rugby club captain has shown great personal development outside of his professional rugby career. In June 2020 he launched the Openside Pizza Company, a mobile pizza business named aptly after his position of openside flanker. After partnering with the owners of local pizza restaurant ‘Hooker and Eight’, he was inspired to take the restaurant on the road and convert a standard horsebox into a fully modernised and self-sufficient horse box trailer with a built-in gas pizza oven, kitchen and serving area.

The mobile restaurant travels across the country to a breath of different events including weddings, festivals, rugby matches and local pub gardens, and is already a firm favourite with his fellow Gloucester rugby teammates.

Alongside Openside Pizza, Lewis also volunteers his spare time to the Gloucestershire Police, as their Health and Wellbeing Ambassador. He engages with all their offices and staff every week, advising on health and fitness and shares his experiences as a professional athlete. He has also signed up as a Special Constable and works with Police Officers in the field on evenings and at weekends. He is also set to apply for a Degree in Policing later this year.

Ludlow and his family have also owned a small farm for five years, where they breed several animals for market.

On winning the award, Ludlow said: "When Craig mentioned I’d won the award I was really shocked! Being active outside of rugby has always helped my rugby so to be rewarded for that is amazing. I look forward to putting the grant to good use and continuing to grow our business!”

Ludlow’s RPA Development Manager, Craig Townsend, said: “Lewis is an inspiration to any player who’s looking to steadily build a career post rugby while at the top of his game. He’s set himself some clear goals and timelines and committed to working on his own business and with the police on a regular basis.”

For more information on the Openside Pizza Company, click here

Lewis Ludlow wins RPA Vodafone Business Gain Line Award

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