I started showing an interest in sport from a young age - both of my parents were very active and growing up there was always a football or a cricket ball around the house. I started playing rugby at primary school.

 

I was in to everything! Rugby and football were my winter sports and I used to follow my dad’s footsteps and play golf and cricket in the summer.

 

There is always a great team spirit in sports like rugby – playing professionally you get to go to work, play the game you love and have fun with 30 or more of your friends at the same time. I’m also a very competitive person and thrive on the adrenaline I get from playing a match.

 

I do some form of exercise every day, whether it is at the gym, rugby training or kicking practice, I’m always on the go! The intensity of our training sessions vary, at the beginning of the week we do a lot and it lessens in the run up to a game. It’s vital to support a lot of exercise with a balanced, healthy diet and a lot of water.

 

That would definitely be my parents. They have always encouraged and supported both me and my brother since we were young. My dad played a lot of cricket when I was growing up so I’ve always looked up to Ian Botham. I had a video that I must have watched 300 times!

Many sportsmen and women wouldn’t be where they are today without their parents – I certainly wouldn’t be. It’s so important for children to get support, if only in the form of transport to get to and from training and matches. Everyone needs a little push of encouragement at times and parents are great at doing that!

 

The programme gives children the opportunity to take part in competitive sport in an environment that is fun and with people that know what they are doing, that they wouldn’t necessarily otherwise have. The more children we get participating in sport at a young age the broader the base will be and the better the quality of sportsmen and women we’ll have in the future