Austin Healey
Austin Healey enjoyed a rugby career that lasted over a decade and saw him play for both club and country.
Now retired Healey is a dedicated family man and is now backing the Playday campaign - that aims to get kids away from TV and computer games and outside playing with family member and friends.
I caught up with him about the new campaign, retirement and what lies ahead.
- You are supporting Playday, which is being backed by Savlon, so can you tell me a little bit about the campaign?
Research by Savlon showed some disturbing figures 42% of children have never made a daisy chain; I’m in that bracket myself if I’m being honest, but what really scared me is that one in ten had never ridden a bike.
It just showed to me that, my children included; I have four daughters, that they need to be outside playing or inside playing but just away from spoon fed mechanics, so watching TV, computers and computer games.
I think that they do have their place but I think that the balance at the minute isn’t quite right and that is why I got involved.
The Playday is on 3rd August and it just encourages people to get out there and have a good time - I think people who go for the first time they will realise that there children do really enjoy playing with other kids.
- I was reading through some of those statistics and a whopping 73% of kids want to play out more so, as a parent yourself, how much do you think parents prevent kids from playing outside because of their own fears?
Well it’s a cotton wool society that we live in as we are fearful that they will fall over and hurt themselves - but I remember as a kid I fell over all the time and was covered in cuts and grazes but you stuck a plaster on and went back out.
I just think in some ways it’s too easy as a parent to sit them down in front of the TV or have them entertain themselves on computer games when really they want to be outside being inventive, or inside being inventive; you can be just as inventive and free inside.
- You have touched on this already but how and why did you get involved?
I feel very passionately that children should be outside exercising, enjoying life, playing with one another and making friends. We have become very socially mobile in terms of the internet and access to TV channels etc but we also seem to be imprisoning our youth inside out houses and I think it’s wrong.
We need to have kids outside being kids, being free, owning their own spare time and breaking their own boundaries - there are a lot of motor skills that are developed by being outside climbing a tree of riding a bike and I want my children to experience as much of that as possible.
- As a father yourself how important is it for you to see your kids get out of the house and play? And what sort of outdoor activities do you do with them?
We go riding bike, playing on the trampoline in the garden and generally just fighting - water fights are quite popular; there are lots of broken balloons in our garden and on the street at the moment.
They enjoy catching eggs, although that is very messy, but they just invent it; we play a game called roll and jump each night and we have fighting time. If I am home and I am not working then I want to spend time with my children, as does my wife.
- Obviously computers and video games are a big part of kid’s lives so how are you pulling your kids away from those sorts of attractions?
Computer games and TV are a trend they are things that other kids play on and that they can talk about - they have got a part to play and they develop children in different ways.
But I ban them in my house over a period of time if the kids have misbehaved or if they have been on them too much - and you seen a noticeable difference in our daughters; not so much in the twins because they are only 3 ½.
But when the older two are inside or outside playing making stuff, drawing and being creative they become a lot more independent and a lot more fun actually - when they are sat watching TV or playing on computer games they just turn into zombies, and I am sure every parent sees the same.
It’s difficult being a parent and you to need to have a switch off time every now and again but switch off doesn’t mean you can’t say to the kids ‘out you go and play’. I absolutely hate my kids watching American TV because they come back talking like they are from America.
- I remember when we were kids we were never in.
Yeah it was run home from school, have a bowl of cereal just to give you enough energy to back out and run around again.
- Away from the campaign you are best known as a rugby player so how are you enjoying retirement? And how would you sum up your career when you look back on it now?
I think retrospectively you always think that you could have done more tried a bit harder and when I was growing up I remember hearing this all the time ‘oh this is the best time of your life’ and ‘you don’t know how lucky you are’ and it’s not until you reach your mid thirties that you think ‘oh my god they were actually talking sense.’
Looking back I have got periods in my career that I have got huge amounts of pride in but I have also got periods in my career that I have a few regrets about.
That’s another thing that drive me nuts I hate seeing wasted potential when I see certain other rugby players at the minute that are wasting their potential I can’t stand it - same for my kids.
But you don’t know what your potential is unless you get out and try things and do different stuff - if you sit inside your house all the time you are going end up the rest of your life sat there anyway.
- Are you involved with the sport at the moment - I read that you do have some coaching badges?
I have got my coaching badges but I am not that interested in coaching adults just yet - but each summer I go to Sardinia to coach kids with Will Greenwood, Jason Robinson and Jason Leonard - but in terms of coaching adults in rugby clubs… no not yet.
- There is a big push to get kids into sport at the moment with obesity and the Olympics just around the corner so for anyone who wants to get into rugby what advice or tips would you give?
Just go down to your local club or ask someone at school you can go on the TRFU website, have a look at where your nearest club is and they will have a junior side and get down there.
The best thing about rugby is it’s like an extended family they look after each other and there member, whether you are a good rugby player or the worst, whether you are a big guy at 6ft 10 and weight 20 stone or whether you are a small guy like me who weighs 12 stone - there is something for everyone. It’s so inclusive that it not only helps your sporting life but also your personal life.
- You played for England yourself so with the world cup just around the corner how do you rate England’s chances after a good six nations?
Most people are going to say that England don’t have much of a chance, they may get to the semis but it’s difficult to see past New Zealand and South Africa, people said that last time and they were an inch away - if Mark Cueto had had smaller feet they would have won the World Cup.
I would say that England do have a chance, anything is possible, a bunch of guys who get in four walls and close the door and put their backs to the wall can always come out fighting.
I think this England side does have quality in it, they will have to be at the top of their game, but I think the weather could play into our hand also I think a few sides will right us off a bit and that could play into our hands.
- Martin Johnson is team manager so what do you think he has brought to the England squad?
He has brought the biggest eyebrow in professional sport - that is a living animal. He is massively passionate, he is very controlled, he has an element of niggle about him; he likes to get stuck in - and I think that that comes from his passion for the game.
When you see that your manager is as passionate as you then that can inspire you, he is an inspirational bloke.
- Finally what’s next for you?
Well four kids… I’m going to be working until I’m 101 I think. I’m just trying to enjoy life - I enjoy reading the Sunday papers and in the finance part every weekend there is a piece about what people think about money and people work hard to earn lots of money because they think it can change their lives; what can change your life is spending as much time as you can with your family and finding that balance.
At the minute in our family we have a lovely balance; I have enough time at home and enough time away and we can spend time together.
Whatever is next for me - whether it is a TV job or working in business - as long as it doesn’t affect that, or it only enhances that, then that’s what I’m hopefully going to do in the future.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Find more infomation about Playday here www.savlon.co.uk/playday
Austin Healey enjoyed a rugby career that lasted over a decade and saw him play for both club and country.
Now retired Healey is a dedicated family man and is now backing the Playday campaign - that aims to get kids away from TV and computer games and outside playing with family member and friends.
I caught up with him about the new campaign, retirement and what lies ahead.
- You are supporting Playday, which is being backed by Savlon, so can you tell me a little bit about the campaign?
Research by Savlon showed some disturbing figures 42% of children have never made a daisy chain; I’m in that bracket myself if I’m being honest, but what really scared me is that one in ten had never ridden a bike.
It just showed to me that, my children included; I have four daughters, that they need to be outside playing or inside playing but just away from spoon fed mechanics, so watching TV, computers and computer games.
I think that they do have their place but I think that the balance at the minute isn’t quite right and that is why I got involved.
The Playday is on 3rd August and it just encourages people to get out there and have a good time - I think people who go for the first time they will realise that there children do really enjoy playing with other kids.
- I was reading through some of those statistics and a whopping 73% of kids want to play out more so, as a parent yourself, how much do you think parents prevent kids from playing outside because of their own fears?
Well it’s a cotton wool society that we live in as we are fearful that they will fall over and hurt themselves - but I remember as a kid I fell over all the time and was covered in cuts and grazes but you stuck a plaster on and went back out.
I just think in some ways it’s too easy as a parent to sit them down in front of the TV or have them entertain themselves on computer games when really they want to be outside being inventive, or inside being inventive; you can be just as inventive and free inside.
- You have touched on this already but how and why did you get involved?
I feel very passionately that children should be outside exercising, enjoying life, playing with one another and making friends. We have become very socially mobile in terms of the internet and access to TV channels etc but we also seem to be imprisoning our youth inside out houses and I think it’s wrong.
We need to have kids outside being kids, being free, owning their own spare time and breaking their own boundaries - there are a lot of motor skills that are developed by being outside climbing a tree of riding a bike and I want my children to experience as much of that as possible.
- As a father yourself how important is it for you to see your kids get out of the house and play? And what sort of outdoor activities do you do with them?
We go riding bike, playing on the trampoline in the garden and generally just fighting - water fights are quite popular; there are lots of broken balloons in our garden and on the street at the moment.
They enjoy catching eggs, although that is very messy, but they just invent it; we play a game called roll and jump each night and we have fighting time. If I am home and I am not working then I want to spend time with my children, as does my wife.
- Obviously computers and video games are a big part of kid’s lives so how are you pulling your kids away from those sorts of attractions?
Computer games and TV are a trend they are things that other kids play on and that they can talk about - they have got a part to play and they develop children in different ways.
But I ban them in my house over a period of time if the kids have misbehaved or if they have been on them too much - and you seen a noticeable difference in our daughters; not so much in the twins because they are only 3 ½.