England Golf has called on the services of former football star and television pundit Jay Bothroyd as the latest member of its Game Changers initiative.
Jay has joined Game Changers – part of England Golf’s wider strategic vision for 2025–2030, aimed at bringing together influential individuals who are committed to showcasing golf as a safe, inclusive, sustainable, and inspirational sport.
Game Changers aims to challenge outdated perceptions of the game and highlight its many physical, mental and social benefits, and Jay is the latest figure to join the initiative, after Dame Denise Lewis and 12-year-old Leo Boniface.
Jay, who earned a cap for England and represented football clubs including Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Queen’s Park Rangers, made over 500 club appearances, scoring over 150 goals. He also played for clubs in Italy and Japan during a 21-year career, before stepping into the media industry where he is a pundit on Sky Sports, while he’s also the co-founder of YouTube golf channel, the OuttaBoundz Show, alongside PGA Professional Trey Niven.
Jay Bothroyd, who plays off 8 and is a member at Hadley Wood in Hertfordshire, is hoping to spread his enthusiasm for the game to the younger generations through the Game Changer initiative
Jay said: “I’m absolutely honoured to be a Game Changer. I want to give back to the community and the younger generation to make them see that it is possible to come and play the beautiful game of golf. I grew up in North London where there weren’t many opportunities to play golf. I want to spread the word and get the younger generations involved and give them the opportunities that I didn’t have in the sport when I was growing up.
“I want to help create possibilities, raise awareness, and tell them that it is accessible and that it’s not a middle-class, expensive sport anymore, and that it is fun and enjoyable. The game has changed so much – the rules, the clothing, everything is becoming more relaxed, and I think it’s becoming a bit more urban as well.
“I think youngsters should try all types of sport, but especially golf, because it gives you so many life lessons. When I was growing up, I had a lot of anger issues, I was a hot-head pretty much into my mid-20s, but golf helped me to become more patient, more calm, and to forget about your last bad shot and move onto the next one.”
