{"id":1250984,"date":"2024-05-01T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T08:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golftoday.co.uk\/?p=1250984"},"modified":"2024-05-01T20:59:26","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T20:59:26","slug":"jay-bothroyd-hopes-his-new-project-will-show-golf-can-be-fun-and-is-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/golftoday.co.uk\/jay-bothroyd-hopes-his-new-project-will-show-golf-can-be-fun-and-is-for-everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"Jay Bothroyd hopes his new project will show ‘golf can be fun and is for everyone\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former England striker Jay Bothroyd hopes his new project swapping the penalty area for the fairway can help offer improved access to golf for young players and increase diversity.<\/p>\n

Bothroyd started his football career at Arsenal, where he was part of the FA Youth Cup winning side in 2000, before moving to Coventry and then on to Serie A side Perugia ahead of spells with Charlton, Wolves, Cardiff and QPR.<\/p>\n

It was while in Japan at Sapporo during the Covid-19 pandemic that Bothroyd \u2013 whose only England senior cap came against France in November 2010 when with Cardiff \u2013 started to take more of a keen interest in golf as a way to keep himself active under the restrictions.<\/p>\n

Bothroyd \u2013 who is supporting Prostate Cancer UK<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u2019s Big Golf Race fundraising challenge this summer \u2013 now hosts a YouTube channel alongside PGA pro and coach Trey Niven, which looks to offer a new take around the sport and aims to break down any socio-economic barriers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started the OuttaBoundz Show, we just wanted to be as inclusive as possible, to show whether you have the money or not, there is a place where you can have the opportunity to play,\u201d Bothroyd told the PA news agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to show the next generation that golf is not just a boring sport for middle-aged white men \u2013 it is for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing the shows, we travel around and are having fun when we go out on the course, speaking to someone about their own story \u2013 how did they get into golf?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is about being able to give anyone the opportunity to play golf. We want to help create those as well.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Jay
Former Cardiff forward Jay Bothroyd played for England in a friendly against France during 2010 (Sean Dempsey\/PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people don\u2019t have the money to go and buy clubs, so now we are working with organisations like the Golf Foundation where we are trying to help make that a possibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went into a college recently, and had something like 40 students there. The first question we asked was \u2018how many of you have played golf before?\u2019 There was one girl who put her hand up \u2013 and she had only played once.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put on a clinic, did some putting and chipping, everyone had fun. At the end of it, we asked if this was something they would want to try, and their response was \u2018yeah, definitely. We want to try it now. It is not how we thought it would be.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cComing from someone like me who grew up in the same area as these kids in Tottenham, it just shows them that the opportunities are there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make it all inclusive, to show that golf can be fun and is for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.<\/p>\n

One in eight men will get prostate cancer, a statistic which shortens to one in four for black men.<\/p>\n

Bothroyd\u2019s father was diagnosed and treated for the disease last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to help raise money for more extensive research,\u201d Bothroyd said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am still trying to understand why one in four black men will get prostate cancer compared to one in eight for others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to understand more \u2013 and what better way to do it than Prostate Cancer UK\u2019s Big Golf Race, when we can play and raise money at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

:: Jay Bothroyd is supporting Prostate Cancer UK\u2019s Big Golf Race, which calls on golfers to take on 36, 72 or 100 holes in a day and raise money to help save men\u2019s lives. Visit prostatecanceruk.org\/TheBigGolfRace<\/a><\/span><\/strong> to sign up.<\/p>\n