League: Jerome Ropati embraces new NRL Community role

Former Warriors centre Jerome Ropati has been announced as the first New Zealander to be appointed as an NRL Community ambassador. Grant Trouville/NRL Photos

Former Warriors centre Jerome Ropati has been announced as the first ever New Zealander to be appointed as an NRL Community ambassador.

After a stellar 12-year playing career, the 30-year-old joins the ranks of fellow league legends such as Nathan Hindmarsh, Andrew Ryan and Alan Tongue in the NRL One Community team.

Ropati's first task as an official ambassador will be to visit schools during the 15th annual Community Carnival, which was officially launched on Tuesday. A month long activity, the event will see players from every club visit local and regional communities throughout Australia and New Zealand.

"I'm honoured to represent my country as the first ever New Zealander to join the NRL Community team," Ropati said.

"Throughout my career, I've been lucky enough to see the positive impact rugby league can have on key community issues. I'm excited to get stuck into the role and Community Carnival is the perfect place to start."

Over the four weeks of Community Carnival (February 2 through to February 27), NRL players are expected to reach 250,000 kids across 300 towns and 900 schools, and deliver 80 Junior League clinics.

The community message of this year's event is wellbeing, focussing on everything from nutrition and healthy eating, to regular exercise and mental health.

"Jerome's appointment will further extend the reach of our community program in New Zealand, complementing the great work already done by the Warriors," Adam Check, NRL Head of Community said.

"Jerome had a fantastic career, playing 145 games and 11 tests, including winning the 2008 Rugby League World Cup with the Kiwis. His achievements on the field were surpassed only by his exceptional commitment to community.

"He has a genuine enthusiasm for making positive change and we're delighted to welcome him to the NRL Community fold."

League's new Wellbeing program aims to harness the NRL's popularity to empower and educate students to value wellbeing in their own lives. Providing a holistic view of health, each of the seven comprehensive lessons establishes strong links between Nutrition, Physical Activity and Mental Health to our overall wellbeing.