Harry Baker has played in seven major tournaments across nine years for the England Cerebral Palsy team. In June of this year, he’ll be representing England again at the 2023 IFCPF European Championships which are taking place in Sardinia, between June 2nd and June 10th. They get their campaign underway against Spain on Friday 2nd June before taking on the hosts Italy two days later on the Sunday, with their final group game against the Netherlands taking place on Tuesday 6th June. We caught up with Harry before leaving for Italy.

Congratulations on being selected for the European Championships – what does it feel like representing your nation?

It’s an incredible experience representing your country on the biggest stage. I’m very fortunate this is my 3rd European championship and my 8th major competition in total. It’s a mixture of excitement and nerves to put all the hard work into practice and hopefully do the best we can.

What has been the highlight of your sporting career so far?

The biggest highlight in my career personally so far has to be winning the European Golden Boot as top scorer in the competition in the last Euro Championships back in 2018. As a team I think it would be the 2019 World Cup where we finished 4th which is our highest ever finish.

What was the lowest or the toughest point of your career so far?

The lowest moment for me was not being selected for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. I had put so much training into it and I didn’t make the final squad which was devastating.

What role models did you have growing up?

My role models growing up were David Beckham and my Mum. I didn’t have a disability figure in my life till I started my journey on the pathway, which I progressed through very quickly.

While you’re clearly still competing at a high level, how are you planning your transition from a sporting career to a life beyond sport?

I’m hoping to continue to work alongside the Trust and do more mentoring work to pass on my experiences to help the next generation be the best version of themselves.

If you could go back and give advice to your younger self, what would that advice be and why?

One bit of advice I’d give my younger self is give everything a chance with an open mind because you never know what that opportunity might lead to.

How do you think your experience as an athlete can help young people?

There are lots of comparisons and shared life experiences an athlete and young person might go through. For example; not being picked for a squad is the same as not getting the job you wanted. Athletes develop lots of transferable life skills which can help all types of people, in particular things around goal setting and resilience.

What skills do you bring to the young people and how do you apply it?

I think I bring a strong sense of resilience and determination and consistency. I have overcome lots of adversity being a disabled athlete and I show up everyday and do my training and always try to be the best version of me that I can be.

On a general point, what impact do you think athletes can have on young people? What is it about their backgrounds and previous experiences that help?

I think athletes can have a huge impact because they would have overcome lots of adversity at some point to reach their goal. There are examples of athletes coming from similar backgrounds to the young people we work with and they have made a career from that starting point, using their determination and having clear goals.

What do you think are some of the wider issues facing young people today?

Younger people are growing up in a world which is controlled by social media and the wider issues of war, climate crisis, the cost-of-living crisis and with the pressure of doing well in education. I would say the world is a difficult place to navigate right now with people wanting the ‘social media’ life but struggling to get any opportunities.

Tell me about the programme you’re working on at the moment. What kind of impact do you think it is having on the group?

I’m currently leading an AQA Unlocking Potential programme which is my first programme with the Trust. It’s great to see how the confidence of the young people has really grown and how they’ve come up with their own social action plans to make a difference in their community. It has been really inspiring.

What attracted you to becoming an athlete mentor?

I have always wanted to give back to people through sport, as sport helped me build confidence and develop a sense of a belonging and I wanted to use that to help people be the best they can be.

What’s your favourite memory or biggest impact you can recall in your time working with young people at the Trust.

My favourite memory so far is a young person who when I first met didn’t even want to speak to me and definitely wouldn’t speak in front of a large group. A few months later they stood up and delivered the presentation to the Dragons Den and also in front of the rest of the school regarding their social action plan, it was an incredibly proud moment for them.

Our programmes are focused on physical and mental wellbeing. How do you look after your mental health?

Mental health is vital in my life, I am Mental Health First Aid trained. The way I keep a healthy mind is physical exercise. Even the days I don’t want to get out of bed I make sure I show up and do 30 minutes of exercise and get the endorphins going. It’s the consistency of regular exercise that makes me feel good.