Ellie Kildunne MBE

When Ellie Kildunne first stepped onto the pitch at Keighley Rugby Union Football Club at age seven, she was the only girl among the boys. That moment in her West Yorkshire hometown would prove to be the foundation of a remarkable journey that would carry her from Skipton Road in Utley to the pinnacles of world rugby.

Born in Keighley on 8 September 1999, Ellie's early rugby development took root at both Keighley Albion, where she played rugby league, and Keighley RUFC, where she learned the union game. Those childhood years at the club affiliated to Yorkshire RFU, based at Skipton Road in the Utley district of Keighley, gave her the skills and determination that would define her career. Being the only girl on the pitch taught her resilience from the start, forging a competitive spirit that would carry her through every stage of her remarkable career.

From Keighley, her path took her to her first top-flight club, Gloucester-Hartpury, where she played from 2017 to 2018. The 2017 season proved pivotal: at just eighteen, she made her England debut in a 79-5 victory over Canada, announcing herself on the international stage with a try. After her breakthrough year at Gloucester-Hartpury, she continued her development at Wasps from 2020 to 2021, then spent five productive seasons at Harlequins from 2021 to 2026. At Harlequins she was a prolific try-scorer, notching 52 tries in 60 appearances and establishing herself as one of the Premiership's most dangerous attacking threats.

The 2024 season marked Ellie's arrival as one of the world's premier players. She scored nine tries in the Six Nations, earning Player of the Championship honours, and by the year's end was named World Rugby Women's Player of the Year. That dominance continued into 2025 when she helped England win the Rugby World Cup at Twickenham. In front of 82,000 fans, she scored a solo try in the final against Canada, one of five tries she tallied across the tournament. The 2025 triumph came four years after the 2021 World Cup, where she had played every game and started in the final, only to see England fall to New Zealand.

Her excellence on the pitch has been recognized far beyond rugby. The 2026 New Year Honours brought her an MBE for services to rugby union. St Mary's University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Sport in November 2025 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to English rugby, followed by an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Leeds in July 2026 for transforming the visibility of women's rugby. Beyond the traditional fifteen-a-side game, she also represented Team GB in rugby sevens at the Paris 2024 Olympics, making her Olympic debut in the women's sevens competition. She finished as runner-up in the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, a testament to her impact on the national sporting consciousness.

From 2026, Ellie has played for Bristol Bears Women, continuing to build a legacy that stretches back to those early days in Keighley. Her story is one of a young girl who found her place on a pitch in West Yorkshire and never stopped running. The foundation laid at Keighley RUFC, where coaches and teammates first saw her talent, has carried Ellie Tea Kildunne MBE to the very top of world rugby, becoming a champion, an inspiration, and a proud representative of where her journey began.