I know many people claim that sport is their passion… but to me it really is! Ever since a young age, I have always loved sport and getting outside and running around. As a youngster, whether it was kicking a ball around or playing 'TAG' with all my friends in the estate, I have always had a passion for sport.
I started playing football when I was five years old; joining my local football club on my 5th birthday and I have never looked back. At the time, the main reason for me joining was because I idolised Michael Owen who played for Liverpool, the team I have always supported and grown up around, with my Mum & Dad being lifetime fans. To this day, I am still playing football regularly for my local team throughout the week, training on a Wednesday then playing on a Saturday afternoon. My hunger for the game is still as strong as it was at the age of five and I enjoy attending Liverpool games as and when I can, throughout the season.
Amongst the regular football, I have also been involved in other areas of sport especially at high school, where there were endless opportunities. I ended up playing for the football team, basketball team, athletics team, cross country team, Gaelic football team and most successfully, the rugby league team, over the course of 5 years at high school. The rugby team is one of my proudest and standout highlights of not only my time at high school but also remains one of my fondest memories within sport, as we were such a successful team over the space of the final 3 years at high school. We finished year 11 as 3 times Kirklees Cup Winners, Yorkshire Champions and the biggest prize of them all was National Champions in our final year. To this day, the memories that our team created still stick with me and the rest of the lads. It sounds cliché, but we really were like brothers. To me, this is what sport is all about, people coming together.
As well as the different teams I played for in school, and my local football team, I also took up golf and in the last few years have recently gained a love for mountain biking and skiing as well as regularly attending the gym during the week. My passion for sport is still ever growing and seems to show no signs of stopping!
Reflecting over the years and looking at the sports I have been involved in, the main aspects for me that I love, are that it provides a competitive and challenging scenario. No matter which sport it is, as I always try to push myself and improve at everything I do, but at the same time, make sure I enjoy every minute of it. Sport provides me with a break from work and other day-to-day goings on and allows me to socialise with my friends. It also lets off some energy and allows my busy mind to relax while helping me to keep fit. I have endless love for sport, and the opportunities it can provide to people are never-ending. I would tell anyone wanting to get involved with sport to go for it and give anything a try, as it can be rewarding in so many ways and provide numerous benefits both mental and physical.