Breaking the link between booze and rugby
Breaking the link between booze and rugby
Claire Carter - BBC Radio Somerset; Chris Lockyer - Somerset Sat, November 14, 2026 at 8:19 AM UTC
0
Warning: This article contains details which some readers may find distressing.
James Hayward knew from a young age that drinking alcohol made him popular, which in turn, made him happy.
He had his first taste of alcohol at 10-years-old, and the would later find himself drinking at any given opportunity.
After quitting university, being caught drink-driving while training to be a police officer, and trying to take his own life after a night at the pub, he knew he had to make a change - and now runs a sober rugby team a year after his last drink.
"I was desperate to feel different, I was desperate to not feel myself from a young age...and that just carried on," he said.
More from Somerset
-
Backlash to fake Post Office in Christmas TV ad
Protesters turn 'violent' in new cycle path row
Hedgehog found covered in red paint
James said he would drink at house parties as a teen, explaining: "Very quickly, I started to feel that if I got myself to a level of intoxication that other people noticed, they would laugh.
"I would do stupid things and it would get a reaction and I very quickly made the association that being drunk made me a popular person."
Originally from Kent, he started playing rugby as a child, and noticed a link between sport and drinking.
"I absolutely loved it and it was a great community but there was always a clubhouse at the end, and for us as youngsters, we weren't involved in that, I just couldn't wait until I turned 18."
James says drinking culture is rampant in sport
James studied at the University of Lincoln for a degree in criminology, with hopes of becoming a police officer, but he dropped out, blaming the bottle.
He then moved into a police apprenticeship in Somerset but the drinking did not stop.
After one night drinking with his colleagues in 2021, where he admitted to buying extra alcohol in a petrol station before meeting with them, he got in his car and drove away - but was pulled over by his colleagues who discovered he was twice the drink-drive limit.
After his disciplinary, where he was found guilty of misconduct, his drinking continued, leading to coming home from the pub one evening, finishing a bottle of gin, and attempting to take his own life.
Advertisement
"I just felt so ashamed of myself and I felt weak."
Clearhead RFC trains weekly in Taunton
"He was subsequently arrested for drink-driving again and the night before his court appearance, he got on the train to Bristol, and went to the pub.
"It was in that pub that I started speaking to an old man and his wife, and the old man used to be a magistrate.
"He told me, just call someone get picked up and go tomorrow, what's the worst that's going to happen?'"
Hayward credits that man with saving his life. He went home, spoke to his family, and ended up in rehab in Bolton.
A year later, his project Clearhead RFC is attracting players who want to be part of a team but without the drinking culture.
The group has been meeting at Taunton's YMCA pitches on a Tuesday evening, with a focus on community and skills.
"It's not just for people who struggle, but it's also, it's not a replacement for any other sort of help that people can get.
"I'm just someone who knows what this is like, who wants to try and give a little bit back and help other people who might be going through the same thing."
He said he regularly has people turning up whether they have experienced addiction or choose to be dry and believes the club has helped him stay sober.
"A lot of people are choosing to live their life sober, and this can create a place for them, as much as it can create something for people in recovery, it can bring people together.
"I've had countless incredible experiences since coming into recovery and the key difference is I remember every single one of them."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.
Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
-
Bake Off star says 'going sober' has been 'glorious'
'Raving without alcohol is the best feeling'
Source: “AOL Sports”
